Evening star., 1922-06-28
ASKS PROPER CARE
Of PUBLIC PARKS
Col. Sheriff. Scores the Care
less Disposal of Refuse by
Pleasure Seekers.

Calling on the public to exercise
good sense in disposing of refuse in
Rock Creek and other federal parks
just as they would be careful not to
litter their own homes, Col. c. o.
Sheriff., ofiicer in charge of public
buildings and grounds. today issued a
formal statement over the signature
OF Maj.sW. P. Baker. parks sanitary
inspector, explaining efforts of off,
ciais to guard the health and comfort
OF persons using the parks.
Substance of Statement.
The statement points out that:
The officer in charged hoped and
anticipated that more people would
use Rock Creek Park this year than
Formerly. and throughout the winter
hundreds of rustic benches and tables
were constructed from logs hauled out
OF the woods to meet this need. At
an early date IL was seen that more
people came into the park than for
merly and also that they appeared to
be less heedful of the rights of others.
1t was common to find coffee, Jelly and
greasy wastes spilled about on the
tables, benches and grounds about
them. On d warm day, it is merely
question of a few hours before such
place is a seething mass of insight :
~ and insanitary fermentation, with
mes ana Wasps swarming above, bac-
terra and maggots breeding within
and rodents furthering the scatter
ing of food remnants about A spe-
cial squadron to clean up was organ
lzed, but 1T was unable to adequately
deal with the situation. One has only
10 refer to ones own table wastes a
IeW hours after being cast into the
kitchen garbage pail to get an idea OF
the decomposition of food in warn,
weather: Exposed to flies, insects and
the suns warmth, all this goes OF
at a greater rate on the picnic tables
and the ground about them.
The sanitation of the parks is un-
oer the immediate charge of a ply
sician OF the United States Army
Medical Corps, carefully selected and
employed solely for this purpose. He
has interest only in the health and
comfort OF those who visit the parks
This should serve to correct the i'm
preston OF that good citizen who
expressed his belief that officials con-
nected with the parks lacked human
interest and confined their attention
to the trees and grass therein.
Health Ordinance Cited.
In regard to the statement that an
adequate force should be crowded to
SicdH up icluSc, IL might De recalled
that all of us must abide by the city
health ordinance for prohibiting the
committance Of any fnsanitary nuis-
ance on our own property or in our
own homes to such a degree as to
menace the health of ourselves or
the health of our neighbors, provid-
ing arrest or prosecution of those
who fail to comply. The most radi-
cally inclined Of US would not ask
that such law be repealed. We are
expected and required to collect gar
bage and refuse from our own homes
into proper receptacles and place
these out Of doors on collection days
The cooperation we are asking OF
the public using the parks is merely
a continuation of the same rule that
they have been practicing~ in their
own homes for years: Throw your
placed beside the tables. If you
| throw them on the ground they are
tramplsd in, breeding filth, flies and
| disease. 1t is impossible to salts
factoriry clean soil polluted by table
refuse, regardless Of the vigilance of
the cleaning force employed. The
children play on the ground about
the picnic groves and it is their
health particularly that is hazarded
safeguarding the Springs.
previously the springs in the park
were often carelessly misused by
those who visited them Some washed
their hands in the spring waters
others used the spring as refriger.
ators for picnic milk bottles. melons
and meats. After a years expert
mentation this particular problem has
been solved by incasing the springs