The Indianapolis times. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1922-1965, 1935-03-06
Conservation
by WILLIAM F. COLLINS

IT FOLLOWED the argument Uue Dell
l. ate against the anti-pollution bill with
great deal of interest and was struck with the
fact that while the majority of the Senators
wanted to vote for cleanliness, few Of them
were able to answer the erroneous arguments
of the Senators who were against the bill for
political reasons.
Don't thrust this measure down our
throats," said Senator Jernegan. 1T would
cause a large increase III taxes and now would
be a poor time to do that"
The first anti-pollution bill was put into the
acts in 1909 and was killed by the same argu-
ment. If it had gone through at that time
there was only 27O miles of rotten water IN
Indiana and the cost of cleaning 1t up would
have been but a 1.-THE of the present cost.
Impure and poisonous water is now lncreaS-
ING in Indiana at the rate Of $50 linear miles
annually and the time is rapidly approaching
when the cost of remedy will be very high. Inc
decision must be made now Are we going 10
live with this thing forever or are we SCarChle
now to clean up? 1t will not rectny ltsen'
Formulation creates it and men must stop IL:
The Creator of the rivers has done all he coulo
to be rid of it, but natural laws can not take
care of the burden of filth dumped into INDIANA
streams; there is too much OF it.
TIME element of expense mentioned by the
i Senator can be handled by revenue bonos
If YOU use 1000 gallons of water, you make 1OoO
gallons of polluted water and you shouIo DC
charged with the expense OF purifying II SO IL
won't be an offense to your nelghborS. Inc clCy
charges you to dispose of your garbage 10 sweep
YOUR streets, to make your drinking water pure
and YOU pay large bill for soap and Laundry
annually to keep your person Clean why exempt
the most distressingly impure product OF CIVIL
ization?
lives on the ST. Joe River, the nastiest stream
in the state with more than 100000 colon
bacilli per cubic centimenter IN 1T at MlShaWaKa
in midsummer, the cost to the water user OF
eliminating the impurities he creates Will be
added to his water bill under the revenue bona
measure at the rate of about per cent OF his
water bill each month. If you pay 81 month
for water you will pay S424 month for water
and sewage disposal
If that wrecks industry, I am wrong.
Senator Lynch from Hammond and the steel
and oil districts shouts the bill is "dictatorial
despotic arbitrary and discretionary" Oh, Sen
ator and that comes from district that manu-
features steel and gasoline. And that argument
has been heard for these many years from men
who fix the price the public must pay for steel
and gasoline and canned goods and rubber foot
wear and what not all polluting industries Con-
sistency, thou art jewel of rare water but not
polluted water
TINE health angle is not important, says
Senator Lynch. In Brown County, where
there is no polluted water, more people die than
in Lake County where most things are polluted
The Senator torgetS that in Brown County only
the old are left, the average age of Brown Coun-
ty residents is 18 years higher than Lake County
and the young and strong have forsaken the hills
for the centers that will furnish them either
with employment excitement or BOTH
But there is one thing they don't die OF IN
Brown County and have seen very few people
down there inflicted with it and that is septic,
inhamed sinus and there are few children there
operated on for mastoid. The diseases caused
by impure water cause loss Of health mostly
and not loss of life excepting in typhoid cases,
although the hospital records of the state dis
close an increasing record of fatal cases orig
mating in youth who have played in infected
water.
Stream pollution is an inter-county matter
not an intra- county problem" Rarely does the
polluter suffer from his own acts, said Senator
James from down on the Ohio. When the county
above me makes the stream that flows by my
door filthy with smells and disease I should
have the right Of appeal to some dislnterested
court. But Senator Bedwell OF Sullivan favored
| an amendment to permit each county TO Judge
its own filth. Every man for himself and the
devil take the hindnost, or in this case the
nethermost.
Blue River in Henry County has been so
! grossly polluted with Newcastle sewage that it is
positively unsafe to allow cattle to venture near
it. yet Senator Chambers called the bill con-
tractors racket ignoring the protests Of 470
farmers who met in Knightstown last year
| threatening suit against Newcastle for damages
to their farms The Senator is supposed to rep
resent the entire community, including the farm
ers, and Walter Jolly will remember that. When
Walter P. ChrysleI's attention was drawn to the
| fact that his plant in Newcastle dumped poison
into Blue River he ordered it stopped and is
now contemplating the erection Of his own dis
posal plant. The average American citizen is a
clean man and desires to live in clean sur
roundings among clean people. He does not de-
sire to interfere with the health and pleasures
of his neighbors.