2 THE AUDUBON BUDE 
of Illinois, which I represent, is in 
many respects a cross-section of 
urban America. It stretches along 
Lake Michigan from the Chicago 
river to the northern city limits 
containing a rich mixture of ethnic 
and cultural communities, teeming 
with life and a desire to make things 
better. There are industries, factor- 
ies, universities, elegant stores on 
Michigan Avenue and small shop- 
ping areas. All in all, the Ninth 
Congressional District is one of 
America’s unique places. 
But my constituents, as the price 
they pay for living in a thriving 
industrial center like Chicago, are 
forced to breathe air that is little 
less than poisonous. In the United 
States only New York’s air, if one 
can so designate its envelope of 
pollution, is diriter. There are Fed- 
eral, State and local air pollution 
statutes, but so far, in spite of these, 
the situation is only beginning to 
be checked. Unclean air takes its 
toll in respiratory diseases, in clean- 
ing and laundry bills, in building 
exteriors which are covered with 
layer upon layer of industrial 
grime and soot. 
Invasion of our part of the lake 
from the north and the south has 
been threatening for some time. This 
summer ‘that, part of the Lake 
Michigan shoreline which forms the 
eastern limit of the ninth district 
was suitable for swimming. But to 
the north and to the south along 
that same shoreline a dip in the 
lake involved the risk of bacterial 
infection. Unless some action is 
taken soon to reverse the spread of 
pollution in the southern end of 
lake Michigan, my constituents will 
be subjected to that risk which is a 
shocking and unacceptable develop- 
ment. The invading contamination 
must be hurled back no matter y 
the cost for the lake is a nati 
as well as our local treasure. In 
trial polluters must be held to ¢ 
responsibilities for a prompt el 
up. 
But air and water pollution 
only two environmental prob] 
with which urban Americans 
faced. It is up to us to make 
cities cleaner, quieter, less crow 
and more human. We have sg 
basic rethinking to do if we 
even going to have a chance at w 
ing it all work. 
For instance, we are going 
have to learn how to recycle 
industrial waste products insteac 
pouring them into the air or | 
our water supplies where they 
as pollutants. To cite a sil 
example, we vent into the atn 
phere each year approximately 
million tons of sulfur worth ha 
billion dollars. During that s: 
year we extract 16 millions t 
of sulfur from the earth to sup 
our modern civilization. The reas 
ing behind that paradox is tha 
is less expensive to mine new su 
than it is to recover the old su 
from industrial wastes. But so! 
how nobody mentions that pollut 
costs this Nation more than $20 
lion annually in strictly econo: 
terms. Its human costs are incal 
lable. 
We have to recognize the usel 
ness of passing new air pollut 
legislation on the one hand ; 
building new highways into the ¢ 
on the other. What is accomplisl 
if a new air pollution law cuts do 
the hydrocarbon content of av 
mobile exhaust by 10 percent wl 
new highways concentrate 10 p 
cent more vehicles in the cities? 
In the past we have always 
