The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1900-06-14
The Garbage Question.


The garbage question, in Kenosha,
has grown to be a very serious one.
From all sides one hears the query,
"What shall be done with the garbage?
Has the city no means of disposing of
the refuse?'' But so far as the City
Council is concerned the cry falls on
deaf ears. Notwithstanding the siren
uous efforts of ex-Hea1th Officer DR..
Cleary to impress upon the city fathers
the crying need of sanitary regulations
relating to disposition of garbage, the
matter still remains unattended to.
But DR.. C1eary's efforts met a hearty
response from the people because they
have already reached the limit, both of
patience and resource, in dealing with
a problem which is an important part
of the city's responsibility, and one
which the city government alone can
properly solve. Under the present
system every family is left to dispose
of it's own garbage. AS a result the
greatest inconvenience is met with
and very unsanitary and unhea1thfu1
methods are used, besides the necessity
of an expense to the people for work
supposed to be performed By the city
and met at the city's expense. Some
times it is possible to secure some one
to haul the stuff away. But in most
such cases the party cannot be de-
pended upon to call regularly, nor is
one at all sure that he will not give up
the job without any warning. Others
burn the refuse, and still others bury
it in the back yard until said yard is
simply mass of putrition which you
cannot put a spade into without un-
earthing rot enough to fill every house
in the neighborhood with disease. In
great many cases, however, the
garbage is simply left standing about
the premises in pals and barrels, etc,
or dumped into some neighboring va
cant lot.
Under these circumstances it is not
at all strange that the people are de-
handing that the city take some action
in this matter Their demand is just
and should be regarded. On the 14th
of November, 1898, owing to the efforts
of DR.. Cleary, an ordinance was passed
by the Council and became a city law,
known as San ordinance regulating
and providing for the disposal of
garbage in the city of Kenosha. Sec
tons and 3 of that ordinance, No.
223, reads as follows:
"Sec. II. No garbage of any de-
scription shall be deposited upon or in
any of the streets, alleys, parks or
public grounds of said city, and no
animal nor vegetable refuse, carcass
or garbage belonging to Class | shall
be deposited upon any lot, nor upon
the surface of the ground within the
corporate limits of said city, nor per-
mitted by the owner or occupant to re-
main upon any lot within said city;
"A11 such animal and vegetable
refuse and garbage of class
must be deposited in a box or barrel
upon the lot Of the owner or occupant,
easy of access from street or alley, and
the same must be thereafter removed
or disposed of in the manner and at
the time decreed by the Common
Council or the Board of Health of said
city
''Sec. Iii. 1t shall be the duty sot
the Common Council of said city tc
. provide for the removal and disposition
) of all garbage containing vegeta BILE OF
animal matter so deposited, as re-
quired by Sec. II hereof, not less than
twice each week
If the people perform their part OF
the contract by depositing the garbage
aside from ashes, ETC., in box or bar
rel, as directed by the ordinance, it is
manifestly the duty of the city to see
) that it is removed and properly dis
| posed of. However, the city does not
: do this and garbage thus deposited is
left standing until removed by the
: owner. To do this Systematically the
: city should keep one or two garbage
collectors at work. The expenditure
thus made necessary would be a much
better investment for the city than
much of the expense of the present
But considering the popular clamol
! for some action to remedy the present