The public ledger. [volume] (Maysville, Ky.) 1913-1968, 1917-08-13
SANITARY ORDINANCES
To BE Submitted to the City Council
Property Owners Are Urged TO BE
Present ut Meeting, Date Of
Which VIII Be Announced
In q Few Days.

Summer has not come to Maysyille
this year without bringing with It ty-
phoid fever. Nine cases have been re-
ported and one death has occurred 80
far--AND TYPHOID FEVER IS A
PREvENTABLE DISEASE.
The absence or presense of typhoid
fever or any other serious intestinal
disorder depends mainly on these
three factors. Q) The Water Supply.
(2) The Milk Supply and (9 The
Sewerage Disposal.
The Sanitary Survey forces are reg
ularly sending away samples Of the
city water for archaeological analysis
and the reports have been coming
back showing freedom from colon
bacilli in amounts of water equal to
two teaspoonfuls, thereby conforming
to the Government standard OF safety
on interstate carriers. This of course,
depends to a great extent on the chic
rine content being uniform at all
times and in sufficient strength to kill
all harmful organisms.
Samples from private supplies are
| still being collected and analysed. In
every instance they have shown evil
dence Of sewerage pollution. Some
times the bacterial count being as
high as 1000 in fifteen drops. The
fault does not lie in the individual
water supplies themselves, but in the
grossly unsanitary vaults which sur
round them on all sides.
The purity Of the milk supply de-
ponds upon the methods in use at the
various dairy farms An ordinance
has been drafted and Is not being got
ten into legal form requiring all dairy
men who sell milk in Maysvlle to be
licensed, To be licensed they must
conform to certain sanitary require
ments in handling milk which will in
sure clean and safe supply. Milk is
an excellent breeding ground for
germs when they are introduced into
The supply. Milk is also natural food
for children. These two facts should
be seriously considered by parents and
all who are interested in giving babies
a chance in life. Legislation govern
Ing the sale of milk will be a big step
in preventive Medicine in safe guard
ing the health and lives of the little
ones.
The question of sewerage disposal
is of paramount issue at present, and
under the "Old Vault System" consti-
tutes constant menace to health.
The Sanitation of the cantOnment
zones has required the services of all
the Sanitary engineers Of the Public
Health Service, so it has been inpossi-
BILE to obtain the services Of one here
to cooperate with the Health Survey
and local authorities in outlining
better sewer system.
An improved sewer system should
be he obtained and is bound to come,
but in the meantime, we should tide
over the interval by sanitary meas
ures, until the town is completely
severed. In all events, the abolish
ment of the vaults and the introduce
ton of the Sanitary Privy System"
should be the first act of sanitary leg
lislation by the city counc" and
would be one of the greatest single
things Maysville could do in the con-
servation Of health and life.
The vaults should be treated with
hypochlorite of lime and closed up. A
fly tight properly ventilated box, con-
tanning water tight receptacle, such
as has been on exhibition at the Sur
vey Offices, should be installed in the
old privy house and the cans scaveng-
ed once weekly as follows. The city
scavenger begins his rounds with
wagon load of clean cans with cover
ed tops. AS he visits each house to
be scavenged the exchange is made,
the clean cans replaced for the ones to
be scavenged, which are covered and
hauled to the disposal and wash sta
tons These disposal stations consist
Of concrete receptacles over main
sewer lines and should be located near
the mouth Of the lines, below the In.
take pipe for the water supply.
The cans are rinsed with water and
disinfectant. A little of the disinfect-
ing solution is left in the can and it
is ready to be carried to the next place
to be scavenged. This system can be