South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1917-04-29
MAKING FARCE OF CLEANUP WEEK.

Mayor Kellers decision the city cannot afford
furnish wagons for municipal cleanup week Is a de-
cided mistake. The only excusabIe excuse for such
action must be that the wagons are not to be had.
Without them cleanup week might about well be
abandoned, not that the citizens viii their best.
but without the away the rubbish.
ashes. ETC. the best that they do enough.
It Flint Mich $500 for cleanup week last
Authorities there say it was good investment.
1t is the item that the city administration trying
Very well. the wagons we're otherwise OBJ
tanable but that is the case. in isolated
stances II going have a cleanup week let
us clean up. and, well haul il away The job half
done is merely wasted energy.
Better build a few less sidewalks year, better
less paving better less Of a number Of thnupy
better put the money where viii be more useful and
less ornamental We are spending tens OF thousands
of dollars things that are mere convenenoes
Here is something that necessity the present
administration should "penurize" on this matter OF
health maintenance and sanitation after all the cam
paign noise that they about it, going to the
trouble to have sanitary survey. etc Is such viola
ton of what the public right TO anticipate as to
be perfdous
This year especially health ano cleanliness are
things that should be looked out for our American
cities ought at least be kept sanitary army camp
1t is the place economic at all II there must
be economy strike out those ornamental lights
than the necessities This needs age Of genuine
utitarianism.
Besides the health department has the money: money
that it by reappropration the council for
this very purpose that is if has not been turned
back into the general fund for another bg-chested
demonstration of economy elsewhere Reference IS
made to the $4,000 appropriated a year ago for the
housing survey Dr. Bosenbury health officer assures
US that it not spent. After patient and i'm
patient angling in the municipal health pool a govern
ment expert brought here a sanitary survey at
federal expense-aside from clerical and steno-
graphic help-who insisted upon including a housing
survey after passing through emphatic bonn
bardments. That is somewhat ancient history now
but still there that $4,000 of which 500 with the
consent Of the council could be to very good ad
vantage in cleaning up the town cleanup week
Once year. at least every city should clean its
back door yard and it ought do throughout the
removing the rubbish ashes etc. same as il does
the garbage. Up-tO-date cities doing il all over
the country practically everywhere we would say TO
the reformers where they have commission or CITY
forms of government, but can by no means
that SUCH forms essential TO the
The selfsame thing can be done under South
Bends form of government il the city officials
We have with that process Of promoting
reforms which involves the placing brakes on the
wheels of progress just hold back under pre-
tense that it cannot without such reformation
For forms of government. let fools contest;
Whateer is best administered is best"
said Pope and Pope was not a fool We are with the
health officer this point absolutely on cleanup
week. the city administration should furnish every
available wagon and team. ashes. rubbish
etc. from the alleys and yards the city People
afford il should depend upon the city 80
their cleaning up for them they should get wagons if
they can. and this rubbish removed. pay the
BILL but those who afford or who through
sheer negligence Iazness. otherwise. comply
with the sanitary regulations the city should act in
stead
is altogether a Of helping those people
It is case helping ourselves we'll want
public health, which than private health espe-
ciaIly in Nothing should be that
tends to reduce efficiency and it is one OF the
municipalities handle just matters
1t is exactly what bonded together city for
Mayor Keller. Controller Manning any other
city official, stand in the way any
in behalf Of their pc robustness place
the dollar above the man. A genuine cleanup this
year. will be a matter OF patriotism. and humanity
more than municipal orderliness-and just a.
much $ the shoulderng a gun and moving 70
the front to make the for democracy and
enforce future peace.
Il is miserable governmental pettf6ggery to spout
encomums Col. George Washington Goethas and
his cleanup Of the Panama canal zone or Henry Mat
his administration Dayton unless we
a little something up TO their standards
no EXPERIMENTS,
This is not the year in which to try experiments with
now orons methods warns Waters