In preparing water for the use of the people, the realms of the unknown are so much larger than those which have been investigated and developed that there may be many undiscovered factors affecting the public health, and many ways in which it is dangerous to depart from well-known and surely safe methods. Who can say that in some subtle and, at present, unknown manner, the failure in some places, where filtration is practiced, to reduce the death rate from typhoid fever may not be due to the introduction of radical departures from the older, slower, safer, and more efficient methods which have produced such excellent results, both in America and in Europe? Further, in cases where there has been a falling off in the typhoid death rate, the failure to secure an accompanying improvement in general health conditions, which follows so closely in communities supplied by water filtered in accordance with the more conservative principles, may be due to the introduction of some of these not thoroughly tried processes. Some day full information may be available as to the influence of these methods of plant operation on the health of the community. Until that time, is it not a much better policy to follow the principles which have been proven by many years of experience to produce safe results, and to make the foremost object the improvement of the methods of operation in accordance with these established truths? There is opportunity for the upbuilding of greater efficiency in the conduct of employees and in securing the maximum output, by establishing more comfortable and healthful conditions than usually exist. The elimination of political influence from municipal service is also a task which challenges the people of to-day, and the operating and managing engineer is in a position to perform an important part in accomplishing this end. The number of employees can be reduced to those actually needed, and the way opened for the employment of men who thoroughly understand the necessities of honesty and efficiency in the conduct of public affairs. It should be remembered that to design and construct well is only half the job; to operate economically and efficiently is even more of a problem than to build, and requires just as good talent, just as keen appreciation of the various problems, and is even more essential to public welfare. It seems to the writer that the logical development of the art of obtaining economy as well as efficiency should be along these lines, rather than to revolutionize methods, without having a long-period test of their value, and at the same time allow political influences to control, to a large extent, the labor item.