Waterbury Democrat., 1902-10-14

by metes and bounds some favorable portion of the city for the use of in- dustries of this chara cter; and finally to apply to them just and proper reg ulations of a sanitary character as to the manner of conducting the in- dustries themselves even within the district so devoted to their use.
 The matter of segregation is all inn portant. In Chicago, for example, the city council some years ago set apart a district adjacent to and including the site of the Union Stock Yards as a privileged territory for carrying on the slaughtering and packing trades and for the many allied or adjunctive industries growing out of the first mentioned districts. These include fertilizing works, glue factories, rem dering establishments, soap makers, bone boiling plants, etc. Thus has been brought about a practical com centration of trades of this character far more conducive to the general health and comfort than could other wise be attained. True it is that this enormous aggregation of industrles is still, in a sense, malodorous' and off, fensive to people of highly esthetic tastes; and true it is also that oc- casionally unpleasant odors are car- ried by the prairie breezes to remote quarters of the city. But sanitarians are hard at work on the problem of preventing noisome smells, and with the result that each year sees marked Improvement in this respect.
 1oc 1nt- in its handling of other of the offen- sive trades, many of which are per- mitted to locate promiscuously throughout the city, to the disgust and annoyance of residents and property owners and also as source of no less annoyance andI trouble to the city off, cials; especially those charged with the difficult and responsible duty of abating and regulating nuisances. Notable among these are junk shops, which as depots for the storage of old rags, waste paper and unsightly cast-of material of many kinds, are not wanted in any clean and desirable residence locality.
 There is an old saying to the effect that what is everybody's business is
 
 ing is true as applied to many phases of civic life. And because it is true do we hear so much said concerning the higher duties of citizenship; and to the same may be attributed the lack of interest in public affairs on the part of the citizens and their indiffer- ence to matters. which, when rightly considered affect the welfare of all alike. For instance, it never occurs to the average citizen that district should be set apart for the conduct of offensive trades until a junk shop, or rendering plant, or some equally offensive and objectionable business has been located in his immediate vi cinity And even then he is likely to pursue the matter only to the ex- tent of forcing its removal from his particular locality.
 It may be urged, and not without reason, that the average citizen has no time to devote to the study and so- 1ution of these various difficult and important problems of city life: and l that, as a taxpayer, he has a right to look to the city officials to solve these problems for him. But even admit tsng all this, it will certainly be con- cededl that officials can accomplish but little without the cooperation of 1 the citizens. And before anything like intelligent cooperation can be hoped for even, the avefage citizen must be induced in some manner or other to do little bit of thinking along these lines on his own account.