Montour American. (Danville, Pa.) 1866-1920, 1909-03-11
LOOKING 70
Sewage D|SF FOSAL

The action taken by council Friday
night in ordering that the requisition
relating to the extension OF the sewer
system in the borough be recorded at
the court house and that an applica-
tion for an extension of time be made
| by council constituted the first definite
action taken relative to the prepara.
tion of the plans for public sewage
disposal as required by the State de-
partment of health for it's approval.
The requisitiou when received last
july was accompanied with instruc-
tions to the effect that it should be
recorded The last council at no time
seemed in favor of complying with
this request, the prevailing sentiment
among the members seeming to be that
by such action council would be COM
mitting itself to construct a sewage
disposal plant at a time when the bor
ough is not in circumstances 80 stand
such an expenditure. Toward the close
of the councilmanic year DR.. Dixon,
State commissioner OF health, satisfy
ing himself that the permit or requisi-
tion had not been recorded sent a COM
muuication to council asking why his
order had not been carried ont Pur-
suant to instructions from council DR..
Dixon was informed that the requisi-
tion had been laid on the table and
he was begged that the matter might
be permitted to rest few weeks long
er, until the new council came in.
This was the status of the affair
when Borough Solicitor Gearhart at
the last meeting presented COM
munication explaining that he had
given the matter most serious consid-
Grafton and was constrained to sug-
gest that definite action be taken at
once. He suggested that an effort be
made to get an extension OF time be
yond the first of July next, placing
such application on the sole grounds
of lack of funds. furnishing DR. Dix
ON with some details of the limited
taxing power of the borough, To show
that council is disposed to comply
with all reasonable requests the solio-
itor urged that the requisition already
received should be duly recorded as re-
quired by the department.
The State department. of health is
making similar requisitions of other
Pennsylvania cities and towns located
on public streams and the borough
solicitor fails to see that any substant-
ial advantage is to be gained by furth-
er failure and refusal to record the re-
quisition. He admits that the State
itself through the hospital for the in
sane is polluting the river; also that
public sewage disposal is yet in an ex-
perimental stage of development, but
these facts, he assures council, would
not appeal to the State department of
health. The solicitor comedies that
sewage disposal is the most stupendous
and intricate problem that has ever vet
bpOh ShbihAttC' w hhN SodhbiI VI -
borough and as such he declares "it
should receive the most thoughtful
consideration at once and before the
State department of health is led to a
further exercise OF the arbitrary pow
er with which it is vested by law"
Continuing the solicitor states "It
must be very clear that il this bor-
ough is compelled to prepare the re-
quired plan and complete the sewage
disposal plant without any extension
Of time we will not have one avail
able cent for street paving or other
substantial improvement. The most
deplorsble fact OF all Is that the cur
rent expenses of operating the best
systems yet devised even after their
plants are constructed is bound to par
alyze the financial resources of every
municipality afflicted with such a
burden. The mere cost of operation
OF sewage disposal plants has stsgger-
ed the wealthy city of Williamsport
and has put the sewage disposal plant
of the city of Reading out of commits
sion entirely"