Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1917-02-19
CITY ONCE CLEAN
IN DISGRACE NOW
Public Health in Danger Be-
cause of Uncollected Ashes
and Garbage
By Anna III, Wood

ture. Having stood the pltlful sight or
the streets of Harrisburg Uttered with
ashes, garbage and rubbish as long as
she could she sent her sofe white
blanket to hide it at least for a time.
This city, such a little while ago
praised for it's cleanliness, it's splendid
ness which bid fair to make it Penn
sylvania's convention town." is be-
coming a disgrace and q by-word
throughout the State.
Il have SEEM said an uptown
woman, wagons full of garbage
brought in the dead of night and
emptied into the open lots" These va
cant spaces are in the very heart of
the new residential district just above
Maclay street
Another woman prominent in local
club and social life referred to an
alley back of her Front street home.
For weeks and months it has been
disgrace! Ashes and bits of garbage,
old stockings, odd gloves and all sorts
of rubbish are frozen to the ground.
Think what it means when the first
spring thaws come"
Helping to Pile Up the Litter
There is scarcely a householder who
is not tormented with circulars, patent
medicine advertisements, cards of cut
rate grocery sales, etc, thrown at, or
in the general direction of, the front
door These bits of paper, ragged and
weather worn, give their share to the
general litter. Add to this the empty
tin cans, to which decaying articles
of food still cling. bones carried by
stray dogs from garbage receptacleS
with ill-ftting covers or with none at
all and one can soon find a hearty
breeding ground for disease.
Not so very long ago a woman in
the lower end of the city had reason
to dispose of a dead cat. She called
the attention of the proper parties but
without success and the animal had to
be carried to a lot some distance away
where it lay for days in an advanced
state of modification, the horror and
the fascination of the passing school
children.
Grumblings and complaints have
been going on all over the city for
months, but uselessly. The hard
earned money of the householder has
had to go out to private parties for
the disposal of ashes and refuse which
should be taken away without cost.
1t has actually come to the pass that
collector gazes at the overflowing
cans mournfully, throws out a strong
hint for the housekeeper to offer
money. and, if it is not forthcoming,
he mumbles something about them
being frozen" or IAN awfully heavy
load" and ambles on his way!
Why Not Enforce Laws
The city of Harrisburg possesses on
her statute books laws and ordinances
which, if enforced, would solve the
whole problem and compel a thorough
cleanup. How, then, can the poor
man who throws his ashes over the
back fence be handled for breaking
the law when the municipality itself is
doing virtually the same thing? What
is the matter with the police who al
low wagon loads of ashes and refuse
to pass through our streets uncovered
when every law of cleanliness and de-
cency as well as those adopted by the
city government call for covered
wagons?
And the result of all this negli-
gence? Pestilence and death! The
City Health Board fears an outbreak
of infantile paralysis during the COM
ing summer, if present conditions con-
t!nue, equal to that in New York and
Brooklyn last season. With only four
or five cases on our record when the
whole country lay under the horror of
the scourge, this city became a ver-
liable haven of refuge, but it bids fair
to become the opposite before many
more months have passed.
The women of the Visiting Nurses
Association in their work in the poor
er districts have found filth and dirt
rampant in such localities as Seventh
street part of Herr ETC.. where the
Irving conditions are congested.
The contract with the city held by
the Pennsylvania Reduction Co (bond-
ed by the Pennsylvania Realty Coz
expires January, 1918. Ten years ago
when it was made it was sufficient hut
1t has failed to keep pace with the
rapid growth of the town. But be-
tween now and the first of next year?
Is there nothing to be done? Where is
civic pride, where is cooperation and
above all where is common sense?
Shall we submit to a slaughter of the
innocents because of the stupidity of
a certain group of men?
City Health Officer Raunick in his
annual report to the City Council
urged municipal control of the prob
iems which are agitating the people
of Harrisburg to-day.
Prof. Zueblin. the noted expert who
recently visited us, made the state
ment that no city was on the real
highway of success and development
until it's cars, its lights, its ashes and
refuse collections were all under mu-
nicipal control
Economically speaking, clean streets
are one of a towns greatest assets, as
the dirt and dust carried by the wind
a ra prant factor in fha cnraad nF