The evening times., 1899-08-28

IF ever there was a public necessity"
said Health Officer Woodward TO a Times
reporter this morning, ''it is that the
District Government shall have absolute
control Of all rubbish, filth, and other
refuse within the ten-mile limit The Dis
trlct Government now collects and removes
nj its own expense dead animals and what
is technically called garabge. The regu-
Iarity with which this work is done, the
system Of guarding against the accumuIa-
tion of this class of decaying and disease
breeding refuse should certainly commend
itself SO strongly 10 Congress that there
would be no hesitancy in providing in the
same manner for the removal of the back
yard ash piles and refuse from the 10000
outhouses within this District.
The maintenance of the health of the
community is the most important of all the
matters relating to its government. Essen
fial TO this health are pure air, pure water
soil free from pollution, and pure food.
Upon the prompt and proper removal of all
kinds OF refuse matter including excre-
ment, garbage, ashes, and general refuse,
depends the purity and cleanliness of the
air, the water, the soil, and the food sup
ply.
in the District the contents of which are
allowed TO be removed AT the will of the
householder. These boxes are rendered
necessary by the absence of any available
sewer for the premises on which they ex-
list The need of sewers is felt in nearly
every part of the District, especially in the
growing suburbs of Brookland
Langdon. Anacostia, Takoma Park, and
Tenleytown. Washington is a fairly
healthy city, rendered so by her splendid
sewer system; but the fact should not be
overlooked that she is not immune from
disease and that the sanitary system is
long way from being complete and that the
District so long as the conditions remain
as they are will continue TO be menaced
by epidenics or further increase in our
already too high typhoid fever heath rate.
i want TO repeat here what have said be-
fore, however, that sewers will not serve
their purpose unless the owners of abutting
property are made TO connect such proper
ty with the sewers and TO replace the old
fashioned excrement boxes with modern
closets provided with water and modern
plumbing.
THE coming session of Congress should
pass law for this purpose, so that the
prime cause of a higher death rate than
we ought TO have shall speedily be re-
moved. There should be penalty put up
on the neglect 10 use the sewers, since they
are constructed by the Government. Means
should be provided whereby no citizen can
maintain on his premises anything affect
ing the health of the community. Last
year there were 20, ,554 barrels Of night soil
removed from the outhouses and carted
away through different localities in all
parts of the District. Where these boxes
exist the air is constantly polluted and SO
are frequently the soil and well water near
the premises. Now, twill take some time
TO extend sewers so that all these places
may be abolished, and since they must nee
essarily exist until that time they should
be regulated by proper law.
There is no reason why the system
which prevails so successfully in the man
agement OF the garbage should not be i'm
mediately applied to the excrement. 1t Is
just as reasonable to require householders
to remove the garbage at their own ex-
pense as ii is to make them dispose of
other dangerous refuse. IL would be far
better and no more expensive to the av-
erage householder TO levy a tax on these
outhouses, the income to be applied to q
public scavenger service
Il repeat" said DIR. Woodward. "that
provision should be made for service to
collect ashes and general refuse The
method OF removing ashes cannot now be
controlled or supervised. In the interest
of cleanliness they and other forms of re-
fuse should be removed by the Govern
ment X would be great convenience to
al citizens. From time to time he must