Less frequented streets and alleys Jas dumping grounds for filthy 2 terrible stench almost everywhere Jone walks; such is the deplorable Jstate in Canton since the night soil coolies laid aside their buckets and Jdefiantly quit their jobs. The strike started on the first and strike-break-
Jers cannot begin to clean the Augean stables.
The Canton Municipality had expected to get.a better income frvra this business by leaving it to one firm to collect and dispose of all Canton's night soil. About the end lof the year the new system was to thave been in full swing. The coolies who clean out the public and pri-vote lavatories saw themselves out Jof employment, and were easily in-Jduced by the companies who are in this business at present to go on, strike, Every man and woman who would quit work was given $5, and there have been pickets seat tered whose consciences are not troubled if they have to use stron; Jarmed methods to persuade these coolies to walk out. They were bulldozed and cudgelled until the strike was city-wide.
"Never mind," said Commissioner Ho, "we can do without these coolies. By to-morrow the Bureau of Health will have its own gangs out performing this public service." And Commissioner Ho kept his word as far as employing the men was concerned. When they were ready to pitch in and clean up the city, however, they could not find nearly enough buckets and other equipment: Some buckets had been stave Jed in to render them useless; many leonid not be located, And even fall the equipment. were intact, would have served no useful purpose on October 2, for hardly a ight-soil boat was tied up at the Bund ready to carry their ill-smal ing cargoes to rural settlements where they are customarily sold and used to fertilize the fields.
Launches started out and held a round-up, Far up little creeks on Honan island, across from Canto land arms ofthe Pearl River sti farther removed. from the Municipality the night-soil craft were in hiding, and one by one they were located and brought back to the city. That took time, and it also took time to have buckets and [shovels made to order.
As night-soil: buckets began to fill ap in the homes, householders could not endure the stench and had to empty their pails out on the streets. Policemen were under instructions to stop this practice, and arrests were made, but night-soil was dump-Jed into out-of-the-way nooks and Jcorners just the same. And public privies became a disgrace, and: it almost knocked: one over to pass lby near them, Although the Commissioner has now a better body of workman on tap, they can only do so much, and it will take some days to catch up. Canton meanwhile must remain an ill-smelling town.
While it has been given out that the municipality is now itself undertaking to collect and sell th refuse, in reality a farmer is behind it, and only thas the Bureau Health's assistance in getting started: The price that the con: Jeessionnaire has paid to the Muniig not publicly known yet, Inawn that he is not sup: posed to charge the public a cent for his services. Selling the night-lena' to pay a heavy tax soil should be a.tucrative business,
to the government, and at the same
sel time make a nice fat profit for him-
Text read from the printed page and cleaned; old type leaves the occasional error.