Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1898-05-12
STOCK VALUES.


Editor OF Democrat -
The action of Council at their last meet
ing gave evidence that it was the Judgment
of that body that the time had arrived
when Woodbury. should be given system
of sewerage.
As the Council is the designated servants
and mouth piece of the people, its action
is presumably inspired by the pressure
brought to bear upon it by its constituents
in the several wards. There is no doubt
that Uote of the property Otoners Mould be
overwhelmingly against the measure, and t0e
challenge the bona .fdes of the Council, by
suggesting that a test vote Of property Oaoners
be taken before the matter Is Gtlo,ged 10 90
further When a city has grown to the
point where the bulk of the property is
improved, when large amount of its
eatables is above, not on anu in the ground,
the paving and sewer tax sits lightly; not
so when as in Woodbury. the vacant lots
are many. For example, in the Third
Ward an estate has All feet of frontage,
of this 469 feet is improved, leaving 3642
feet of unimproyed property 10 bear this
enormous and unnecessary tax, and this
estate is smaller than two others in the
same ward.
Do we need sewers on account of the
present sanitary conditions causing high
death rate 2 The death rate in Woodbury.
is sub-normal, and the deaths from causes
traceable to defective drainage remarkably
few. Do we need sewers to. dry the streets
to get rid of surface water
Carry out the existing ordinance relative
to curbing and guttering and much of the
complaint from this source will disappear.
We heard the opinion expressed that sewers
were needed to drain the cellars in certain
portions of the town how system Of
pipe sewers as projected would do this al
the estimated expense. is a very curious
problem.
Again, it is proposed to empty this
sewerage into the creek. Hear what 9
great sanitary authority says on this sub
| iect: In inland towns it cannot be dis
charged into rivers-the sewer water Otter
kills fish, creates nuisance that is action
able, and in some cases the sewage causes {
sitting up of the bed of the stream, Parkes
Hygiene, Vol. 1872.
'.All new works of this description (whers
discharge is made into running water arr
now prohibited" Ibid-33.
| Hear again what sanitary authorities
nearer NOME, IN our own Dthte, nave 10 say
on this subject, in the discussion on tn.
pollution of the Passaic river: The pOllu
tion comes from each and every munich
pality along the river. Is it right for any
of us to so use an object as to iDjure our
neighbor The common lao forbids IT." Re
port N. J. S. Board of Health 1896. P
H.
| Appeal is also being made to the labo
element, tempting them with the prospec
of work If the thing goes through.
The work will be put out by contract
will be done by cheap imported labor, and
the local working man will have the ex
perience, and his pro rata share Of the tax.
Assuredly there will come time whel
WoOdbury will need sewers, but to attemp
to build them now, to saddle the peopl,
with burdens at present altogether un
necessary, and that in the face Of increased
taxation for war purposes, is neither wis
nor patriotic, and we trust that the peopl
will instruct their representatives tina
they do not need them, and will not hav
them. "CIvIsD