The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-06-01
MYERS AND LIE HARDY DIFFER.
THE MAYOR REFERS THE HEALTH
OFFICER TO THE ORDINANCES.


DR.. LeHardy Complains of the
Abandoning of the Food inspect
ors' Omce-PeopIe Want 10 Know
That Proper Food Is SOId-The
Mayor Says That Is the Duty of
the Health Omcer-A Variety and
Multiplicity of Duties Pointed Out
to DIR. LcHardy.
There seems to be a considerable lack
OF harmony between Mayor Myers and
Health officer LeHardy as to what the
the latter's duties and how they should be
| performed.
The health officer has always laid
great stress upon the necessity of pub
| lie food inspection, and especially meat
| inspection. The change which was made
while he was ID. doing away with the Of
fee of food inspector and providing that
the duties Of this Office should be per-
! formed by the assistant clerk of The mar
| ket did not by any means meet with Dr.
LeHardys approval Since his return to
| duty he has endeayored to get reports
from the acting food inspector, but has
not been able to do so although he was
informed by the Mayor that it was the
duty of the inspector to make reports 10
MIN.
In reply to a complaint made by DR.. Le-
Hardy Of his inability to obtain reports
from the assistant market clerk, Mayor
Myers wrote the health officer that If he
| desired to see the clerk and assistant
clerk of the market it would be well for
him to call at their office in the market
during market hours, as a visit to the mar
ket occasionally would be in the line of
his official duties and would enable him
to observe the conditions there and 10 keep
a supervision over the food supplies.
Dr., LcHardy had also reques ted that the
food Inspector be instructed to take sam,
pies of milk for the purpose of ascertain
ing whether or not pure milk is being sold
in the city. To this the Mayor replied
that it would be better for the health Of
fcer to take the samples of milk HIM
| self, as by so doing he would be enabled
to study the conditions under which the
milk is sod and to secure information OF
! value in making his Investigations
As DR.. LeHardy had some complaints
which he wished to bring 10 the atteution
of the food inspector he wrote the Mayor
TO this effect. In reply he received a let
| ter from the Mayor yesterday advising
him to place his complaints in writing and
send them to Inspector We'll at the mar
ket. The duties of the inspector, the
Mayor stated, require him to be at the
market from a. m. to II a. m. and after
ward to spend several hours in inspecting
meats in various sections of the city. IL
would be an unnecessary additional bur
| den upon the inspector to call at the Of
flee Of the health officer for the purpose
of making reports, the Mayor said, when
in ali likelihood he might not find the lat
ter in his office and would lose valuable
| time in waiting for his return.
DIR. LeHardy thinks il rather strange
that he should be required to report to
| the inspector at the market, instead of the
| inspector being required to report to him
| az his office
Another communication from the Mayor
! to the health officer states that under the
| general duties of the latters position the
Mayor regards ii as a part of his official
work to keep a general supervision over
food inspections, as well as to make an
inspection as least once a week in every
part of the city.
at is impossible for me to do all the
work which the Mayor seems to expect >"
said DR.. LeHardy, in speaking of these
! communications. 1T is preposterous that
l should be expected to inspect every part
of the city every week or even every
month. l have seven inspectors and it
took them all over a week 10 inspect the
| central section of the city. which is in the
| best condition of all. They are now in
| spectng in Yamacraw, and it will be sew
! eral days at least. before they will COM
! plete their work there. If / were to I'M
| dertake to make The inspection myself
would not be able to inspect two streets
in a week. let alone inspect the whole
city"
| Mayor Myers was asked about the COM
! munications which have passed between
himself and DR.. LeHardy.
Il have simply called DR. LeHardy's
attention." he said, Ito his duties as pro-
viled by the ordinances. II he does not
think these things are required of him
| let HIM read the ordinances. / certainly do
not expect him to make house to house
inspection. All that is required of him In
| this respect is that he should keep a gen.
| eral supervision of the sanitary condition
| of the city. To do this 1t is necessary
| that he should keep up with the work
of the inspectors and this requires that
he should give their work his personal
| attention. The sanitary inspectors are
human and need to be kept up to their
work just as is done with other employees
| of the city | informed DR.. LeHardy that
he had better make the milk inspection
| himself for the reason that he is better
| qualified for this work. The food inspec tor
is not qualified TO take a sample of milk
/
up to the required standard. 1t is entirely
within the line of the health officers du-
lies that he should visit the market and
see that the conditions there are what
they should be. IT would be very easy for
him to confer with the food inspector
there. As the latter is required to be at
the market from 4 a. m. until Il a. m.
aud as the work of inspecting food in va
rious portions of the city must be con-
Quoted after that hour il would be an I'M
necessary hardship upon the Inspector to
require him TO report at the office of the
health officer and await the pleasure of
the latter"
THE critical season. from the sanitary
standpoint, is now upon us" said Mayor
Myers, and ii Is necessary that the du-
ties of the health officer should be per
formed 20 their fullest extent. All that
the health officer has been asked TO do
is to perform the duties required Of him
oy the ordinances If he does this, shah
have no fault to find with him"