Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-12-16

as factor in the health of the community.
The Star approved the project of building a
tunnel to fill a new reservoir south of Sol
diers Home, and was largely instrumental
in disclosing the frauds which marked that
work and rendered the enormous expendi
ture useless for years. Incidentally it
should be stated that The Star has never
ceased to condemn the injustice of Con-
gress in charging the losses incurred in
that scandalous affair upon the District and
in appropriating the money needed to COM
plete the tunnel reservoir from the general
fund of the local treasury.
This paper has refused to ndorse the pro-
ject to establish a compulsory meter sys-
tenn. 1t believes that water should be made
as free as possible and that no restraint be
placed upon the people in their use of it
other than that which actual necessity de-
mands. Holding the government to be the
chief offender in the waste of water, it
urges that meters should be placed in
residences until the departments and other
large users are checked in their reckless
draughts upon the supply and then only if
there is danger of too heavy a drain upon
the reservoirs.
The Star has always believed the Poto-
mac water to be generally free from dis
ease bearing pollutions, but it acquiesced in
the establishment of a filtration plant a
precautionary measure. 1t hopes that the
filters now being constructed will prove a
safeguard against future repetitions of such
outbreaks of disease as the typhoid fever
of the past autumn, as far as the water
supply is concerned.
Street Cleaning and Refuse Disposal.
In all sanitary matters The Star has
stood for the adoption of approved methods
of prevention and cure. 1t has demanded
clean streets and a thorough system of
garbage and refuse disposal. 1t has occa
sionally been obliged in it's devotion to the
Districts physical welfare, to engage in
spirited contests with the authorities or
with contractors in an effort to secure bet
ter service in these respects In one in
stance, few years ago, when The Star was
forced by repeated complaints and by ocular
evidence to believe that the streets were not
being thoroughly swept at night, it or
ganzed inspection corps among its staff
and secured indisputable evidence of lax
ity on the part of the contractor. AS
result higher standards were adopted.
The garbage question has been acute from
TIME " time, Dul DIT last lie oldT PROPOSE
ton has been given form in a system of re-
duction and refuse disposal which puts a
premium upon thorough collection and
saves the city from annoyance, offense and
danger to health This paper vigorously
denounced the practice of dumping the gar
bage into the Potomac. which was followed
for a time by contractors, pointing to the
dangers of such method of disposal and
to it's injustice to the residents of the COM
munties below Washington.
Fighting for Pure Foods.
Closely related to the sanitary problems
with which The Star has struggled during
these years of capital development is the
question of the food and milk supply, in
which this paper has always been keenly
interested. 1t has urged upon Congress the
necessity of giving the Commissioners full
authority to supervise all the sources of
supply, and not only to be given an ade-
quate local force. but to be insured the CO.
operation of the authorities of the neighbor-