The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-01-04
SANITATION FOR TOWNS
BOARD OF HEALTH WILL ASK FOR
PASSAGE OF A MEASURE.
Sewer Systems to BE Regulated
Changes In Compulsory Ed
ucatiOn Law.

The State Board of Health is preparing
to recommend TO the Legislature the pas
sage Of a statute to regulate sanitation in
the towns and cities of the State. 1t will
be shown that nearly every State of equal
Importance with Indiana has such a law in
operation and is reaping the benefits of it.
Massachusetts. in particular, has a model
law which, it is probable, that Indiana will
largely copy in framing one for this State.
The substance Of the law is that all
sewerage and drainage must be laid out
after a uniform plan, and in order to as
sure this, all plans must be submitted to
the State Board Of Health before the sys-
TEN can be legally contracted for or built
In case this plan is not followed by towns
and cities, it is proposed that the contracts
under which the work is done shall be in
valid and the collection Of moneys on ac-
count of such contracts impossible by
either party. This latter provision was in
corporated in the Massachusetts law, so as
to make the contractors themselves a safe
guard in the enforcement of the law; as, for
instance, if a contractor had any doubt as
to whether the town or city had submitted
plans TO the State Board or that they had
been approved by that body. he would at
once make an inquiry in order that his own
interests in the collection of his bills against
the city might be protected.
On the subject of the plans themselves,
the Massachusetts law is very explicit 1t
provides that they must be drawn up either
by regularly appointed or elected sanitary
engineer. or. in case the corporation is not
large enough to have such an official the
work must be done by a sanitary engineer
specially employed for the occasion. In
case, however, that the work is of such
trivial nature as to make it impracticable
to employ an expert specially, the law pro-
vides that a state sanitary engineer shall be
appointed or elected, and that it shall be
his duty to respond to the calls of towns or
cities undertaking such Improvements with
in limited appropriations.
The law is not designed to obstruct pub
lie enterprise or to prevent the small i'm
provements which some towns find it neces-
sary to make from time to time to meet
special emergencies. 1t is to be enacted
simply for the purpose of making the i'm
provements not only up to date, but correct
from sanitary standpoint.
An argument which will be presented in
advocating the enactment of the new law
will be the sewerage system of this city,
which was built from the plans of an ex-
pert, who was employed by the city, not
withstanding that at the time the city had
a city engineer in it's employ who, in the
general run of business was perfectly COM
petent, but who had not made sewerage his
special study The city paid the expert a
fee of $1,000, which was regarded by some as
exorhitant, but which proves, in the light
Of experience, to have been a cheap invest
ment as Indianapolis has since changed
from more or less unhealthy city to one
of the healthiest spots in the country The
State Board feels that the establishment of
sewer and water-works systems requires ex-
pert knowledge, and nothing short of COM
pulsory legislation will make penurious
town trustees and ignorant taxpayers see
their own interest in having such things
done in permanent fashion and according
to the principles of health. 1t will be shown
that many town boards and city councils
order drains and bitches dug to carry off
stagnant and unsanitary basins of water
from the streets, and that, in many cases,
when the work has been done, it is found
that it does not answer the purpose at all.
and in a short time has to be torn I'D and
done over, the result being that in the end
the expense is greater than it would have
been had the work been done under proper
supervision and according to expert plans
in the beginning, to say nothing of the more
important question of sickness, which near
ly always results from putting in such
crudely-contrived sewers. The State Board
feels that experience has proved that the
average city or town official knows little of
the science pertaining to sewerage and gen.
orally tries to drain the streets and houses
of a town in the cheapest way possible for
the purpose of making a record for econ
omy. He knows that many times a farmer
will drain his land through a crude pipe,
and thinks that the same principle applied
to city's streets will answer the purpose
as we'll as a modern sewer system, which,
at the time in question may, from financial
reasons, be impractcable of establishment
The new law will take the discriminating
power altogether away from the town or
city officials and will be distinctly a meas
ure for their protection, as when it is nee
essary to put Il new system of sanitation
into effect, it will not be possible for any
one to charge them with being extravagant
in the execution of the plans.