Harvard Professors' Plan for Refuse May Be Approved by Mass. House

A bill to implement a refuse-disposal plan conceived by two Harvard professors was reported favorably last week by the House Ways and Means Committee and sent to the House for action.

The measure would direct the Metropolitan District Commission to acquire and operate a liberty ship from the federal government's "mothball fleet" and construct an incinerator aboard it. The ship would be loaded with garbage during the day and, at night, would move out to sea to burn and dispose of it.

The plan was conceived by Leslie Silverman, professor of Engineering in Environmental Hygiene, and Melvin W. First, associate professor of Applied Industrial Hygiene, both of the School of Public Health.

The measure calls for a $2,000,000 bond issue to pay for the cost of buying the ship and constructing the incinerator. Communities and private contractors would be charged for the use of the vessels.

The bill was filed by Health Commissioner Dr. Alfred L. Frechette and MDC Commissioner Robert F. Murphy. The MDC would direct the project, with the State Department of Public Health also serving in a supervisory capacity.