New-York tribune., 1900-09-30
SMOKE, THRIFT AND HEALTH.

A business man Of this city was publicly
quoted the other day as saying, concerning
the threatened scarcity of anthracite coal, that
If the supply of such coal should fail, or the
price should rise too high, bituminouS coal
would be used in its place, despite the law
against black smoke; because, he said, no, mere
considerations of public health would be per-
mitted to stand In the way of business. The
remark, which was made in all seriousness was
highly illuminating. 1t revealed as In a flash,
the characteristic attitude Of some-happily not
all-business men and corporations toward the
public welfare. The health-that is to say, the
ives-of the people must not be permitted to
stand in the way when the profits of business
are at stake. Wherefore, let us burn soft coal
and fill the air with suffocating smoke and
poisonous fumes. 1t will kill people, no doubt;
but then 1t will lessen expenses and increase
profits. Let us crowd a hundred people into a
car meant for only fifty. 1t will be uncomfort-
able, indecent, dangerous, no doubt. But it will
increase the dividends on the corporations
stock. Let Us adulterate food and put up jerry
built houses and send deathtraps to sea as
passenger vessels and run railroads without
safety signals. The health Of the people will
be impaired and lives will be destroyed, but
the profits Of business will be increased.
"Salus pOpuli' is no longer "suprema lex" 1t
has been ousted and succeeded by cent per
cent.
We are glad to believe that it is only a per
nicious minority that entertains these abOm-
nable doctrines. But such a minority of one is
one too large. In the present case the minority
acts not only wickedly, but foolishly and waste
fully-which latter are perhaps to some more
important considerations. We are not arguing
against the use of bituminous coal per Sc.
That would be unreasonable, for bituminOus
coal is a good thing. and one of these days may
come into practically universal use. 1t is the
black smoke which commonly issues from soft
coal fires to which we object, and which :he
law prohibits and it is that which is a token
not only of a wicked disregard of the public
health and comfort, but also of foolish and
wasteful disregard of personal interest. For
black smoke means waste of fuel 1t causes a
loss comparable in amount with the gain that
is made in the use of cheaper soft coal in place
of dearer hard cOal-that is to say, If users
Of soft coal would only consume the smoke in
stead Of sending it out to curse the community
they would make a further saving comparable
with that which they now make by using soft
instead of hard coal. In having regard for the
public health and comfort they would actually
be increasing the profits of their business.
Why do they not do it? Because we sup
pose, of the prevalence of that same penny
wise, pound foolish spirit which has led to
the wasteful destruction of our forests, to
the pollution of water courses with sewage,
to the construction of firetrap buildings and
to various other follies and iniquities. People
are in so great a hurry to snatch the penny
that they do not look ahead to see the pound
which they might gain but are losing. There
is, we believe, doubt that soft coal can be
practically complete and no black smoke will
be given off. But it would cost a little more
for stokng, and the shortsighted man. who
thinks himself thrifty, sees large and near
the penny which he saves by not employing
the extra stoker, and fails to see the pound
that flies away in smoke. SO the business man
whom we have quoted may not unjustly be
| paraphrased as saying. Public health shall
not stand in the way of wastefulness." For it
is literally and exactly true that in this case
public health and business thrift march side
| by side