Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-05-14
Once More, Garbage.

With the approach of summer comes res
direction of the garbage evil. Year after
year does that malodorous and health-af-
fictfng nuisance assail this community, in
spite of all that is done or that seems to
be done i'll the public behalf. The warm
weather has barely started, yet we are al
ready informed that garbage-disposal by
scow is once more the vogue; this time
because the approximately modern meth
DDS which have recently been employed by
the District authorities are OF sufficient
in capacity - accommodate the increased
garbage output which is a consequence
of the season. 1t is most unfortunate that
a matter of so much inporta1 should be
in such an unsettled condition, that it
should arise every little while to annoy
and to work injury. Congress has given to
the District Commissioners what would
seem to be a sufficiency of power and
funds. yet we do not appear to be much
nearer a solution of the problem than We
were five or six years ago. To be sure. We
have one crematory. which is the subject
of complaint as offensive to the organs Of
smell and which does not do the destruc-
tive work promised by those in whose
financial interest it is operated. If inciner-
alton is the better way to get rid of gar
bage-The Star thinks it is not, when com
pared with a reduction system located out
side of the city-there ought of course to
he crematCries enough to destroy all the
city's refuse.
In dealing with garbage collection the
District Commissioners have seen to it that
houSeholders render to the contractor all
the assistance they could reasonably be
called upon to give. but when it has been
necessary to do business with the con-
tractor there has been ineXplicabe lass-
tude. And the worst feature of the sit
uation is not the lassitude, for while the
contractor has been for long time re-
ceiving the increased remuneration which
would he his due if he successfully incin-
Grated all the garbage, he has been stick
ins as closely as possible to the compare
lively inexpensive methods which have
been commonly in use here for many
years. Now, with the consent of the
Commissioners. the contractor is going to
ship much he pleases of the col
lected garbage down the Potomac, to be
dumped into the stream and to be more or
less of a nuisance to people in Maryland
and Virginia and to thousands of Washing
tonians who will be seeking pure atmos-
phsre in excursions. For Kidding the city
of it's garbage in this cheap and nasty
way the contractor viii, of course, he paid
at the high rate of compensation which
should only prevail in case the refuse is
destroyed in accordance with latterday
plans and by the best mechanism. In all
that has been done as to garbage the con-
tractor has alone been the beneficiary.
He has had his own way about everything
essential to his mOueymaking plans. The
District long ago began to pay incineration
or reduction rates for the disposal of its
garbage. 1t ought long ago, in fact
simultaneously with the increased appro-
priation, to have enjoyed the benefits of
garbage disposal which Congress con-
templated. Neither the health nor the
finances of the District permit the pay
ment of incineTatiOn rates with a contin-
Uance or renewal of scow disposal