Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1895-01-23
THE SEWER SYSTEM
Needs Of the City Discussed at Board
Of Trade Meeting.
THE SANITARY ASPECTS OF THE CASE
Reimbursement by the Board Of
the Bond Issue Bill.
pTNTS M r. r g
VARIOUS LOCAL MATTERS

VARIOUS LOCAL MATTERS
The January meeting of the Washington
board of trade last evening in Willard
Hall was attended by about hundred
members In preparation for the expected
discussion of the bond issue bill several
maps ard diagrams were hung up on the
walls and on improvised easels, construct
ed of tables and chairs. Secretary Wight
had bad cold, and when President War
ner called for order at o'clock the secre-
tary's voice was so nearly gone that he
turned over the minutes to the assistant
secretary, Mr.. Gurley, who read them.
The two committees authorized at the last
meeting were then announced, as follows:
Standing committee on public schools,
Major George H. Harries. Prof. b. T. jan
ney, VIM. A Meloy, Thos. w. Smith and
Daniel Murray; special committee to car
ry into effect the civil service extension
resolutions of the board, John Joy Edison,
Frederick l.. Siddons, NJ. M. Parker, Rufus
H. Thayer and H. A. Hall.
A long communication was read from
Frank Libbey & Co., protesting against the
action of the District Commissioners clear
ing the sidewalks of signs ard other OBJ
structions. This letter was referred to the
executive committee. A resolution offer
ed by Mr.. VIM. II. Moses, deploring the
death or Major Anderson 2. Lacey, was
adopted. similar resolution, expressing
the grief of the board at the death of the
late Congressman Post of Illinois was Of
fered by Mr.. S. w. Woodward and passed.
Various Resolutions.
DR.. 3. S. Bond presented a resolution
condemning the course of Congress in
steadily reducing tho appropriations for
public schools below the estimates Of the
beard of trustees and the Commissioners.
The resolution was referred to the new
committee on public schools.
Mr.. ]. H. Ralston offered a resolution
providing for the appointment Of a special
committee of seven members to report to
the board a fair and proper price of gas
in the District, what steps should be taken
to secure a reduced rate, and whether The
city should undertake to furnish it's own
gas.
Mr.. James Lansburgh moved to amend
by including the electric lights as we'll as
gas. This being accepted by Mr.. Ralston.
the resolution was adopted.
Mr.. +. l.. Siddons offered resolution
instructirg the committee on taxation and
assessment to prepare bill for the repeal
of the personal tax. Mr. Warner was in
clined to refer the resolution to the conf
mttee on taxation, but Mr.. Siddons pro-
tested. DR.. Pardon moved .this reference.
He said that the board was not ready to
act on such an important matter. Mr..
Warner remarked that he understood the
committee has had under consideration
such measure as the resolution contem-
plates and he did not think the resolution
should pass without reference. Mr. Sid
dOnS did not want to have the resolution go
to the committee without date being set
on which to report. DR.. Pardon fixed the
amendment to request the committee to re-
port at some time prior to the meeting of
the next Congress. The resolution was
then referred.
Mr. Rudolph Goldschmid's resolution, in
troduced at the last meeting. providing for
special committee to inquire into the
reasonableness of the telephone rates for
the District, and report whether it is ad-
viSable to make any changes from the
present system, was then passed unani-
mously. None Of the members of this
committee are allowed to be connected with
corporations.
The Proposed Sewer Plan.
President Warner next called upon the
committee on sewerage, and it's chairman.
Mr.. Albert NJ. Read, took the floor He
outlined the work of the committee, and
sketched the plan that has been adopted
to relieve the water front from the accum-
ulation of sewage that floats from the
great tubes upon the shores In this plan
there are sewers that are intended to carry
only the sewage of the city, others to carry
only rain water and a third class TO carry
both sewage and rainfall; they will agSre-
gate about twenty miles and range from
fifteen inches to fifteen feet in diameter
The estimate is that such a scheme as that
proposed will be adequate for city OF
800 900 people. Mr.. Read quoted from a
medical authority TO show that where one
person dies of malaral fever IN the most
healthful district of the city, twenty die at
the mouth of the James Creek canal and
f,rf ,y-f hrn at he m
Abiding to the financial part of the plan
Mr. Read declared that the whole system
would cost about $i,35O.O00. The interest
repairs and running expenses will aggre-
gate about S152,250 a year. IL the loan be
placed at about ) per cent the debt can be
liquidated in about fifty years. with an an
nual expenditure of about $4,000 as a sink
ing fund, making total annual output OF
about $685. 900. There is no question, said
Mr. Read, that Congress is willing to as
sumo one-half of the expenditure on this
sewer plan, and on this basis the share or
the taxpayers of the District would be
about $4,000 yearly, making an average
of A cents per anntm for each inhabitant
This scheme, he said, will require the eN-
penditure of about 81, 740COO for materials
and S261O,OOO for labor, almost every cent
of which would be spent here in the Dis
trict, giving direct employment to about
1000 men for two or three years, and Civ
ing food and comfort to upward of 10000
men, women and children. many of whom
are now living on charity. In conclusion,
Mr. Read spoke glowingly of the future of
Washington under the proposed plan Of
sewer construction, and at the close his re-
port was greeted with great applause.
DIR. Buscy's Clear Statement.
President Warner called upon DR.. Samuel
C. Busey,. chairman of the committee on
public health, who delivered a disserta-
ton upon typhoid fever. its causes and
modes of prevention. 1t is remarkably
easy, he said, to improve the health CT
the city by means Of better sewers and
water supply. The rapid strides of medical
science he declared, during the past few
years, have produced marvellous results.
and the goal of medicine today is the pre-
vention of disease. especially such ailments
az typhoid fever. There never was an
epidemic of typhoid fever anywhere
that has not been demonstrated, he
| added, to be due to polluted water
and milk supply. DR.. Busey explained
the nature Of the disease and how it
can not be contracted unless the
poison germ or bacillus is taken into the
c+o,oooh Ono case NAV. through the pol