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First Annual Message of Archibald Johnston, 1918 [continued]
orderly and systematic development and control of the Lehigh River and tributary streams. The main sewer locations and their grades can then be definitely determined and fixed with the assurance that they are permanently adjusted to and are really a part of the comprehensive channel improvement. In fact, it is not unlikely that conditions at some points are ripe for undertaking improvements in the channel and along the banks in conformity to a comprehensive plan for sewerage and stream control with due regard to utilization. Rcommendation. THE SUBJECT SHOULD BE STUDIOUSLY INVESTIGATED.
Garbage and Refuse Collection and Disposal. Garbage comprises the organic wastes of the kitchen and the inorganic wastes, such as ashes, rags, crockery, paper, tin cans, etc. Their accumulation in the city is so rapid that it becomes a serious problem and by its own insistence demands our attention. Undoubtedly, it is the quantity that is the primary cause of its removal, judging from the imperfect methods of collection and supervision which in general still prevail. Vessels for its temporary retention often become putrid, swarms of flies and insects infest them and the whole operation becomes obnoxious and a nuisance.
In the more resourceful quarters of the city, where the offal from the kitchen is of the best quality, it is easily possible for the householder, to secure, by the fee system, regular collection and removal. The garbage too has a commercial value: it may be rendered or fed to swine. The collector can make it profitable to gather garbage of this kind; but he will not go into the poorer districts where the offal is promiscuously dumped into the can or onto the ground from where the dry rubbish is scattered about. There has been found no system that works satisfactorily in these districts except the one of municipal collection and disposal.
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