OF THE HAMILTON ASSOCIATION. 65 



the solid portions will not render the sewage innocuous ; that the 

 contagium of cattle disease -is not destroyed by the intercepting 

 process; that there is reason for believing that the contagium of 

 human diseases is not ; and lastly, that the bay is likely to become 

 dangerous to the health of the city if something is not done to put 

 a stop to its further contamination. For years I have maintained 

 that the directions of our Heavenly Father to the children of Israel, 

 in the 23d chapter of Deuteronomy^ are the only safe ones to follow, 

 modified, of course, to our present different manner of living. 



The Provincial Board of Health, oi Ontario, has issued a 

 valuable pamphlet on the disposal of sewage, in which the " Dry 

 Earth System " is highly recommended. A number of dry earth 

 closets are described, all of which appear to be good, but the one 

 best t9 be chosen is not a matter for this paper. 



A few years ago, I read in the agricultural department of the 

 New York Tribune, an article on the manurial value of excreta. 

 The writer stated that the excreta from each person was worth ten 

 dollars a year. It appears to be a very high estimate, but if he is 

 correct we shall soon be throwing four hundred thousand dollars 

 worth of manure into the bay each year, after paying another four 

 hundred thousand dollars for the doing of it. There can be no 

 doubt that there is a great waste of valuable manure, but not so 

 large as the Tribune writer's estimate. 



From all I have been able to learn, it would appear that while 

 there can be no revenue obtained by using earth closets, it does 

 seem to be a fact that the excrementitious matter of the entire city 

 can be disposed of without cost, or in other words, that it can be 

 made to pay for itself. The manner of doing it can be learned 

 from the boards of health of many of the cities in the old land, as 

 well as in the States. If public opinion can only be aroused on this 

 subject as it has on the subject of intemperance, there will be no 

 difficulty in the matter. Let our city fathers frame a by-law com- 

 pelling every householder to use earth closets only ; let there be 

 honest and competent inspectors appointed to look after every 

 house, and let there be severe punishment meted out to all infractors 

 of the ordinance. If it be not competent for the City Council to 

 act without further legislation, there surely would be no great 

 difficulty in getting an Act of Parliament bearing directly on the 



