The Bridgeport evening farmer. [volume] (Bridgeport, Conn.) 1866-1917, 1911-04-26
TO REDUCE POLLUTION .
OF TIDAL WATERS
Bill to Give Health Board More Pow
ers Is Advocated.


Hartford, April 26.-The situation
that lis confronting the state through
the pollution Of water supplies, both
inland and seaboard, was gone into
yesterday before the committee on
public health and safety when, as a
first step towards lettering things, a
bill to prevent further pollution of
oyster beds was taken up. Oyster
men and health officials all favored
it, all agreed that 1t didn't go far
enough, and all agreed also that the
all waters, both fresh and salt, must
and would be stopped. The particu-
lar bill up yesterday would give the
state board Of health more authority
and empower it to stop any more pol
luton than occurs now. Bills to ap-
ply to INLAND waters come up tomor-
row.
Ex-senator Franklin L. Holman Of
New Haven spoke of bad conditions
in New Haven harbor and particu-
larly of the harm done by refuse and
acids from shops and gas plants. He
told how Black Rock harbor had been
spoiled for oystermen through po1lu-
ton from brass foundries. Cams on
the shore were killed, Holsters died
in the cars and the lobstermen driven
out, and oysters removed to Rhode
Island water to recuperate were
color they took on there. Nothing
can live in the lower Housatonic
River and only cast iron shad
could survive. there. Eels taken from
parts of New Haven harbor are not
edible. In Providence, r. l., all sew
erage is chemically treated to kill the
germs in it and Connecticut will have
to do the same or dispose of it some
other way.
Mr. Holman criticised the states
policy of spending money for hatch
ing thousands Of shad and Holsters
and then liberating them in polluted
waters-produGing on the one hand,
destroying on the other. We must
sooner or later be face to face with a
situation becoming unbearable. It is
possible, he said, to SO contaminate
New Haven harbor and eventually the
waters Of Long Island Sound, that the
breezes from them will become nox-
ious and disease bearing. He found
fault with this bill because it APP
peared to do something but really
didn't. The state should take hold,
he said. This lets municipalities con-
tinue to dispose of their sewerage into
public water, as they are doing now.
They should be compelled to make a
change to take effect in FIVE or ten
years, SO as to give them time enough
| to get ready for it. This bill is bet
ter than no bill, however, as an open
| ing wedge.
Tax Commissioner w. H. Corbin
was favorable to bill to stop sewer
age into streams. but believed that
| must take time. This bill prevents any
| new sources Of contamination. Tt will
be very serious menace, he said for
| the state to continue to contaminate
| it's shores. The whole Sound shore
| from Greenwich to New London is
going to be taken up for summer re-
sorts; it will be valuable addition
to the taxable property of the state
and there will be serious loss if in
jury comes to all this. He knew Of one
resort little ways west Of New Ha-
ven where at times the water becomes
very dangerously contaminated.
Secretary Townsend of the state
! board of health favored the bill but
said ut didn't go far enough. All fresh
water as we'll as tidal waters should
| be looked after.
| Henry G. Rowe, the FISHERMAN, ia.
vored the bill for what little there i:
in it, and favored also giving to the
state board of health power to contro
| the whole subject
/ Others spoke along the same lines
| A bill providing for sanitary Inspec-
tons and regulations Of shellh.s