Republican news item. [volume] (Laport, Pa.) 1896-19??, 1908-03-19

TIE DISPOSAL Of SEW AGE
Sanitary Engineering Division Of tho
Department Of Health 10 Teaching
municipalities Efficient and
Economical Metheds OF
Orainage.
| A lamentable and tremendous
amount Of needless suffering. sickness.
expense and death annually result
from tho wanton pollution OF the
streams of Pennsylvania among those
Individuals dependent upon these
sources Of supply for drinking water.
Hundreds Of communities hang Ia the
balance and at any time may have an
epidemic Of typhoid fever stalking
through thor midst and decinlatfnS
their numbers Hundreds Of the young
ana best lives OF the commonwealth
Ars annually sacrificed to the ansani.
tsIy customs Of sewage disposal. Poi
Eos material Of human origin from
| public and private Institutions. sewers
and priviss are emptied into streams
! at points but short distances above wa.
ter works intakes. and Ia few hours
thereafter are delivered through the
water pipes OF public systems to many
Innocent and unsuspecting individuals.
who rest secure in the belief that the
public authorities, having In charge
the furnishing OF drinking water. and
who are responsible for the purity OF
ths watoF thus supplied. are faithfully
performing their obligations.
Public and private corporations
however. even when earnestly inclined,
are often limited In their powers to
prevent sewage contamination of the
source. OF water supply.
After ysars Of aflliction, and at .
terrific cost in human life, It has finally
Aswned upon the people that higher
authority than the municipality must
srappls with the problem and afford
remedy. II is, therefore, Of interest
10 every citizen Of tho commonwealth
to know about the work that Health
Commissioner Dixon IL doing to pre-
ssrvs she purity Of the waters Of the
state ir fuiailms0t OF the duty laid
a1on him By the act OF April 22
| 1903
The enormity Of the task IL com.
| pretended when ono rsalixes the fact
that alrnost without an exception
every city. borough and municipality
ia Pennsylvania having sewer sys
tenn discharges its filth into the most
coEytHisnt nearby stream. regardless
| OF con obseguences to the user OF that
stYsam At some point below.
Further. whore there are NO sew
ere. privies arc almost universally 10
GATED on or near tho banks Of natural
water courses. which thus serve -
orsp sewers. BY no known nsaths
msstos ia It possible TO compute the
extent OF evil. the misery, expense
poverty, lifelong suffering and death
which this custom sntails: but it is .
fact shat a large amount Of it all would
- driven from the state II sanitary
methods OF sewage disposal wsrs
adopted
II u the privilege, as we'll as the
duty. VI the State Health Commission
o. ID bring about Just this result. No
sAor, sighted, vacillating and radical
| pslisy could be successful in such
ersat undertaking. It will necessarily
ss the work OF years to undo the Gus
toms of generations and establish uni
versa, healthful conditions. Its sue
GEES III measure depends upon tbs
| enlightenment and cooperation of the
peopls. The stupidity and skspticism
of = preoccupied and selfish populacs
10 4 barrier to quick results. Where
the public conscience is QMckened.
voluntary reforms will be inauyurated
and benefits will be at once secured
In other cases the law will have to be
invoked and enforced.
! The Chief Engineer of the Depart.
j9msnt, f. Herbert Snow. and his assis
tants are now traversins every part oi
the State, making examinations oi
sewerage systems and water suppliaa
and collecting data with respect to the
quality Of all Of the waters in Penn
sylvania. More than this is being done
sources Of pollution and menaoes which
can be abated at once are reported to
the commissioner. and in many cases
request on his part to the owner
Of the premises is sufficient to cause
bsr Of letters OF encouragement and
cooperation In this kind OF reform
received by ths commissioner splendid
ly illustrates the willingness Of the cit.
issns Of the state to do what is riGhl