The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1900-05-25
DISPOSITION OF
THE CITY'S GARBAGE
WHAT WILL COUNCILS DO
ABOUT TIP
With the Approach of Warm
' Weather the Matter Assumes I'm
President Horn of the
Board of Health Says the Body Is
Now Doing All That 1t Has the
Power to Undertake-Any I'm
provement in System Must Come
Through Councilmanic Legislation

With the advent of warm weather
comes forcible illustration OF the ne
cessity of more sewers and the estab-
lishment Of better system for gather
ing the garbage Of the city than that
now in vogue.
Substantial progress is being made
in the way of improving the sewer sys-
TEN of the city, for men are now at
work constructing sewers lin west
Scranton, North Scranton, East Scrau-
ton and South Scranton. During the
summer months several miles OF sew
ers will be laid in parts of the city
that have heretofore lacked these nee
essary underground carriers.
In the matter of collecting and dis
posal of garbage we are not making
such progress. The regulations of the
board of health have this to say about
this important matter:
No house refuse, offal, garbage, dead animals,
decaying vegetable matter, organic waste sub
stance Of any kind shall be thrown on any
street, road, ditch gutter, or public place with
in the limits of this city, and no putrid or de.
caying animal or vegetable matter shall be kept
in any house, cellar or adjoining outbuildings or
grounds for more than twenty.four hours
All householders, proprietors Of hotels, rcstaur-
ants and wholesale establishments within the
city limits are required to send garbage of every
sort, dead animals and other offensive matter to
the city crematory, either by their own wagons,
suitably equipped, or by the licensed city scav-
engers
MUST HAVE PERMIT.
All persons desiring to convey garbage to the
crematory for themselves or for Others must OBJ.
tain a permit from the board of health and
register with the secretary, and must be provided
with a proper vehicle furnished with a close
canvas wagon cover, large enough to completely
cover the wagon body and its contents Garbage
must be delivered to the crematory between the
| hours OF a. m. and p. m.
Garbage brought to the crematory must be sep
| arated from ashes and other non-combustible
| matter. Any scavenger violating TINS rule will
| be liable to a fine Of $40, and Tor the second
| offense his license may be revoked. No garbage
will be received at the crematory from any person
who has not the proper license permit from
| the board Of health.
At present there are several licensed
| garbage collectors in the city who
make regular trips through given por-
tions of the city and collect and con-
vey to the crematory the garbage of
any householder who employs them
to perform this service. Only small
percentage of householders avail them
selves of this privilege. In fact in
some parts of the city the garbage
collector is entirely unknown and the
common deposit point for garbage is
a vacant lot. the street or gutter.
Statistics kept by the superintendent
of the city's crematory in the Sew
enth ward show that only most in
| significant portion of the garbage con-
sumed at .he crematcry comes from
the South Side and that the contri-
buttons from West and North Scran-
ton are not much larger. In these
places the garbage is either cremated
in stoves or finds its way to the street
| or ash bin.
Several times have movements been
inaugurated to get the necessary leg
| islation through councils to provide
for the systematic collection of gar
bage, but in each instance it has
brought forth no result.
WHAT PRESIDENT HORN SAID.
President George S. Horn, of the
board Cf health, said yesterday that
he believes the systematic collection
of garbage is of great Importance and
that it would add to the healthfulness
of the city If legislation could be Sc
cured to bring it about.
am convinced, however, SAID Alr.
Horn. that cur most pressing need is
more and better sewers. have OBJ
served, since have been on the board
OF health, that wherever there is an
unusual amount of sickness there you
will find that sanitary conditions are
bad because of poor sewers or no
sewers at all.
"The board of health is now doing
all it has power to do in the way
of collecting and disrosing of gar
bage. We consume a great deal OF
stuff at the crematory, in fact it i,
usually working to its fullest capacity
. Councils have the power to pass the
legislation necessary to have the gar.
, bage of the city Systematically gath,
cred, but it would cost a great dea
Of money which / presume causes
council to hesitate about undertaking.
the matter. The collection and dis
posing would naturally have to >,
done at the expense of the city gen
orally"