Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-11-20
s WAGE DISPOSAL
The Board Of Trade Committees Report on
the Subject.
Folly of Making Small Annual Ap-
prepriatfons = The Bond Issue
Plan Recommended.

Inc report made by Mr.. Albert M. Read
chairman, and his associates of the board
OF trade committee on sewage disposal, at
the recent annual meeting of the board of
trade, says:
owing to the fact that the street ex-
tension system for the District of Column
Ola, which was Intimately associated in
the bond bill with the system of sewage
disposal. approved by the board of trade.
!. mad been brought before the courts. where
an early decision was expected. your COM
mittee did not obtain definite instructions
as to the work before it until the latter
part OF February. 1896. In the meantime
several meetings Of the board of trade had
been held. in the first of which, January
III. 1886, an able exposition of the sanitary
COMMISSIONS system of sewage disposal
was made by Capt. Lansing H. Beach II
.: A, assistant to the Engineer Commits
sioner Of the District, and the imperative
necessity, from a sanitary and economic
standpoint, of its early construction was
strongly urged by the chairman and other
members of your committee. After sew
eral adjourned meetings of the board for
.the consideration Of the street extension
problem 1t was finally decided on the 18th
DAY or February. 1896, by the unanimous
adoption of the report of a speciaI com
mittee appointed to consider the matter
tnat an endeavor should be made to ha We
me me pond Dill 80 amended as to make it a
Iii 1or sewage disposal and protection
against floods only. Soon after this action
was taken your committee prepared and
caused to be introduced in both houses of
congress Dill authorizing the issue of 3
per cent fifty-year bonds in the sum of
$5.55oOOO for that purpose. new bill
rather than the amendment of the old one
was decided upon In Difference to the judg-
4ent OF the chairmen of the Senate and
Rouse committees on the District of Column
bia This new bill was received with gen.
erai FAVOR, and your committee had, to-
sether with committee of one hundred
pu. iateiy appointed by the board of trade
ana organized for the support of the hill
Planned an aggressive campaign for its
passage. when unexpected opposition from
the Commissioners of the District tn anv
ooho Dill! that did not include a large
amount Tor the street extension system
developed. Thereupon a meeting of the
commissioners and the board of directors
e OF the board of trade was held, and 1t was
.IiaLy decided to abandon the bill for the
then session of Congress in the hope that
the street extension matter might be final
y decided upon before the meeting of Con-
(, gress in December next, when the desira-
piiity OF an issue Of bonds adequate for
poth purposes might be successfully urged
In order to show the entire futility of at
tempting the completion Of the system of
the sanitary engineers for the sewage dis
posaI OF the District by annual appropria-
lions your committee would call attention
70 the fact that up to the present lime
there has been appropriated for the work
: but $4,000, including the amount for the
, present fiscal year. while the entire sys-
tenn is estimated to cost S359S. Or3 70
Z Seven years will have elapsed at the close
OF the present fiscal year since the date of
the report of the sanitary engineers on this
matter. If the rate Of progression in the
future Is the same as that for the seven
years nearly passed the system in its en-
urety will not be completed until sixty
years from July 1, 1897. When it is re-
membered that this system is only intend
eu 10 dispose of the sewage of the growing
city of Washington for fifty years from
, 1881, and that it will not be effective until
entirely completed. the folly of it's construc-
uon plecemeal becomes apparent.
In closing this brief report your commit
lee would respectfully call attention to the
fact that the situation at our water front
IS daily getting worse, instead of better:
mat all OF the causes making our sewerage
system menace to the health of the Dis
trlct are cumulative. and that disaster in
VolVlng the lives and prosperity of our peo-
pie will inevitably follow the neglect to
cure this evil; and to most earnestly renew
our recommendation of 1895 that the board
OF trade use its utmost endeavor to have
passed during the coming session of Con-
gress, a bill authorizing the issue of low
rate interest bonds in the amount required
for the construction Of the system of sew
, age disposal recommended by the board of
sanitary engineers and for the building of
the necessary trunk sewers In the District
of Columbia