Daily Republican., 1881-05-03
The Board of Health.


remodeling the Board of Health as
calamity to the city. The present sys-
TEN is good enough if properly enforced,
Where there are twenty persons in the
Board of Health there may be few
who are not competent perhaps to per-
form all the duties Of the office, but as
general thing the members are practi
cal men who are willing to do all they |
can to remove nuiSanceS and put the
city in clean and healthy condition.
1t does not require very highly edu-
Gated man. nor n scientist, to discover
that dead cat, dog or other animal is
a nuisance, and order them to be re-
moved and buried out of sight There
are usually a sufficient number Of gen
tlemen in the Board of Health, of
scientific bent OF mind, and who pos
sess sufficient knowledge of diseases
and their causes Tor all practical pur-
poses. The Port physician who is
always member of the Board of
Health, is generally askillful, educated,
practical gentleman, fully abe to de
eide all the causes which lead to i'll !
health, as much so as if there were
three or four highly educated doctors in
the Board The number which com
pose the Board we think is one of the !
most important and commendable Of its
features The Board is now. or soon
will be- made up Of two members from
each ward. the Port Physician, TWO ex-
ecutive officers and a secretary. making
twenty-siX in all. Two members from
each ward necessarily distributes them .
all over the city, and some one Of them
is always easy Of access when nui-
sanCe is to be reported. Citizens do
not have to 60 all the way to the City
Hall when they want to complain or to :,
hunt up some scientific gentleman, nor
even u plumber who are generally
away when wanted, but the nearest
member of the Board of Health who is
generally well-known neighbor, an :.
swers the same purpose.
Those who want new system com >,
plain of lack of Intelligence and bus-
ness capacity on the part of many who -,
belong to the Board. They say they do
not understand plumbing, hydraulics
and the nature of contagious diseases.
This may be true, but whose fault is it"
The present Board of Health has equal T.
ly as intelligent and practical gentle
men as compose large majority of the
City Council, that creates the Board
We may go little further and saw that ~
the present Board of Health is equal in
intelligence, honesty and integrity as
one-half the members of the present
Board of Education, and we would not -, y,
be far out Of the way if we were to in |
2lude the other half
zcr
1t is desirable at all times to have in
elligent, educated men in positions of
and trust but there is
of going too far in our search
or these kind Of men. We are Just as ,.,
liable 10 hit upon some theoretical
~ ii''il ~ the
for member Of the Board of So,
lealth as some clear-headed, practical -
lechanic or laboring man. ,..,
The contemplated ordinance reduces
le number of the members of the -
oard, we believe, to tive,t to be compos- ,.i,
l, we believe, of doctors, plumbers and ,r;,,
citizen who is not a professional man, .,,
esides couple of executive officers
nd all are to be salaried. At the nres.
IT time the members Of the Board of
ealth get dollar meeting, provided
lie number Of meetings do not exceed A
Venty-fve. This is not large, but il a la
'siSts in paying for some of the time not
st in attending the meetings and that men
aG0lt all the compensation required colo
city the size of Wilmington. voti
Were the number of members reduc- licv,
II
90 a year, the Offices would become the Sup
title doors and shuttle cocks of politi- 1t is
ans, and the probability is that men men
ouId be chosen as recompense for plai
,litical labor 1t looks very much as the
there were some politicians who want deni
tie offices to keep themselves in tobac- Stat
and beer, at the bottom of this move race
ent The tendency of the times is to serv
cate more offices, especially salaried If
ices. has
The dear public servants are worthy la
their hire and should be paid for ing
cir services is sentiment that greets no |
on every hand. This is true senti- NOR
ent lfdlvested of gush and politics, but do II
cannot see the propriety of creating cons
number of salaried offices on purpose for
furnish lmpecunious politicians with Stat
hces and salaries as reward for work. craft
6 earnestly in the political harness, will
no health of the city must be preserv. Legi
!. That is above every other consid- by ,
alton, and we are inclined to beieve Stat,
at twenty-five judicious men will to Il
tier serve the city, so far as its health We
quirements are concerned, than five soon
en-, and they are less expense to the abou
y. go to
Now that the City Council is about reje'
pointing new Board of Health, we Coul
pc that good, practical, sensible men agai
II be selected from each ward The be
ard can be vastly improved if the prem
~ Council will only improve it. LET then