it is a very important test, but to my mind there should always be a second test when the entire work is completed and the fixtures set. The reason for this is there are certain joints which are made after the water test is applied and it is just as necessary to know if those joints are made properly; for instance, the joints at the wash basin trap and the floor joints of waterclosets are always made after the water test. The best final test to apply is the smoke test, or the smoke test combined with some oil of peppermint. The smoke penetrates all the branches and if you use some peppermint with it the bellows will force the vape-ized peppermint oil into those branches, and thus will soon show if there are leaks.

C. F. Ball.

If a city or town was to apply only one test, which test would you consider the most efficient and necessary? I can't get our board of health to do anything with the smoke test. They say they have used the water test and that is enough. It seems to me if we are to make only one test, that we should make the smoke test. What is the experience in other places? Provided the city or town would consent to the cost of only one test, which would you prefer?

Mr. Gerhard.

The water pressure test will test nine tenths of all the joints that might leak. The smoke test, however, accomplishes a few other things. If you apply a smoke test you can readily find out if the vent pipes on the roof are clean, free and unobstructed. The pipe may have been all right when it was put in, but frequently things are dropped in and plug up the pipe and then the smoke test will show whether that pipe is properly vented or

not.

C. F. Ball.

I brought this question up because the plumbers are setting their watercloset bowls on the floor with a putty joint and do not use brass floor plates, bolting it down in a proper way, and I know the joints leaked. I had no way of holding them to it. The whole stack pipe might be tied up if that joint leaked and I wished to have the smoke test applied. Was I right?

Mr. Gerhard.

You were perfectly right. I am surprised to hear that your plumbers are still setting water-closets with putty joints on the floor. If some plumbers in Vermont are in the habit of doing such things, I advise you to insist upon the smoke test.

William Lindsay.

Of what use is a wall trap and fresh-air inlet in the plumbing in a house connected with a sewer system which is well ventilated?

Mr. Gerhard.

You will find in your rules that it is optional with the health officer whether to require such a trap or not. If the system is new and is well flushed there is no necessity for the trap on the main drain nor for the fresh air inlet.

Mr. Piper, Panton.

I would like to ask about a simple method of disposing of the sewage in country places where we have no sewer connections. Some one spoke of a settling basin being efficient and cheap and I would like to get a little fuller information regarding that settling basin and the method of construction.

Mr. Gerhard.

The settling basin you refer to is the septic tank. It is nothing better than a cesspool, constructed watertight, with inlet and outlet pipes submerged. Through such a septic tank the sewage is supposed to pass with slow velocity and during its passage the anaerobic bacteria act on the sewage and cause a partial liquefaction of the solids. With country houses you should have in addition to a septic tank, a flush tank connected by an overflow, and in connection with the flush tank a network of tiles close under the surface of the soil, which may be grass land. Then let the liquid tank be emptied once a day into these lines of tiles. The liquid will settle away and bacterial action will take place in the upper layers of the soil and cause the sewage to be purified.

Dr. Henry Tucker, Brattleboro.

I am really unable to discuss the paper because I agree entirely with the paper. There is nothing I would find fault with. I most heartily endorse everything that has been said.

The great difficulty I have met with is the entirely inadequate force of plumbers to do the work. The closet at the dead end of the soil pipe hasn't been entirely eliminated yet. The fight which we need to make is against the earth closet. So far as it is possible to connect with the sewer, we insist that every house be connected with the sewer. I believe the earth closet and the housefly are more potent carriers of disease than milk, water and a good many other things combined.

HEALTH LAWS, WITH QUESTION BOX.

HON. BENJAMIN GATES, STATE'S ATTORNEY FOR WASHINGTON COUNTY.

I am very thankful for the opportunity of saying a few words to you. The hour is getting rather late and my remarks will be short.

There are three departments of the government: the legislative, and (3) the judicial.

(1) The executive, (2)

The judicial department determines the rights of property as between man and man.

The legislative prescribes the laws of the state, regulating and providing for the public welfare.

The executive department is to look after the enforcement of the law. When the timelock of the constitution of the state of Vermont comes around, I recommend a change. I would propose when that time comes that we have what we could call a health department of the constitution. As I have said before, the judicial department determines the rights of property between man and man. The health department determines the right of health between man and man, because one man can destroy the health of a whole community by his actions. He may communicate disease perhaps because of ignorance, and then, too, it may be willful, and therefore I believe the people of the state of Vermont ought to rise up and say that there ought to be more attention paid to the health department to preserve the health of the state, for it has been well said that the health of the nation is the wealth of the nation.

