The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-09-20
GARBAGE SHOULD BE BURNED.
MUNICIPAL OFFICERS DISCUSS An
IMPORTANT PROBLEM.

should Dispose of Its own Gar
bnge by CrematiOn-SOme Cities Let
the Work Out by Contract-AtInnta
Has Large Delegation at SYRIA
cuse Which Is Working Hard for
the Next Convention.
Syracuse. y. Y. Sept 19-The third an
nual convention of the League of Amer
lean Municipalities opened here to-day
with 400 delegates in attendance.
Mayor Mcclure of Syracuse, made the
address of welcome to the city. Gov
Roosevelt, who was to have delivered the
address of welcome to the state. teIe-
graphed that he could not be present.
Former Mayor Samuel L. Black of Co
lumbus, o., president of the league, re
sponded to the address of welcome.
Atlanta, Ga, is represented by a large
delegation which is making great efforts
to have the convention held there next
year. ST. Paul and Milwaukee are also
bidding for the convention. At the after
noon session President Black made
change IN the programme. and introduced
Mayor Jones of Toledo, who was to speak
tomorrow, but who was compelled TO
leave tonight for Ohio. to continue mis-
campaign for the governorship on the non
partisan ticket.
All of the delegates We're in their places
when Mayor Jones began his address on
THE New Patriotism, the Golden Rule
Government"
Following Mayor Jones, the secretary
and treasurer made their annual reports
and the question box was then opened for
the receipt of queries on subjects pertain
ing to municipal government.
Made Good showing.
Secretary b. L. Gukinson stated in his
annual report that. although the League
OF American Nun cipaliIies was but two
years of age, ii had on its membership
rolls cities representing about one-siXth
of the entire population of the United
States At the date of his last report, Aug,
], 1893, the league had a membership of
seventy-two cities; since then fifty Two
cities have been added to the membership
list The bureau received during the year
1872 special letters of inquiry relative TO
municipal affairs. Not having a skilled
architect and an expert civil engineer, the
bureau was unable to provide all the in
formation called for in some cases. The
secretary recommended that a consulting
engineer be retained by the league, when
the revenue of the organization shall lie
sufficient 10 meet such expense.
The secretary has received on account of
membership fees since the date of his last
report 81 SO.
Disposed of Garbage.
The remainder of the afternoon session
was given up to papers and discussions on
the collection and Disposal of Garbage"
j. J. Williams, Mayor of Memphis, Tenn,
took up the subject of Garbage Collection
and Disposal"
He said that four methods were still In
vogue first the sem-b arbarious system of
dumping it into low places IN the suburban
portion of the cities; second dumping 1t
into rivers or small adjacent streams of
water; third, reduction work. and fourth,
cremation. He thought il was only
question of time when the cities using the
first method would pay the penalty of
their folly if indeed they were not already
paying that penalty. He thought that the
second method failed to dispose OF the gar
bage, as the current carried it to the
shore, where receding waters left 1t TO de-
compose and pollute both air and water
From a financial standpoint the third
method had proven a failure chiefly be-
cause the output of the reduction works
commanded a very low price. Moreover,
he maintained that this method was like
wise a failure from a sanitary point OF
ed with foul disease-breeding odor.
The ideal destroyer of the waste matter
OF our cities, he argued, was cremation,
the fourth method. This cremation could
be effected In the heart of our cities in
sanitary manner without offense TO any
one, at a less cost than hauling 1t TO the
suburbs or water courses.
1t Is Municipal Duty.
H. ]. Condor, editor of City Govern
ment, New York, discussed Garbage ana
Other City Waste"
1t was his desire to show a practical
model city in the collection and disposal
of garbage, but he had been disappointed
in his search for it. The nearest APP
proach to perfection in this work, as far
as he had investigated, was found in
Richmond, Ind. In New York city the
perfection of the system ended when the
street department turned the garbage over
to the contractor for final disposition.
Milwaukee likewise had a satisfactory
system of collection, but burial of the
matter could not be Endorsed as a final
disposition. At Youngstown and McKees-
port the nuisance comes before the self
reached crematory owing to imperfect
methods of collections. Thus In all in
stances there was fault in one or other
branch of the work. t0-- }rf'' ~
He was convinced that ashes and dry
waste from city houses neglected, became
dangerous to public health and that a
sanitary system for the collection and
disposition of this waste as well as swill
should be adopted by every municipality
Secondly that crema ton was the only
economical and sanitary method OF final
disposition. and, thirdly, that the collec-
ton and disposition Of garbage and dry
waste was municipal duty and could not
be properly shifted to private contractors.
Proper System Needed.
DR. William c. Woodward, health Off
Ger of Washington, d. c., read the next
paper.
Dr. woodward urged the necessity of the
entire waste matter of cities being collect
ed by the municipality itself, which should
also attend to the disposal of the refuse.
Because he contended, the city would
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