Mr. Hatton. That is true of installations of any magnitude.
Mr. Tawney. Installation, but not operation?
Mr. Hatton. On both—that is, taking into consideration the value of the sludge recovered.
Mr. Magrath. Your system costs the municipality less than the other system?
Mr. Hatton. Providing they sell the sludge. I want to make it plain to you gentlemen that I am not giving you this information as it may pertain to Detroit or Buffalo or any other city, but as it concerns Milwaukee, because I am not in a position to speak of it here, not knowing your situation.
Mr. Tawney. You state that you recently had your plant examined by a number of the leading consulting sanitary engineers of the country, and that while they all agreed that your system was successful, so far as purification of sewage was concerned, they expressed doubt as to the disposing of the sludge. On what do they base their skepticism or doubt with reference to the sludge disposal?
Mr. Hatton. Past experience.
Mr. Tawney. Your past experience?
Mr. Hatton. No; past experience of the sanitary engineers who have expressed that doubt. As I started to say, or I think I did say at the beginning of my remarks, that disposition of the sludge was the greatest problem, both in Europe and America, and this was so easy, apparently, to dispose of, that they were from Missouri and had to be shown.
Mr. Tawney. After seeing the way in which you disposed of sludge in Milwaukee plant, did that satisfy them or remove their doubts as to the efficiency of your method?