182 ANNUAL REPORT 



The first duty of a city is to clean itself, and dearly does any city 

 neglect this duty. 



Another thing to be presumed is, that the cost of thorough cleaning 

 is a secondary consideration. A better statement would be that a 

 thorough cleaning at any cost will pay; pay in the influx of popula- 

 tion to a healthier city, pay in increase of values, pay in a lessened death 

 rate, and a cleaner bill of health 



A third thing to be most heartily desired is the co-operation of a 

 large body of intelligent cultivators to utilize the best at least of the 

 fertilizing material now filling up and polluting the noble river which 

 belongs to us simply to use and not to abuse. Upon these assumptions 

 let us attack the practical question first proposed. 



For clearness, let us recur to the classification of city filth already 

 named. Four sorts: 



1. Solids not excreta. 



2. Excreta. 



3. Foul water. 



4. Rain water. 



The first class, solids, consisting of street sweepings, dust, ashes, 

 stable litter, garbage and rubbish should be collected systematically 

 under compulsory regulations and removed. 



House ashes, dust and garbage should be kept under cover till emp- 

 tied in the public carts. Stable litter, ii not removed by proprietors 

 within reasonable time, should be carted off by the public scavenger 

 and the expense charged upon the property. 



Street sweepings are already removed by a public agency. 



All of this service should be managed as a department of the city 

 government, just as much as the water supply. It should be compul- 

 sory, and should be eflTective enough to keep all streets and alleys, 

 all grounds and areas absolutely free from accumulations of filth. 

 No syndicate or corporation should be allowed to levy a tax upon the 

 people under the guise of a franchise. 



The removal of this class of cleanings must be followed by assort- 

 ment and ultimate disposition. In the first place, none must go into 

 the river and none on to lands to be a nuisance. 



Street sweepings, dust and ashes may go to filling low grounds until 

 they shall be in demand for fertilizing. 



Stable litter, garbage and rubbish may be ''cremated," in whole or 

 in part The burning of this material is now rendered perfectly feas- 

 ible by ingenious furnaces with two fire boxes. Cremation is no new 

 device. The Gehenna of ancient Jerusalem was the perennial fire on. 

 which the offal of that holy city was consumed. 



