The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1904-05-10
BOARD TAKES ACTION.
Health officers Dodge the School
Board Quarrel.

Board Quarrel.
At its meeting Monday night the
board of health lodged a fight with
the board of education by declining to
express any opinion on the sanitary
merits or dement's of the 'latrines
system of closets. against which the
Topeka plumbing board and DR.. c. F.
Menninger of the board of health have
linaugurated a fight.
Four members of the board of health
who with DE. Menninger. made an in
spection of the latrine system of
closets in Use in the Topeka public
schools, declared last night that so far
as they could see, the closets in the
city schools are in good sanitary con-
dition. They all admitted that they
knew nothing about the scientific
points of plumbing, and would have to
defer judgment to that Of the plumbing
board This attitude on the part of
the members of the board virtually
meant that they were willing to allow
things to continue as they are in the
city schools.
The high school. however. was made
an exception to the rule. All agreed
that the plumbing at the high school is
in bad condition, and ought to be re-
placed.
It is expected that the board of ed
ucation viii follow up its partial vic
/ tory over the plumbing board by a
4 fight in the city council to have the
ordinance prohibiting Iatrine closets
/ repealed or amended. w. H. Wilson,
chairman of the committee on build
| ings of the board Of education, says
/ that all portions of the plumbing or
dinance which in any way interfere
with latrine closets must be stricken
out.
Dr. c. F. Menninger. who was the only
1 member of the board of health who
Z trim
system as a system, said today: Il
/ think the board of health failed to take
/ decisive action because it failed to re-
alize the nature of its duty. The board
was called upon to examine the latrine
4 system as scientific men, not as
| smelling committee If we had want
+ ed to find out whether the closets were
clean, we should have taken out
committee of housekeepers to examine
them. The board Of health simply de-
cided that they found things at the
time of their examination in Clearly
lcondition They declined to make any
statements about the system of plumb
ling. They ignored the condemnation
! passed on the latrine system by the
national board of plumbers and the
state board of plumbers, they also lg-
nored the replies which / had received
to letters of inquiry addressed to
prominent edgcatofsl and plumbing m
spectors.
when Plumbing Inspector Clancy
]
lings. we found the latrines clogged
with focal matter When the board
went around everything was cleaned
up, and the closets had not peen useu
during the day, apparently
For my part 1 do not propose 70
follow this matter any further. 1t viii
not be brought before the board by
me again."
health are r. s. Plummer, Luther
NelIs and J. c. Sinner. c. F. Men
ringer is chairman.
DR.. Storrs said that the closets in the
public schools are so much better tnan
they were when he went to school that
he thought they must be all right.
/ The following are extracts from some
of the letters which We're read 20 ne
board last night by Dr. Mennlnger;
Edward Quinn, supervisor OF
| p11Irnbine in the plumbing inspection
/ department of the city OF St LOUIS
sI,atrine closets are not in my
opinion. a sanitary fixture. There are
quite a number of latrines in use IN
the public schools at present out they
have been installed prior to my term
If office. Whenever plans have been
| submitted to me where latrlnes We're
to be used, have condemned the use
| of them, and will continue to DO so
A B. Raymond, sanitary engineer
| for the Detroit, Mich, board of health,
sfNo latrine closets are allowed in
our public SCHOOLS \ new SlSlC u
1atrine whose sides are flushed as
well as the bottom is allowed in some
! of our foundries and factories. In our
schools we want the best ana there
fore reject what is allowable under
other circumstances where the Occu-
napts are older We believe in giving
Young children a good start in life
physically as well as mentally.
Winfield S. Reed, chief inspector,
bureau of health of the city Of Phlla-
delphia, says:
health provide that where latrines
are used for schools, they shall be OF
Iron. properly supplied with water
land located in the yard at least 20
feet from the building. We therefore
do not permit latrines inside of school
buildings. Closets inside of schools
should be individual closets
Samuel Andrews, superintendent OF
the Pittsburg Pa, schools. says:
I'VE have about f1ve latrlne closets
in S. schools so you can understand
that we do not favor them at ALL
w 7. Stephens, superintendent OF
schools, Lincoln, Neb-, says,
I'VE do not use the latrine closets
G. H. Brooks, inspector of umbine
for Des Moines, Ia, says:
Cleanliness is next to Goodness
and for that reason if no other, Ia
trine closets should not be tolerated
in any public school
T. 3. Dyer, superintendent OF the
Cincinnati, O., public schools, says:
I'VE find great objection to any
closet that has a common flush. The
| only system we approve of is where
: each cell has a separate hush.'
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