Milford chronicle., 1934-01-19
MR.. CITIZEN AND A COMMUNITY
WIDE SANITATION PROJECT

4 fny-lnfeSted pflfleS ana Al the same
ltime provide work for approximate
ily 80 carpenters and laborers for 9
period of about ten weeks. Here's
Uncle Sam Offering good money ai
40 cents an hour to provide the ear
penter work and labor work neces-
sary to install fiy-tight priVies
Throughout the unsewered areas and
TO make the old open-back type a
thing of the past.
How many structures do you
thing there are in Molford? Actual
ly there are over 500 snch privies.
Each one is capable Of spreading
disease by means of flies not only to
occupants of the home but 10 other
/ families two and three hundred feet
away. Such an outbreak Of typhoid
fever resulting in eleven cases and
one death was traceable to such
privies in one of the towns in Sus-
sex County last summer.
What Is a COMMUNICATIVE sani-
tatiOn prOject2 First of all, Il means
q town ordinance requiring those
property owners to connect up to
the existing sewer or to have sani-
tary privies.
What is a sanitary privy? A sani-
tary privy consists of a pit in the
ground 3la feet square and feet
deep which will be dug by laborers
and inside Of that will be placed a
wooden curbing built by carpenters
to keep the pit from caving in. This
curbing extends from to s inches
above the ground and the earth re-
moved from the pit is mounded and
tamped up to the level of the project
ing cnrbing. Fitted in the curbing
but independent of 1t is placed a
sanitary unit which consists of
double flooring. seat riser and seat
with a hinged lid plus a screened
ventilatOr. This unit is an import
ant part as far as the public health
aspect is concerned. 1t is tight to
flies, insects and rodents. The
building itself is for privacy only.
The sanitary privy described above
will serve for five years after which
the pit is covered with about a foot
of earth and the building moved to
a new pit.
What would be the cost of mater
ial 10 the property owner? In Mills
bOrO such q COMMUNICATIVE SANTA
tion program is now being put on,
the material for the curbing and
the sanitary unit costing S5.SI plus
$1l.00 for a new house making a
total of approximately $17.00. In
many cases If the old building is in |
good shape and of the proper size |
il could be used with two or three
dollars worth of materials for re-
pairs. The sanitation unit. however,
wants to be built entirely new as |
that is the important part of the
Next comes the financing of a
sanitation project.
This can be done in several ways.
One method is to pass an ordinance
and require all property owners to
construct sanitary privies in the un-
areas or to pay for the ma
ierials which are to be used by the
who will do all of the |
carpenter work free of charge. The
second method is TO have the town
assist in financing the cost. Those
ible to pay would reimburse the
own Immediately while the cost to
Dthers not so fortunately situated
night be spread out over a period
# time the same as is done with
ever assessments. The third meth
d is to consider IL as a public |
Utility entirely. The materials are
0 be financed by the town and TO
e taken out of the tax fund the
anne as the cost of other sewer
'Ork. This is treating the sanitary
riyy as a public utility and as part
a sewerage system for those now :
wing in the unsewered sections.
rom the public health point of
lew this provides sewage disposal :
excreta as does the sewer. The
hole object of a COMMUNICATIVE
imitation program is TO provide de- J
Pnt disposal of all sewage and as
lr as public health is concerned
he fiy-tight privy does this although {
swers are naturally more desir- e
BILE where running water is avail y
bic and other sanitary conveniences U
IN be installed.
COMMUNICATIVE sanitation prof. b
IT'S in other states have been advo- t
lted by the U. S. Public Health Ser p
ice and is now being considered
ederal project through the C. W. t
in order to put men to work on a
projects that will tend J
raise the standard of living in a
Iese towns and also assist in re- 4
icing all fifth-bOrn diseases. A
from the U. S. Public N
ealth Service has been detailed to o
lis State in cooperation with the
ate Board OF Health and he has o.
isisting him at the present time a =
lpervisor in both Kent and Sussex :,
1unties. II is their duty in CO. q
'eration with the State Board of :,
ealth to develop such projects. The .,
ty- of Dover plus the towns of n
illsborO. Georgetown, Smyrna and =
ilton have already passed such Or r
nances and before very long work W
III have been started in all towns. o
Here's an opportunity to clean up .,
ilford. to put men to work and on r,
project endorsed by the State
'ard Of Health and the U. s. Public
ealth Service. What do you :! y
ink? .--.. mSs m