A health officer in a community is sometimes called a fool. I think you will agree with me on that statement. I think you will understand what that means, you who are health officers, and I think you will agree with me that the reason is that the community at large in which you live does not understand the development and formation of disease, therefore it is a process of education on the part of the health officer, made by the State Board of Health and the Laboratory of Hygiene. The Laboratory of Hygiene is the "life saving" station of Vermont, and the best methods are used to instill into the minds of the people of the state the great need of knowing, and the great need of understanding, the development and the causes of disease. The result of the whole thing is a better understanding of health laws and health institutions.

I believe in the prosecution of people sometimes even when they are ignorant. I believe there are times when the prosecuting officer should take matters into his own hands in the enforcement of your health laws. I believe a right enforcement of the health laws would bring about an education of a certain class of people who insist upon remaining ignorant. I further believe that the health officers of this state are trying to bring about the education of the people along these lines. I want to vouch for

our Laboratory of Hygiene in that respect. I think great things are being done there to enforce the law, and I want to emphasize the good work done by my friend Stone.

As Dr. Caverly has said, you, as health officers, have the power of the Czar of Russia. You have unlimited power to abate nuisances which are a detriment to the health of our people. You can go ahead and abate almost any nuisance which in your opinion and in the opinion of the board of health of your town is a detriment to the health of your community.

You stand as guardian of public health of your community. You are backed by laws which I believe are right and just to a large extent. I further believe, as the laws stand to-day, that the sentiment of the people is back of them, and that is the essential thing in the enforcement and carrying out of the law itself. This is nothing more or less than what we have been talking about-education.

There are some things that I have had called to iny attention in reference to the laws of the state, and one which I wish to call your attention to particularly is the law relating to drainage and sewerage, also plumbing.

One thing I wish to say to you, and that is, I think the health officers of our state are not careful enough in the proper inspection of plumbing and drainage systems in their communities. I think more time and more care should be given the matter of plumbing; see that all new houses are properly connected and connections made in old houses when possible.

I have heard a lot said in my community with reference to the physician reporting cases of tuberculosis to the Board of Health. I believe that is a very serious matter and ought to be taken seriously. I suggest to every health officer, every physician here, that when you have a case of tuberculosis that you immediately report the same to the secretary of the State Board of Health, .Dr. Holton. You certainly must see how important it is that that law which makes it obligatory that every case be reported be carried out to the very letter, so when there is a case of tuberculosis in a community everyone in that community may know it and guard himself accordingly. It is essential that every man, woman and child guard himself or herself against that great disease.

I have had three or four questions passed me and I will answer them to the best of my ability. I will give my off-hand opinion.

1. If a water company, through neglect, allows the water in the reservoir to become low and stagnant and cause sickness to the people using it, are they liable for damages?

I would say in answering this, if the local board of health performed their duty under the statute there would be no occasion for this question. But that does not answer the question.

The State Board may prohibit the use of water or ice from any source when in its opinion the same is so contaminated, unwholesome or impure

that the use thereof endangers the public health. And the court of chancery shall have jurisdiction and power, upon application therefor by the State Board of Health, to enforce by proper order and decree any order, rule or regulation which said Board may make under and by virtue of this section. This is Section 1 of Acts No. 115. If any of you have conditions of this kind in your community, I would advise you to act under that section. If you do not know how to get at it, go to your state's attorney and have him make an application to the court of chancery, which is open at all times. I am sure such a condition can be remedied. In my opinion, without carefully looking up the matter, if there was a contract existing between the water company and the patrons, the company would be liable for the damages.

2. Can the selectmen delegate to the health officer power to abate nuisances, etc?

The statutes create the health officer for the community, and a local board of health; therefore the duties that are laid down in the statutes cannot be delegated by the selectmen to any one man any more than I can delegate this man or that one to serve as state's attorney of Washington County. In some instances the local health officer has a moral right to lay his hands on some things before he consults any one. That is not lawful, perhaps, but I believe it is right. I believe the health officer should be a man of character and so keen that he can detect all causes which disturb the public health and at all times, regardless of any one else, suppress them. Perhaps that is not good advice for some of you, but I personally believe it just the same.

3. There is a railroad yard situated along an entire street of an incorporated village where from four to ten locomotives are kept night and day, switching at all times. The roundhouse was burned down several years ago. They use soft coal, and my question is, What can a town board of health do under the Vermont Statutes to abate the smoke nuisance?

The state of Vermont has not yet realized sufficiently congested conditions in any community to cause them to agitate what is known as a smoke nuisance.

If any statute applies to this, it is Section 5439, relating to the abatement of nuisances: "A local board of health shall have power and authority to abate nuisances affecting the public health." You doctors know better than I whether the smoke, noise and disturbance would come under that section. If there were any indications that poor health was attributed to the smoke in that community, I think it might be adjudged a nuisance and the abatement therefore enforced. I would advise the local board of health to appeal to the railroad commission and act with them. Possibly the railroad commission might have jurisdiction over the matter and order a new roundhouse built.