The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1903-09-21
WHAT OTHER PEOPLE THINK
Mr.. Abbott's Protest,

Open Letter to DR.. Fl M. Bracken, Sec
rotary State Board Of Health:
At a meeting in July, 1902, your board
passed resolution, "That all cities, viii
lagos and public institutions contemplat-
ing putting In new or extending old sew
erage systems, shall submit to the state
board OF health plans of same, showing
course and place Of discharge, ETC., etc."
BY what authority did the board pass
the above and why have you taken no
means to enforce it against ST. Paul, Min
neapolis and Duluth, and all other places
that have ignored it?
1 made plans for a small sewer at Can
by. You advised the parties to hold up
till you could investigate and I was re-
quested to confer with you, which I did
by phone, and the first thing you said, and
I quote your exact words, was:
You engineers don't care what you
do with sewage, so you get rid of it,
Is that true? Wherein in this state has
a sewer. been built that has not complied
with the laws of the state?
The state law provides that bodies Of
water used as a source of water supply
by any city or villageTshan not be con-
taminated by sewage, and In case they
are, the constituted authorities, or ten
legal voters, may apply to the state board
Of health, the board to appoint a hearing,
etc, and make an ORDER from which an
appeal may be taken to the district
court. .-
The law also provides that you act as
an advisory board for state institutions
contemplating sewer systems. y
The above is the beginning and end of
your authority. .8G
AS far as L can ascertain, no appeal has
ever been made to your board by any
municipality in Minnesota, under the above
statute. rstJ
AT the meeting of the board last month,
cd INV 1ro, II
proper authority from the legislature You
replied that the Legislature told you you
had more authority now than you knew
what to do with.
BY your interference you have sue
ceeded in hanging up about every con-
templated sewerage system in the state,
and that under the advice of Professor
Flather of the university. CYou state in
! your letter to me that he is your ad-
| viser.) E.s 80
| You have recommended "septic tanks
| invariably, as far as I can ascertain.
| wrote you asking where a septic tank OF
a sewer system had been constructed un-
der Professor Fathers plans. You re-
| piled saying that you did not know as yoU
did not keep track of his private bust
| ness. tE s---
AS a matter of fact, the septic tank is
In its experimental stage. 7 cannot fine
that there are more than about a dozer
| in the United States, none in Minnesota
and none that have been in operation
more than three or four years. ...
am not condemning the septic tank,
but I do aver that it is putting the tax.
payers to an unnecessary expense every
place SO far where to my knowledge yor
have recommended it.
| Both at Candy and Marshall a stream
runs thru the town. These streams ever
| since the towns We're started have been
and are now being used as sewers. They
are not the source of water supply, and
the only change from the existing order
of things is to relieve the people Of dis
| ease breeding cesspools by emptying the
sewage into the same streams at a point
| lower down, to the detriment of no one
and why the state board should interfere
with doing exactly what has been done
| turnout. the United States for 100 years
or more, and with which no complaint is
| made, am unable to understand, espe-
! cially as it all has been done exactly in
compliance with the state laws.
To cap the, climax, the last legislature
(chapter 312) passed an admirable gen
eral sewerage law placing the proposition
| entirely in the hands Of the city coun-
Gil and the engineer which they might Sc
lect and never mentioning or referring in
any way to the state board of health.
| The state board has not one cent with
which to pay for engineering, legal: SAM
| tary or any other kind of advice.
e. Il. Abbott,
Civil Engineer