the amount sought to be raised shall be certified to the county clerk as is usual in such cases. Such taxes shall be levied, certified and collected in the same manner as other taxes. The treasurer shall, when depositing money in the bank, require the payment of interest for such deposits; and it also provides that the taxes provided for herein shall not be scaled.

Section 13 gives authority to the district to construct their sewers, channels, etc., along highways, or under highways or streets, but not so as to discommode the public or interfere with the rights of the state or of the federal government.

Section 14 provides that where the district contains military posts, reservations or stations, they may enter into contracts or agreements with the war department, permitting them to connect with the pipe or conduit.

Section 15 provides that when the making of any improvement shall take or damage private property, the district may condemn it and acquire possession of it in the same manner as is provided in the Eminent Domain Act.

Section 16 provides that when in the making of any improvements it is necessary to enter upon and take drains, sewers or other plants or other public property, the board of trustees shall have the power to do so and may acquire the necessary right in the same manner as is provided for acquiring private property, provided that the public use shall not be unnecessarily interfered with.

Section 17 provides that they may allow persons or districts outside of their limits to drain into any channel or drain made by it upon such terms and conditions as may be agreed upon.

Section 18 provides that the trustees shall have power and authority to prevent the pollution of waters from which a water supply may be obtained by any city within the district, and shall have the power to appoint and support a sufficient police force for that purpose, and exercise police powers for this purpose over the territory within the district and over the waters from which such water supply is obtained for a distance of three miles from the shore, or from the source of said water supply, provided

that before compelling a change in any method of disposal of sewage so as to prevent the pollution of the water, the board of trustees of the district shall have first provided means to prevent the pollution of said water from sewage originating from their own sanitary district.

This in brief is the substance of the law; and it is hoped that by reason of this act cities, availing themselves of the privileges thereof, may, by proper legal methods, be enabled to clean up and take care of their wastes to the end that their neighbor's property may not be the dumping ground of their refuse.

This law, in effect, creates another taxing body over the same territory as is contained within the city; and, owing to constitutional restrictions limiting bond issues of municipalities, this method is the only way in which areas of territory such as are described in the act may get relief.

It is with considerable pride I say that my own city of Decatur, or rather Decatur township (which is somewhat larger than the city of Decatur), has organized itself into a sanitary district; and commissioners have been appointed and are now devoting their attention to a proper solution of the problem confronting them there. Decatur has a starch works in its midst, and to that extent has a peculiar problem, perhaps not equaled by any other city in the state.

The county judge very happily named as one of the members of the board of trustees of the district the mayor of the council of the city. Thus, the district and the city council have a common member and are therefore kept in close touch with the work of each body.

In Decatur the question of water supply is very intimately related to the question of sewage disposal; and at a joint conference held just recently between the members of the sanitary district and the members of the city council it was unanimously decided that the city council should proceed with the impounding of water for the purpose of furnishing an adequate water supply for the city, and the sanitary district should proceed with the solution of the problem of sewage disposal and the completing

of an interceptor and treatment station therefor; and, as a portion of the plan for the treatment of sewage included the impounding of water for dilution purposes, it was agreed that the city and the district should enter into a contract whereby the district would contribute a definite amount of money to the city as an annual rental, or gross sum of payment for excess water impounded, the same to be used for dilution of sewage after the primary treatment.

It is hoped this solution of the problem will obviate the necessity of installing sprinkler filters or sand filtration beds-to construct which it is estimated would cost some $200,000.

Those who have been connected with drawing the bill have made more or less investigation as to its validity, and from this investigation are of the opinion that the law is a valid enactment and will be sustained, should its constitutionality or validity as a whole be questioned.

PROFESSOR C. S. SALE

University of Illinois

"Atmospheric Sanitation," the title given this discussion on the program, is used to designate a subject which most of us commonly refer to as smoke abatement. The title has not been used to confuse or perplex, but rather to make clear at the outset that the problem of purifying the air of our cities involves much more than the abatement of smoke. Smoke is only one of several sources of atmospheric pollution, although it is the most impor-tant single source.

In every city where the activities of industrial and community life proceed upon any considerable scale, the atmosphere becomes saturated with foreign matter which constitutes a variety of impurities. The presence of these impurities is damaging to property, injurious to health, harmful to vegetable life and altogether undesirable in times when cities are beginning to take pride in their cleanliness and beauty.

The need for better and cleaner air in our cities is apparent to all. Even the smaller cities and towns are suffering from the effects of air pollution. City officials have given attention to it and in many cases ordinances have been passed prohibiting the discharge of smoke into the air. Many such ordinances are in effect today, and they are generally being enforced with admirable skill and good judgment.

But so far nearly all legislation having for its purpose the purification of the atmosphere has been directed against smoke. Little serious attention has been paid to other sources of atmospheric pollution such as street dust, building dust, rubbish heaps and others, examples of which will be shown. There is, however, a marked distinction between the methods which may be successfully employed to abate smoke and those which will serve to elim inate other sources of pollution. The problem of smoke abatement is both an engineering and an educational problem; that of

dealing with other sources of atmospheric pollution is a problem in municipal housekeeping.

Smoke abatement at present is a matter possessing all the importance which has heretofore been normally attached to it plus the advantage of serving as a direct means of conserving fuel. It therefore has its old aspects as a municipal problem and in addition its newer aspects as a national problem. As a means in fuel conservation, I do not place emphasis upon the possible recovery and utilization of heat units which may be contained in the smoky discharges from chimneys and stacks, but point rather to the obvious fact that the process of bringing about the abatement of smoke does and, to be successful, must involve a better understanding, on the part of firemen, owners, or operators of fuel consuming plants, of the principles of good fire-room practice. And better fire-room practice means fuel economy.

In dealing with the smoke nuisance it has usually been the custom to consider only the visible aspects of smoke. Ordinances therefore have sought to prohibit the emission into the air of "dense" smoke, "black" smoke, "dark" smoke, "dense gray" smoke, "thick gray" smoke, etc. The prohibition of noxious gases and offensive odors is included in the case of a few ordinances, but no satisfactory definition of these is given. Of all smoke abatement ordinances of the present time it may be said, therefore, that while the general purposes sought are evident enough, the definite basis upon which they may be enforced is lacking. Dense gray smoke to one inspector or observer may be classed as light gray smoke by another. Furthermore, smoke abatement ordinances have generally been merely prohibitory in their terms. But those to whom has fallen the task of administering the law have found that a mere order to "stop making smoke" does not get results. Smoke inspectors found that there were only two ways to prevent smoke; either put out the fires or educate plant owners and firemen in the design, installation and operation of fuel consuming plants. The problem became at once an engineering problem and an educational problem. It was found that to abate smoke changes often had to be made in boilers