Kennewick’s War on Tin Cans

There was a time when we thought there was one legitimate use to which an empty tin can might be put—that of being tied to the tail of a stray dog. In the light of more mature judgment and sober thought, the can has been denied even this excuse for existence. It has no legitimate right in any self-respecting community. Not only is the tin can an eyesore, but according to the U.S. Public Health Service, it is a menace to the public health. The expert malaria investigators have found that discarded tin cans containing rain water are breeding places for the mosquito which is the sole agent in spreading malaria. A hole in the bottom of the empty can might have resulted in the saving of a human life. Empty tin cans have no business about the premises anyway, but if we must so decorate our back yards, let’s see to it that the can has a hole in the bottom. Still better, let’s see to it that Kennewick’s tin can is at the bottom of the Columbia or some other place where the stranger will not see it nor the mosquito find it. The day for abolishing the tin can and any other rubbish that may have accumulated during the winter months, is April 1. The mayor and the city council have set this date as the annual Clean-up Day and have decreed that all public-spirited and self-respecting citizens get busy with rake, hoes and shovels.