The age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1897-1902, 1902-04-13
Dr. ShO|I Says the Sanitary In
spectors Are Efficient Men
BuREHALTER SAYS A WORD
Claims He Is Doing More Than Con-
tract Calls for--Dr. Sholl Says
Austin Is Without Juris-
dictlon.

Nobody seems to be at fault for the
condition of Birmingham's alleys, which
are SO bad that Chief of Police Austin
says an epidemic of fever would not be
surprising unless there's a speedy rem
edy. DR.. E. II. Sholl, chairman Of the
county committee of health, says the
sanitary inspectors are efficient men;
Street Commissioner John M. McCartin
says he has nothing to do with the sani-
tary condition of the alleys, he only keeps
them In repair; Mr.. G. B. Burkhalter of
the firm of C. NJ. Burkhalter s. Co., which
has the contract for the removal of gar
bage says that his firm does all that it is
required to do under It's contract and
a good deal more, and Dr. Cunningham
Wilson, president of the Birmingham
Mc"ical Society, who has no official con-
nection with the citys streets and alleys,
but who was asked If he thought them
In dangerous condition, said he knew
nothing about any of them except the one
by his office which was in bad condition.
Street Commissioner John NJ. McCartin
when asked about the statement made
by Chief of Police Austin in an interview
in Saturdays Age-Herald on the condi-
ton of the alleys, said that he had moth
ing to do with their sanitary condition.
That this did not come within the line
of his duties which were to keep the
streets and alleys in good condition for
travel.
Rains Very Severe.
81 dare say there are some pools here
and there" he said but the recent
rains have been very severe and l have
kept all the street force at work fixing
up the main streets. AS soon as possible
the alleys will be attended to- These
pools often form because ashes thrown
into the alley are not removed and form
a dam, banking up the water after a
rain.'
Mr.. G. B. Burkhalter of the firm of c.
M. Burkhalter & Co., who have the con-
tract with the city for the removal of
the garbage said:
when Mr.. Lane was Mayor and the
chief of police was under him 1t was the
custom for the chief to send his men
around each spring and report any one
whose yards were in a bad condition.
Now that the chief Is under the Police
Commission there seems to be a lack
of harmony and cooperation between
him and the Mayor. 1 do not refer to
the present incumbents especially but to
the two offices.
I'VE have forty-1ve teams with which
to haul trash, and 1t is no hardship on
us to haul it off. We think we fully come
up to the conditions of contraction
fact, we haul a great many things which
were not included in the contract. A
contract of this kind cannot be stictly
construed and it would not be fair to
simply haul certain things and leave
others.
Not Responsible for Alleys.
I'VE are not responsible of course,
for the condition of the alleys so far
as mud puddles are concerned. AS
matter of fact for the past four months
we have had to carry blocks and chains
with wagons to haul them out of
sink holes. Our contract only calls for
a visit once a week to the residence por-
lions of the city and every day In the
business section. We really make two
visits a day to the business quarter and
In certain parts of the residence sections
where there are great number of
boarding houses we make visits every
other day.
There is no city as large as Birming-
ham in the United States which gets its
trash hauled as cheap as 1t does. In
most cities trash Is only allowed to be
put on the streets at certain hours. but
In Birmingham it Is put out at all times
In Montgomery for instance If trash is
put on the street after o'clock the
person Is arrested and fined"
DR.. E. II. Sholl, chairman of the coun-
ty committee of health, said:
1.-The county board Of health has entire
charge OF the sanitary conditions of the
county. This board now consists of 129
physicians. They delegate certain powers
of executive action to the committee of
DR.. D. F. Talley, DR.. Louis C. Morris, Dr.
A. T. Henley and DR.. e. P. Riggs.
Knows One Alley Is Bad.
This committee appoints the sanitary
inspectors. There are two inspectors at
present, Mr.. Walker and Mr.. Sparks, both
CT them very efficient men. 1t is their
duty when they find anything wrong
with the sanitary condition of the alleys
to report the matter direct to the Mayor,
whose duty it is TO see that 1t is rem