The Cairo bulletin., 1911-06-10
TH|RTY-TWO CITIES
INVESTIGATED BY LIFE lNSuR.
ANcE MEN AS 70 SANITARY
CONDITIONS.
Found Only 20 Per Cent of People
Using Water Systems and Only
60 Per Cent Of Houses
with Sewer Con.
necti0ns.

can cities are given in a report made
TO the Association Of Life Insurance
Presidents at its meeting here today
The Investigation was male by Hir.
am J, Messenger actuary OF Hart.
ford, Conn. The report IS being
considered by the life insurance
managers in connection with the
campaign for life conservation.
Conditions We're Investigated in the
following cities: Lyncnburg Roa-
noke. Knoxville: Chattanooga, Nash
vile, Louis@ile, Cincinnati. indiana
polls, Bloomington, Sprngneld, 81.
Ionis, Little Rock Vicksburg, New
| Orleans, Mobile, Montgomery, Birm-
ingham Atlanta. Macon, Jacksonville.
| St. Augustine. Savanna, Charleston.
Augusta. Columbia, Charlotte, Dan
vile, Richmond Baltimore. New York
and Hartford
| The report states that on the aver
age, emily 10 per cent OF the inhabi-
tants OF cities of $4,000 and over use
| the public water systems any mat
| only go per cent occupy houses con-
nected with sewer systems In gen
eral' continues the report at can DC
said that it is possible to find many
cities in the country that have spent
millions of dollars for sewers and
| for extending the city water systems
and YET from quarter TO more than
| half of the inhabitants live in houses
| that are not connected with the sew
| er. and a great number of such cases
| the situation is closet with no
sewer connection and nearby a we'll
| furnishing surface water and constant
| danger of contamination; and it can
| moi be said that these are entirely in
the new sections of a growing city
where sewer and water mains have
not been extended. A large number
of these cases are on streets that
have been severed and have been
furnished with water mains, AMI fire
quently in the oldest and most thick
Is populated parts of the city"
However, the report states the
evidence showed that everywhere.
particularly through the Southern
States, there has been a most wonder
full improvement in the general SAINT
tary conditions during the last ten
or twenty years
III was found that as a rule most
OF the cities visited had fairly good
supply of city water, states the re-
port In only a very few cases was
| there reason to think it was bad, and
in many cases it was most excellent.
In probably dozen of the cities visit
ed new water systems had been con-
structel within the last ten years.
with an elaborte and upon the whole
very satisfactory system of liberation
usually accompanied by seilmen-
tation and publication by alum, lime
or some other chemical method; and
| in nearly every one Of these cases
| these cities ten years ago were TAX
| ing impure water direct from some
large, unprotected river and drinking
it just as it came from the river.
| The decrease in the amount o% sick
ness and number Of deaths from typ
| hold fever as the result of these re-
| Gently constructed water systems has
| been very noticeable. The method OF
| purifying water by shemical treatment
is more common in the South than
| inthe North The usual method In
the North is simply the protection OF
the source of supply. This method
was adequate In most cases twenty
| years ago, but the RAPID increase in
our population and the great multipli-
| cation of manufacturing plants has
| hade the securing of pure water sup
| ply by simply protecting the source
very difficult; and it is a difficulty
which is rapidlyncreaslng from year
to year, so that it is only question
CT time when other methods must be
adopted except where a city Is rof-
tunate enough to have an unlimited
| supply of artesian wa.er.
In regard to the disposal OF gar
bage, conditions in most cities were
unsatisfactory. The most sanitary
way Of disposing Of garbage rs prop
ably TO burn It, About nalf a dozen
of the cities investigated had incin'
GRAFTON plants and as a rule these
were working in reasonably salts
factory manner-and II they were not
1t was generally because the work oil
collecting the garbage for burning
was subject to political influence win
unfavorable results In the great ma
iority OF cases the garbage is dumped
on vacant lots, frequently within the
city limits, and sometimes not fai
from the heart Of the city. Ordnar
COS for inspection Of milk, meats ant
perisAable provisions we're qute gen
eral, and 1t Is clear that they are be
Ing forced with increasing effective