The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1906-04-28

the Improvement of sanitary condi-
lions is to let the contract for the
cleaning under the ordinance that
was passed about six years ago.
This ordinance provided in sub
stance that the city shall let to the
lowest responsible bidder the con-
tract for removing and destroying all
garbage. Under this law the contract
was let for one year, but the work
was done in such an unsatisfactory
manner and the results were so far
from what had been anticipated that
the council has never had the cour-
age to repeat the attempt.
The fault. as near as it can be as
certained at this time, was neither
with the ordinance nor the council, but
with the man who Unfortunately Sc
cured the contract. In the first place
he took the work at a price that neces-
sarily lost him money, and then it
seems he attempted to prevent a loss
by selling the garbage to certain par
ties for food for hogs. In order to
have the garbage of the best class,
all ashes. cans and other matter that
could not be digested by the swine
were scattered over the yards of the
people so recklessly as to place them
in the garbage barrel. Naturally the
result was not what the friends of the
plan had hoped for.
But under a proper carrying out of
the provisions of this ordinance, the
results could not be other than salts
factory. If the contractor had been
placed under sufficient bonds to have
made its fulfillment matter of prime
Importance. the work would have been
properly done.
The trouble, in fact, was with the
man, not the plan. One of the pres
ent councilmen who was member at
that time also, in discussing the man,
said he was too irresponsible to be
scavanger. This seems to be about
the general opinion entertained on the
subject.
1t would be hardly fair to condemn
a method OF disposing OF the city gar
bage after such trial as this. 1t
would seem the part of reason to eX
anime the plan and see whether or
not it does not offer the best possible
solution of the garbage question in
this city.
Under the present plan the citizens
are required to remove the garbage
from their individual premises. The
need OF enforcing a method of this
character is positive proof of it's in
efficiency. The man who would not
remove the danger of typhoid fever
from his door yard of his own volition
will not take much interest in clean
ing up his premises or in keeping
them clean when he is compelled to
do so by law. If the people properly
appreciated the Importance of the
work they would, of course, do it
without the enforcement of the Or
dinance. Many OF them will, and this
class do so because they desire to see
the city clean and because they de-
sire to prevent the development of the
diseases that arise from the unclean-
ly conditions. So far as the former
condition is concerned, they have &C.
complished all that the city could ac-
complish if it were enforcing the Or
dinance by means of the contract sys-
tenn. But so far as the removal of
the danger of disease is concerned,
nothing has been accomplished. The
spreading of disease germs is not
limited by division lines between city
property, The man who cleans his
premises may live next door to one
who does not, or if he does, merely
complies with the formal demands of
the law, and the man who takes pride
in the cleanliness of the city is in
just as much danger from disease as
is the one who lives in his garbage
environment
Naturally these things develop that
trait of American character of not do
ing thing because some one else does
not do it, and the enforcement of the
law becomes mere formality. This
is not the fault of the council but of
a condition which is found in many
features of the American system of
politics.
On the other hand, If the work was
placed under the contract system,
with proper bonds for it's enforcement,
and the contractor were allowed a suf-
ficient price to make the matter a
business proposition, such contractor
would be responsible for the removal
of the garbage from the entire city,
and the cleaning would be uniform in
stead of in patches as is the case to
great extent under the present plan.
1t would cost the city something, it
is true, but we are far too metropoli-
tan to pursue plan that is fitted only
for small village.
The disposal of the city garbage is
another important matter. The coun-