New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-03-08
prrorw THAT MUST COME.

Co,na recpnt utterances OF municiP"' "'o
have encouraged the belief that they are '''o'
ahlv ;mnressed with the proposition TO burn inc
o;,ys refuse instead of dumping it In the sea-
r. that is their mood, and especially II M'.
Croker shares it, there Is reason lor se"e'.'
rejoicing. The reform cannot come s"'i"'' :"
ali probability, but it is encouraging 10 see -"
d;cations that it is making some progreSs-'n",
an Intelligent understanding of the danger anu
waste Of the present system is slowly spreading
among those who have controi over hh"''o'P".
affairs. New.York Is behind inc "."e' y"
numerous particulars, and this Is one Oh 'hen' :
There is no novelty about the cren'a''oi Va
garbage, though II has sometimes oeeh spun"
of &c il H. involved mysterious problems anu
could not be put in practice here without
great deal of fortitude and considerable FISK
NJ failure The conditions vary, OF course III
different places, and the cost IS an uncertain"
element until it has been acertained by eA,
perience but that Is about the only douo'i"
nont. That the vile stuff which plaques us
until IL is removed, and then frequently re-
turns in part to be a still worse plague can
be reduced to ashes without difficulty or an
noyance has been proved conolnsively on
small scale III tniS HeiS""oA"o~'
large scale in numerous places.
The question which many citizens are ask
ing with increasing emphasis and frequency
and which the municipal authorities are Deglh'
ming to consider is this: Shall the system
which is employed elsewhere with perfect sue
cess "a regards health. comfort ana economy
be applied here in the near future or shall we
On IN with q system which is unhealthful, ex-
ncnsiye and intrinsically absurd? We say ex-
ncn.iye because, although the cost OF crema-
ton cannot be estimated exactly In advance
there is no reason whatsoever to suppose thae
it would be greater than the cost OF dumping
while there is substantial ground for believing
that it would be at least Onc-quarter less al
most at the outset This is the expectation
which the experience of other cities suggests.
OF course at the same price the gain "ouio
be enormous but competent judges think thae
the pecunary advantage would be almost as
conspicuous as the sanitary, though vastly less
important
It is scarcely to be hoped that this year or
next will see the abolition OF the old, dls-
credited. unwholesOmc methods and the SUD-
stitution of a system against which nobody mas
vet yentured to allege any essential dc1ect.
But an earnest endeavOr to make the nced OF
this particular reform evident cannot be alto
gether wasted Certainly it is not believed by
anylcdy that we shall 60 OH in the old way
forever, or even for many years; but the change
can be greatly fastened by an exhibition OF
popular interest, and especially by dcmonstra-
ton of accomplished facts, such as may readily
be made by citing the experience OF other COM
munitics. TIE TRIBUNE on Sunday last made
n serious contribution to this object in an ac-
curate and comprehensive article. Some OF our
contemporaries have performed a similar ser
vice. We urge them all, and publIc-splrlted
citizens also who belong to various organlza-
tons for promoting tho common welfare TO
keep up the discussion and make tho interest
and Importance of the subject known to all
within the range Of their influence