New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1906-02-03
PURE WATER SUPPLIES.

When IT was first proposed. more than year
ago. to create a permanent commission 10 iooA
after the purity of public water supplies III
New-York State The Tribune remarked uiat
this was one of the duties of the State boaru
of Health Inasmuch as the duplication OF an!
branch of service is for more reasons IMAM one
undesirable. there was propriety in consider
ing whether or not the proper executive ma
chinery for the attainment of the object III
view did not already exist Owing either to a
lack of money or to other causes. the Board OF
Health does not seem to have been able to
deal as promptly as might have been wished
with certain emergencies which had previously
arisen and there was room for doubt whether
the performance of its other functions would
leave ii free in the future to devote as much
attention TO this one as the Importance OF the
matter demanded. Hence the legislature de-
cided last winter to intrust the responsibility
in question to a new body. and the report or
the latter just published. shows that 1t mas
acted with intelligence and zeal.
At present the State Water Commission IS
authorized only to investigate the sanitary CON
dition of streams which are utilized as sources
of public water supply. Obviously thorough IN
curry must be an essential preliminary to the
suppression of practices which endanger the
health of communities. but the knowledge thus
obtained is of little value unless 1t inspires
10 cneck CONTAMINATION 1ue power
TO act is possessed by local boards of health,
but in small cities and towns if is rarely ex-
ercised quickly enough or energetically enough
10 do much good The expediency Of control
by the state authorities. therefore. forces itself
upon the minds of those who have considered
the situation The commission appointed last
spring 10y Governor Higgins notes with ap-
prevail the precedent esta blished by Massachu-
sets where the greatest progress ever effected
in regulating water supply in this country was
made short time ago
The Bay State began by fOrbidding the pol
luton of streams and narrow strips Of land
along their shores. In 1895 protection was ex-
tended to the whole of the watershed tribu-
tary to the metropolitan district. including
Boston and several other cities which were sup
plied from the same source. Two years later
the State Board of Health was empowered TO
supervise all other watersheds in the state. n
notable provision Of these laws was the grant
Of authority TO inspect the interior of houses
and factories as well outside grounds in
search of evidence of WrOngdOng Another
was that violation of the prescribed regulations
was made punishable with a fine of $500 or a
years Imprisonment. or both.
We do not believe it would be a mistake for
New York to follow the example Of Massachu
setts in this matter. Within the last twenty
five years food of light has been thrown upon
the nature and origin of disease. The most
serious maladies to which mankind is subject
are due TO microscopic germs, and these usually
invade the body either with the air breathed
or with food or drink. Protection against some
of these mischief makers be secured by
we'll Informed and cautious persons, yet from
some dangers even the most prudent and best
educated cannot shield themselves. Much more
helpless are the ignorant classes. Complete i'm
munity therefore, can be secured only by a
! resort to sanitary precautions adopted by mu-
nicipal, state or national governments. The full
duty OF the authorities Of the Empire State will
not he done until more stringent measures have
been taken 10 safeguard all drinking water de
rived from natural sources within the bounda-
rieS of the commonwealth.