Evening journal., 1907-03-15

every dollar expended for such work
had been recovered.
Executive officers.
The present force OF executive oni-
GERS were appointed in May and they
have striven in an earnest. Jealous
way to inaugurate and prosecute the
work in hand. to the best OF their abil-
/ ity, and to see that all nulsances
brought to their attention were abafed.
During the summer and early autumn
they made a house to house canvas.
towering those portions Of tho city
where in my judgment their services
were most needed. As a result OF this
canvas they served a large number OF
notices to abate nuisances OF many
kinds. Wilmington has grown to great
dimensions during the past few years
and in order to keep pace with this
metropolitan growth public health
work must of necessity be increased
and more modern and efficient meth
DDS adopted. During the past decade
the study OF sanitation has become so
advanced that IL has approached more
NEARLY an exact science. 1t is con-
stantly requiring more know edge to
work out its problems and while the
results demanded are more exacting
they are more far reaching and lasting.
The Board OF Health should not only
be the best equipped. but should be the
most active, energetic and aggressive
department in the municipal govern
ment. The protection Of public health
and OF the lives OF our citizens is the
very best service which can be rem
dered by our city and in order that
this service may be the most compet-
ent, the health officers should be
TRAINED sanitarians and have full and
complete knowledge Of the work It is
their duty to perform.
/ II Is very unfortunate that our law
permits Of such a frequent change of
the executive officers. for the general
public suffers by the change and work
of a sanitary nature is greatly ham
pered.
It has been said that one health ofh-
Ger with eight months experience is Of
more benefit 10 a city than eight Off
GERS with only one months experience
each II this be true II certainly ap-
pears to be suicidal to remove an en-
I tire force Of executive officers having
two years experience and replace them
with a new force of men, who while
they might be anxious and willing to
learn. yet are inexperienced and in
competent II there is one department
IN our public service that should be
beyond the reach OF political influence
and control it is the Health Depart
ment The officers of this department
are constantly gaining more knowledge
of sanitary work and their value to
the community is constantly being in
/ creased
give you herewith tabulated state
ment Of the nuisances abated during
the year:
Water in cellars ................. l5l
Water in lots ...................s 40
Defective drains ..............,.. llf
p Defective drainage .............., rs
Defective rain-spouts ............ 63
Defective hydrants ..........s..-. y
4 Defective alleys ............-..-.. 5a
Defective paving in yards ........ 64
! Connect with sewer ............. 34S
! To clean cess-Doos .......-.f.,,l ,lz36
To clean cellars ..,...........--..- tl
To clean yards ...............-.. 1863
To clean alleys ..,-.............. Sl2
To clean cutters ............,.... 35
I Defective inlets ..........,......, 81
To cut weeds on lots ......... 1872
: The Collection Of Garbage.
Z The question of the proper mode OF
collection and disposal OF the refuse
D. material naturally arising from large
b. cities is one Of the most important and
! difficult with which municipal govern
5 ments have 10 contend am Of the
e opinion that the question OF garbage
e collection and disposal has absorbed
3 more Of the time and consideration
e on the part of the health officers Of
I our larger cities than any other sani-
tary question.
''rhe Board Of Health is the reeog-
e lnized sanitary body of any municipal
nifty. and as such should have the un-
s hampered control of the collection and
e removal OF garbage.
3 "On December %, 1892, the City
. Council passed an ordinance giving
] the Board OF Health general supervi-
4 sion OF the collection and removal Of
Y garbage and offal. and also the au-
u thority to make any rules or rcgula-
a tions as was deemed necessary TO
= better the service. The Board of
b Health, in accordance with the require
e meuts Of this ordinance, took charge
y Of the garbage collections and the SER
4 vice steadily improved until in the
e year 1899 the collections were as near
perfect as IT was possible to make them
- under the contract system. on De-
b. cember IA, 1899. the City Council pass
s ed another ordinance taking from the
r Board the supervision Of the garbage
:. collections and vesting this power In
4 the Council itself.
e Immediately the service became
8 demoralized, and the efficiency Of the
work performed by the contractors
8 steadily decreased. In the year 1908
o there were 4,4OS complaints Of the non
= collection OF garbage received at the
s health office. This was the maximum
= number OF complaints ever received IN
r year up to this time. There is nc
r doubt but what the service kept getting
o worse and worse, for in the nine
z months ending September 80, 1906
r there were received at the Board OF