Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1912-08-21
PUBLIC COMFORT STATIONS.
Time at Hand When Law Will Com
pei Maintenance of Public
COnveniences.


We are handed a copy of the pro-
ceedings of the recent convention of
the hotel keepers of the. five states
in this section, in which one of the
most important subjects under dis
cussion was the matter of public COM
fort stations for the transient pub
lie. The question has been before the
Club on various occasions, and is one
that is occupying the attention of the
public generally. Numerous cities
have tried out the plan of the
business men establishing and MAIN
tanning public rest room at some
convenient place in the city, for the
accommodation and convenience of Wis
itors to the city, but in practically
every instance this has been found
impracticable and when established
have been open only a short. time
and then discontinued. The Decorah
Commercial Club has committee
now investigating the proposition,
but it does not seem to be a feasible
one, both from the standpoint of the
unreasonable and unjustifiable ex-
pense and from cooperation on the
part of the general public.
Nevertheless, such an institution
should be provided in every city Peo-
pie coming to town from the country
or from some other town, ought to
have some place where they may find
necessary conveniences, where they
may leave packages, where they may
meet friends or members of their
family, in short place for home
while they are in the city.
1T seems to us that the county
court house, built and owned by the
people of the county, is the proper
place for such an institution. 1t is
their building, and they ought to
make use of it, The lower floor is
provided with large corridors which
might be furnished with seats, it
contains large toilet room, in fact
there are several in the building, |
and all the necessary conveniences
could be provided with little cost. We |
believe that if the country people |
coming to town got into the habit of
using their building for resting pur-
poses, they would find conveniences
and comforts they never thought of.
The time is not far distant when
such conveniences will be required by |
law to be provided.
The convention above referred to
Lassed the following resolution:
Whereas, the use of hotels as pub
lie comfort and convenience stations
in the villages, towns and cities
throughout the United States has
long been a steadily increasing bur-
den upon American hotelkeepers and
an imposition upon the travelling men
and other patrons of hotels, who pay
for their patronage and are entitled
to the unrestricted and unhampered
use of these conveniences; be it
INCSOltcu, lndl IL 10 lHC oChoC VI
our association in convention assem-
bled that the time has arrived when
our American municipalities should
give this question serious attention
for the credit of modern civilization,
the health, sanitation and daily well
fare of the public, and that every
village, town and city should have
public comfort stations of free and
pay departments such as exist in
most of the cities of Europe and be
it
Resolved, That each and every
member of this association should
pledge himself to do all in his pow
er with the civic welfare organiza-
tions in his community to bring about
as rapidly as possible the supplying
of this urgent need, which makes
for modern and enlightened civiliza-
tion and which Is asked in the inter-
est of sanitation and decency."