Los Angeles herald., 1907-11-02
GIVE INSPECTORS
EXPERT POINTS
SANITATION AND RAT CATCHING
BOTH NECESSARY
Or. Pittlnger VIII Be Invited to Ad-
dress Health Force--clean-up
Goes Steadily on All Over
Los Angeles

Inspectors of the health department.
the permanent force-held a meeting for
conference in the mayors office last
night and devoted two hours>t mutual
discussion.
the broad rule was laid down for all
that the present cleanup campaign is
highly educative for Los Angeles; and II
the instructions now being given to
householders will be insisted on In future
Los Angeles need fear from no waves
of sickness, no matter how near the
center of contagion may be and how
many ships land at her ports.
DR.. l.. M. Powers, health officer, gave
general talk to the inspectors, asking
them to continue to do their duty, to
be firm but courteous and to impress
on everybody how necessary sanitation
is not only to their neighbors but to
themselves
"The people do not realize what clean
liness means in big cities,' said the
health officer. "Fhey will tell you all
about their neighbors' shortcomings, but
overlook their own.
"Once clean this city should stay So
the real spotless town of America"
Dr. A. w. Moore of the health board
suggested that DIR. Pottinger of sanitar-
ium fame be invited to address the in
spectors on sanitation, on which subject
he is a recognized authority.
A committee will be delegated to invite
prominent speakers to appear from time
to time at the meetings of inspectors,
which will probably be held weekly here
after
Rat Catchers Study
In the council chamber in the afternoon
a rat catchers' school was held for the
benefit of the ward inspectors concerned
with the determination of rats.
SO far the few thousand rats caught
have proved a disappointment, as 1t Is
believed that but a very small percentage
of the rodents has been put out of COM
mission.
The cornmeal, sugar and plaster mix
ture has not worked as well as expected,
because some of it was put in damp cell
lars, where the plaster hardened be-
cause of moisture before the rats could
get at 1t, and the rest of the bait proved
a tidbit.
Several women have telephoned to ask
whether the stuff would hurt chickens.
and they were gravely informed by some
of the inspectors that on the contrary
the plaster would be converted into egg
shells promptly.
Junk Men Help
Since householderS were requested TO
place all their more combustible rubbish
| in tight boxes and barrels on the curb
stones or alley lines the junkmen have
had a harvest, Secretary III. M. Love of
the health board reports
| They are making the rounds of the
streets, going through all these boxes,
picking out scrap iron, bottles and other
lmerchantable stuff and materially reduc-
1 ing the amount to be hauled away to the
ward dumps.
| AS the city has only forty teams avail
able and needs at least a hundred. every
little bit helps, provided the junkmen dc
not litter the contents of these receptacles
over the streets in their search.
Clean Vacant Lots
| Some of the inspectors in the special
sanitary force are being detailed to serve
notices on real estate agents that they
must have their clients vacant lots
cleaned up at once
| Many of the lots belong to non-resi-
dents, but more are owned by Angelenos,
and the object is to put the work on the
shoulders where it properly belongs.
The notices are served on agents, as
shown by the signboards, telling who rep
resents each owner, and the department
will follow up these warnings.
1t will be the duty of the police after
ward to see that after the lots are
cleaned the neighbors do not stealthily
deposit their rubbish on the vacant spots
as of yore.