Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-07-19

OaTpdSe collectlon ana disposal are mat
tiers Of almost supreme sanitary import
ance in Gil eit1es, for they concern every
individual. whether Of high or low degree.
washington wants and must have the best
system that has yet been devised, for the
removal and destruction Of the vast guam
tity Of refuse matter which Is here daily
thrown away. Through all of this city's
history up to and including the present
time, the collection and disposal of gar
bage have been conducted in a generally
haphazard, go-as-you-please fashion; the
contractor being a. q rule firmly bound
to do nothing else than Just exactly as he
pleased without any regard whatever for
the public interest or for any other con-
alterations than those in which the con-
tractor was financially concerned. 1t
should b. remembered by those in author
3ty that the health OF the community Is at
stake. This Is . conspicuous city. Smooth
and broad highways magnificent public
buildings. a million shade trees, parks al
most without number and great In extent,
and 4 host Of other attractive features
have given to the national capital good
repute which must not suffer detraction or
diminution through careless handling of
any important affair. That garbage reform
will come, 10 Of course a certainty, but
its appearance has been and is being I'M
necessarily and unreasonably delayed by
the slipshod and unmethodical manner in
which the Commissioners have dealt with
problem that should, to be successfully
solved, be the subject of careful fore
thought. Instead Of first satisfying them
selves as to which of the many disposal
systems would be best suited to Wash
ington, the Commissioners practically COM
mancad nv I'd he
tract to an individual whose right to be a
garbage contractor found its firmest sup
port in a long and strong political pull.
After the contract had been awarded for
what il generally believed to be an exor-
bitant remuneration, the Commissioners
discovered that the system which the con-
tractor proposed to install was unfit for use
in Washington. That discovery was a
call to action and straightway the health
officer was dispatched on a tour Of inves-
tigation that took him to the north and
to the south, to the east and to the west.
That entirely capable official has exercised
his olfactory powers within and without
score of erematories and reduction plants,
has observed the various methods, and will
probably soon be ready to give the Com
mi5sioners valuable information and ad-
vice. What the Commissioners will next
do may not be foretoid save by those who
have the gift of true prophecy. What they
should do Is plain to every sensible man
and woman in Washington. They should
have as little regard for the contract so
hastily and unadvisedly entered into as
they seemed to have for the public interest
at that time. They should decide upon the
system which the health officer declares to
be the best. even if that system provides
for raIr,
the Commissioners appear to be strongly
opposed So far, the contractor has not
been called upon to incur any expense in
preparing for the work which the Commits
sioners had agreed he should commence to
dc In November, so there need be no fear
of a suit calling for very much In the way
of damages in case the new contract should
go to some other bidder than the one who
was fortunate enough to impress the Com
missioners with the notion that II they
could only secure him as contractor at
$4,000 a year 1t was a comparatively i'm
material matter what collection and dis
posai system might be employed. Sup
pose the health officer finds that one of
the reduction systems, though less expen-
sive than a crematory. Is more thorough
and satisfactory, will the District be bound
to pay $4,000. tho estimated cost of the
cremation system found unsatisfactory,
for the cheaper reduction system? Is 1t not
to the contractors interest If he has
binding contract for $4,000 annually to
secure the cheapest system. the crud-
est crematory, or the least effective
and most Objectionable reduction plant?
1t Is clear that the Commissioners
ought to have thoroughly informed them
selves in advance concerning the mer-
it's and defects of the different sys-
TENS of garbage disposal and have awarded
the contract to the representative Of the
best system, instead of binding themselves
merely to a man and leaving the question
of a system to settle itself as the result Of
subsequent Investigation and negotiation
As matters stand they have merely saddled
upon the District a garbage middleman at
a high, fixed price, who will hamper direct
negotiations for the best system Of garbage
disposal IL it should also turn out to be
the most expensive.