PROCEEDINGS OF THE OHIO ACADEMY OF SCIENCE. 291 



the building of what we hope will prove to be good roads. Bad 

 grades, lack of drainage, collapsed foundations and crumbling 

 bricks already show that in many instances we shall be grievously 

 disappointed. That the greater part of the enormous loss re- 

 sulting from such failures might have been avoided is apparent 

 to any one possessing even a slight knowledge of the principles 

 of highway construction. 



Several years ago laws were enacted affecting the sanita- 

 tion of our dwellings and public buildings, fixing in great detail 

 the methods by w^hich connection shall be made with public 

 water supply, sewers, etc. These were supposed to be in the 

 interest of the individual as well as that of the community at 

 large, as a protection against the spread of disease, and the im- 

 portance of many of them can not be denied. But within a few 

 years it has been proved that many of the restrictions put upon 

 us by our boards of health are quite useless and unreasonable. 

 We now know that sewer gas is not poisonous and that much of 

 the cost of a system of so-called "sanitary" plumbing may be 

 avoided, as is already done in countries where legislation fol- 

 lows information in such matters. As our sanitary legislation 

 is much of it largely in the interests of a trade union it is rigidly 

 enforced and the unnecessary burden ujion the people is by no 

 means light. 



Much the same may be said of our laws and regulations re- 

 lating to the ventilation of school and other buildings. They 

 add greatly to the cost of construction and maintenance but they 

 are far from being in accord with the more recent results of 

 scientific investigation. 



The people of Ohio pay, annually,' many millions of dollars 

 for a commodity for the measure of which, as it passes from 

 producer to consumer, the state has made no provision what- 

 ever. The assumed honesty of the producer is the consumer's 

 only protection. 



Many other examples of wastefulness and burdensome legis- 

 lation and administration might be cited, but these alone, result- 

 ing in a single year in a loss many times enough to endow an 

 academy of science in perpetuity, should be convincing evidence 



