The daily morning journal and courier., 1904-01-23
STATE HEALTH BOARD ACTS
IN-RELATIoN TO CONTROVERSY
 IN MILFORD

Manure-LargeIy Attended Pubffu
 Hearing Held Before the Board, Who
 Reject the Reeomme n dations Offered
 by Town Health Officer.
 The state board of health held a meeting at the office of the secretary, pr. c. A. Lindsley, 1s Elm street. last night, for the purpose of giving pub lie hearing to the citizens of Milford on the so called manure nuisance. For some time there has been great deal of feeling between the farmers of that section and the city people in reference to the carting of this stuff strough the streets. The city people complain that the smell Of the manure being carted during the summer months is more than they can endure and the farmers meet this argument with the statement that it is absolutely impossible for them to get along without the manure {. The manure is bought by the farmers in New York and then they have been in the habit of either chartering spe- cial cars or boat to convey the fer tilizer to Milford. There has been a great deal of controversy in reference to the unloading of the manure on its arrival and so those who were opposed to allow it's being unloaded decided to take an active step to hinder it's being done again-hence the trouble.
 The state board has been flooded with letters in reference to this matter and so they decided to give all the parties a hearing.
 There was an attendance of about fifty when the meeting was called to order and it was announced that had not the weather been so indictment there would have been many more
 President Brewer of the board stated before the meeting was opened for dis cussion that the state board only had the power to approve or reject what recommendations were made by the town health officer. He then read the following recommendation which had been submitted to the board by Health Officer Heady of Milford:
 No stable manure shall be unloaded in this town, at the town dock, or upon the tracks of the New York, New Ha- ven & Hartford railroad, in the vicinity of the station, between Che first asy of June and the tenth day of septe1n 96r ? each year.
 The above regulation is hereby adopted by me as health officer of the town of Milford. (Signed)
 E. B. Heady, M. ID.
 Dated at Milford this Sd day of Jam uary 1904.
 Attorney Robert J. Woodruff rep9e- sentedI the farmers while Attorney Gum represented the remonstrants. A large number of MiIford's representative citi- zens were present and spoke. Most of them favored the farmers having the right to unload their manure as hereto- fore; some thought that it ought to be restricted to certain months: and others that they should not be allowed to do it at all. It was stated that there was very little chance of any compromise being effected and from the arguments used last night this would seem highly probable. Attorney Gum stated that the only way anything could be done was by the state board deciding the matter. He said that the thing was nuisance and that it was violating a persons absolute rights to deprive him of pure air.
 A number of farmers stated that they bought the manure during the summer months because they could not only get 1t about two-thirds cheaper at that time but because it was just the time they wished to use it.
 There were two attempts to conpro- mise made last night One was to rel strict the manure coming by train dur ing the summer months; and the other was to ask the railroad to build sid ing on the outskirts of the town at a place known as the Gravel Pit.
 The argument was also used that the summer visitors were affected by the smell and according to some evidence Y introduced by some present the summer population is nearly twice as large again as the yearly residents.
 Shortly after II o'clock the board went into executive session and later announced that they had voted to re- ject the recommendation submitted by the town health officer A letter was received by the board from Professor Totten, who lives near the dock where the manure Is unloaded. He does not like the smell of the un- loading.