Report. [1918]

134

Ordinarily the sanitary maintenance of public markets and
slaughterhouses is placed under the control of the municipal treasurers, who frequently pay little attention to enforcing the
cleaning of the above-mentioned buildings.
On market days, sanitary inspectors of the municipalities
and also the health officers whenever possible make an inspection
of markets to see that sanitary regulations or municipal ordinances with regard, to prevention of contamination of foodstuffs
are complied with and that the tiendas are provided with food
receptacles and a safe water supply.
XII.
DISPOSAL OF EXCRETA.
A circular was sent by the Central Office to all district health
officers enclosing a draft of a municipal ordinance for the purpose
of introducing throughout the population of the Islands the socalled "Antipolo system" for excreta disposal.
The Antipolo system consists of (a) a covered pit, (b) a seat
with a pipe connected to the pit and (c) a ventilating pipe. The
capacity of the pit varies; one to accommodate five persons or
less should have a capacity of 6 cubic meters (1 — meters deep
by 20 meters square) and another cubic meter should be added for
each person in excess of five. If the soil is sandy or soft, the
sides of this pit should be lined with concrete, iron, stone, wood,
bamboo or other permanent material to prevent slides of the
earth into the pit. The top of the pit should be securely covered
with concrete, stone wood or bamboo and whenever wood or bamboo is used, it should be covered by at least 15 centimeters of clean
earth. The opening in the seat is provided with a cover by
which it is closed automatically when not in use. The pipe connecting the seat to the pit is of galvanized iron, vitrified or
burned clay, or other permanent material and should have a
minimum inside diameter of 20 centimeters. All the joints of
the pipe are made impermeable. The ventilating pipe is erected
from the pit and the top should be one meter higher than the
highest eaves of the houses nearby. A cap of wire screening
should be fastened securely over the top of the vent pipe to
prevent the entrance or exist of mosquitoes or flies. (See
pictures.)
Where the ground is low and became overflowed, the brink of
the pit should be elevated above the level of the soil with stones,
clay or earth firmly held in place with iron, wood, bamboo or
other permanent material.