Ward. — Elimination of Stream Pollution in New York 23 



Mr. W. H. Killian, of Maryland. It has been only a comparatively 

 short while since I have been concerned with fish conservation and propa- 

 gation, and in that short time it has dawned on my mind that the biggest 

 problem we have is this very problem under discussion, and I feel very well 

 repaid, so far as ou r work is concerned, if we do not have any other subject 

 under discussion at this meeting. It has been dealt with by the states 

 individually for a longer or a shorter period according to the activities of 

 the state administrations charged with the matter, but it seems to me that 

 very recently many of these big problems have become national problems. 



The Food Administration has been accorded very autocratic powers 

 of late, and the fact that this pollution is not only affecting the food produc- 

 tion at the present time, but is going to be cumulative and far reaching, it 

 appears to me should lead this Society to take some action to interest the 

 Federal Government in the matter. 



We are concerned with just the same proposition in Maryland that the 

 several commissioners who have preceded me have spoken of. We have 

 very drastic laws and made some progress in putting them into effect, until 

 the Federal Government's own activities within our area, within the past 

 twelve or fifteen months, have rendered the Government itself one of the 

 greatest violators of our local laws. We find that when we approach them 

 we have to deal with department heads assigned to the individual opera- 

 tions, who frankly tell us, "I get my instructions from Washington." Then 

 we are "stumped," just as Mr. Buller stated in the case in Pennsylvania, 

 where his legal department advises that no interference should be imposed. 

 It has so seriously bothered us that we have felt under the necessity of 

 taking it up with the Secretary of War, with the hope that if we could im- 

 press him with the proposition, some general policy might be laid down by 

 him whereby the individuals dealing with the separate operations would 

 at least be instructed to cooperate with the state officers where a conflict- 

 ing problem arose. 



If food is such a vital necessity in the conduct of the war as to make 

 it necessary to establish a new branch of the government for handling it, 

 it would seem to me that perhaps we should get a great deal of help if we 

 could interest the U. S. Food Administration in this matter. Or, if we could 

 address that appeal to the War Department, or any other department of 

 the Federal Government that has activities that are adding to this problem 

 that is troubling the various states, it would be the proper thing for this 

 Society at this meeting to present the matter, and I hope that the resolu- 

 tions committee will, before we adjourn, take some action in that connec- 

 tion. 



Mr. W. E. Barber, of Wisconsin. I thoroughly agree with Commis- 

 sioner Pratt of New York. I believe that these manufacturing institutions 

 owe something to the people of the states in which they are operated. The 

 only way to settle this question, in my judgment, is to have a good, stringent 

 law with a heavy penalty, and let the chemists of those organizations work 

 out the problem. We have had so much experience with the plants in our 



