Evening star., 1897-07-28
Approachinx IN Ideal.

The proposed plan Of garbage disposal on
Its face affords some measure OF assurance
that the District Is approaching satis-
factory condition In this matter. For many
months this department Of local adntnis-
tration has been the cause OF generai
complaint by the public and at times Dy
the authorities themselves. For several
reasons the ideal system Of disposal was
not adopted and makeshifts were taken up.
The Star has at all times Insisted tnat
there was but one method whereby the
public health could be conserved and the
rights of the taxpayers protected. This
was by adopting a system of disposal that
would require the treatment Of the garbage
at a distance from the inhabited region.
The garbage should be transported from
the place of collection to the place OF dis
position In tight receptacles. carts, scows
or special tank cars and handled In such a
way as to reduce to a minimum the nuis-
ance arising from the conveyance OF this
offensive material through and away from
the city. In order to compensate the con-
tractor for the extra expense of long haul
ing and careful treatment 1t was proposed
that instead of burning the garbage 1t
should be converted by some reduction
process into a marketable or serviceable
element. such Is derived from the gar
bGge of many other cities. This process of
reduction. producing a valuable material.
would place a premium upon complete col
lections and would thus in another respect
benefit the public. In this connection 1t
was shown that Col. Warins. New Yorks
commissioner of streets. who Is thoroughly
posted on all phases Of garbage collection
and disposal. had estimated as the result
of many inquiries that on the average $2.47
lrato hlo Irof no h
tained from each ton of city garbage and
on this basis The Star calculated that the
city's collections should annually produce
something like $4,000 year in fertilizer
ard other materials.
1t has taken some time for the contractor
to come to this view of the case. but the
latest propositio n. approved by the Com
missioners and about to be put into opera
ton. Is entirely satisfactory for the evil
Gence it presents of a move in the right
direction. The garbage Is to be carried
down the river in scows that will. theoreti-
caily at least, give no offense- They are to
be so fitted. too. that they can not be
dumped in mid-stream. as 1t is suspected
with reason has been dore In the past with
much of the Fiver-d&Sposed garbage. The
place chosen for the reduction of the gar
base into fertilizer Is satisfactorily isolated,
and save for the small fraction of garbage
that Is to be burned at the South Capitol
street furnace when the river plan becomes
inadequate by reason OF the freezing Of the
stream. the city will no longer be subject
to the odors of the cremation process
There may develop In the future some
reason to feel dissatisfied With this plan.
The manner in which the contractor carries
out the specifications of his new promises
will properly be subjected to the closest
scrutiny. But as the case now stands. In
tie light Of all that Is pledged and required.
1t would seem to be in order to congratu-
late the community upon at last approx
mating to the ideal plan OF garbage dis
posal. for which this paper has labored
long and earnestIy