The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1906-05-24

cent legislature of Vermont, Is making
considerable smoke oyer it. and to good
purpose, too. With big stick it is
driving several municipalities and towns
10 take steps for providing pure water
supplies. This, ii must be borne IN
mind, il . matter d great magnitude
and The board cannot hope 70 have pres
Sent difficulties remclied III one wink
OF two On three. But the board can
prevent the lagging Of those places
whose water supplies have been declared
unfit for drinking purposes. Burlington
Ssanton and st. sIohrsbury are the
towns over which the cudgel i being
held at present. The first warning TO
them was apparently without effect. for
4 second and more urgent message
has just been given the officials of the
three places, Swanton, which, appar
entity. the board considers is in very
great need Of a change, has appealed
for an extension pf time before the
order prohibiting the use Of the water
IL promulgated. This extension the
board has agreed to grant OIL the eoll-
dition that Oh every faucet of the sys
tenn shall be posted the notice, DO not
drink from this faucet until it (prob-
ably the watcr1 shall have been boiled.
1t lagain the water probably il dan
gerousn The effect Of such a notice
would be To deprive the water system Of
large portion Of its users, undoubted
~; for who il there to run the risk
of incnrring disease when it is under
stood that the germs Turk in the water
The placard above the faucet would be
more deadly to business than the labor
boycott So there seems 10 be no other
course for Swanton TO take than to
begin at once the task Of providing 4
new supply. Without doubt the state
board II health, while in 4 measure Il
destructive agency in that 1t advocates
the destroying Of the old, IL also d con
stractive agency and Il prepared To rep
der valuable advice In securing the new.
We take II for granted that the mem1
bers Of the board, while they have con
demned the present water supply, have
also looked about TO find what slibsti
tnte can be utilized.
Their hands should he upheld in this
matter and III all matters than pertain
to the welfare Of, the state and its peo-
pie, and no one can charge that they
have anything but the welfare OF The
state at heart when they ask that inn
pure water supplies be done away with.
That the state board Of health should
be clothed with 10 much authority as
to order the diScontinuance OF the use
of water will be matter Of some sur
prise to those who have not followed
legislation in Vermont But IN recent
years there has been 4 strong effort made
to bring our public regulations % The
highest standard and not the least Of
them ii this which reiates TO water
@Said board shall have authority To pro-
hibit any town, city, village, public in
stitution or water or ice company from
using water or lee from any given
source whenever in its opinion the same
is so contaminated, unwholesome on i'm
pure that the use thereof endangers the
public health And the court Of chan
Gerry shall have jurisdiction and power,
upon application therefor by the state
board OF health, to enforce order and
decree any order, rule, Of regulation
which said board may make under and
BY virtue Of this section"