The Pleasantville press. (Pleasantville, N.J.) 1912-1929, 1917-03-03
SEWERAGE QUESTION
AN IMPORTANT ONE
FIRST OF A SERIES OF ARTICLES
TO INSTRUCT TAXPAYERS ON
REAL NECESSITY OF SYSTEM.

why Japan mace Sucn progress IN II
last generation as to astonish the
world was because an Emperor said:
"Let us hereafter follow reason in
stead of tradition. There was a lot
of good sense in that remark. We
will agree on this, but do we apply it
to ourselves? Take the ease of our
City for instance, are we applying
reason instead of tradition?
From the time when Pleasantville
was a struggling hamlet up to the
present, with all its prospects for
growth and expansion in the future,
the same sanitary or rather insani-
tary conditions have existed. Cess
pools and out houses have been used
to dispose of waste without a thought
of the danger to our health or to the
retarding effect, which lack of proper
sanitation has to our growth. Why
has this condition existed, because
tradition says that what was good
enough for our grandfathers is good
enough for ourselves.
If we stop to reason for a moment
we will see why this is not so. Quot
ing from a Bulletin issued by the
State Dept. of Health-"The average
daily waste from the human body con-
sists of about one pound of solid
matter and two quarts of liquid. The
proper disposal of these wastes must
take into account two factors. In the
first place, the wastes are organic in
character and readily undergo decom-
position which gives rise to foul and
unpleasant odors. Because of this
fact accumulation of human excre-
ment become ~nuisances, for the pre-
v~ention of which various methods of
disposal have been inaugurated.
"The second and by far the most
important reason for properly dispos-
ing of these wastes is that they con-
tain disease germs. The germs of in
t%estinal diseases like typhoid fever,
Asiatic cholera and a group ~ofacondi-
tons designated under the name of
~dysentery. The ova of animal para
sites that inhabit the ~alimentary tract,
may also be present in the bowel dis
charges. The fact that the dissemn-
alton of infected excreta through wa
ter supplied by flies or in food pro-
ducts may cause these and other dis
eases in others, makes the disposal of
human waste a public health problem.
Typhoid fever has been regarded as
the most important disease, the in
lection of which is spread in this
manner. but the rapid decline of the
typhoid death rate leaves THE IN
FECTIVE DIARRHEAL DISEASES
IN CHILDREN of perhaps greater
Importance.
Infection is spread from privies and
improperly constructed, uncovered or
overlooking ~cesspools chiefly by
means of the fly which carries con
taminated material directly to- the
food. Scientific Investigations point
to this agency, the common house fly
as the important factor in maintain
ing a high rate of typhoid fever and
diarrheal Diseases
1t may be asked why should we go
to the expense of installing sewers
when we have no typhoid fever or
other diseases that might be caused
by their absence. The answer is be-
cause it is better policy to lock the
door before the horse is stolen, than
afterward. We never know when an
epidemic will break out and it is our
duty to do u utmost to prevent it.
Two cases of typhoid in Pleasantville
is equivalent to two thousand in Phil
adelphia. Why is it that the always
constant small loss from preventable
disease passes unnoticed until an cpl
demic finally awakens a community to
its plight.
The case of Red Bank, N. j., is typ
ical. One member of a family living
in a dwelling not connected to a sew
err, became i'll with typhoid fever.
Eight out of ten persons in the same
family contracted the disease. No
provision was made against the
spread of the disease and a second
center of infection occurred in a fam
ily in which six out of nine members
were sticken. In all, forty-nine cases
developed, only two of which occurred
in persons living in the better residen-
tiai districts provided with proper
sanitary facilities. The beginning,
height and termination of the disease
closely conceded with the times when
flies began to multiply, became most
active, and gradually disappeared.
When it is remembered that the feal
discharges from the typhoid fever cas-
es are burdened with germs and that
flies live and breed in such matter the
conclusions are evident.
AuuGu W OlSSC ISdoOho why ca
antville should be severed, which in
themselves should be all sufficient are
others such as cleanliness, convenience
and the undoubted stimulus to the
growth of our town which would fol-
low the installation of sewers.
Should the construction of sewers
burden the taxpayer, valid objections
to such a step might be offered. Such
need not be the case. In fact a COM
plete system of sanitary sewers may
be installed and all the benefits de-
rived therefrom at a cost to each
property owner equal to or but slight
ly in excess of the expense entailed in
maintaining an clubhouse or cesspool.
How this may be accomplished and
other interesting facts will be careful
ly explained at a later date, mean
while let US simply reason instead of
tradition and thoroughly consider this
most important question.
This is the first of a series of arti-
cles on the Sewage Question. The
caaonJ will opaaar ~ M aarlxy data