The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-03-04
BESSEMER ADOPTS
 MUNICIPAL CODE Interesting Session of the City
 Council is Held SCHOOL SITE POSTPONED City Physician Answers Criticism Made Against Certain Features of of Last Report-Waterworks
 Question Comes Up.
SCHOOL SITE POSTPONED

1 Bessemer, March 3.-(SpeciaI 1.-The City 1 Council met this evening and the especial features of the meeting were the adoption l of the new code for the city of Bes- 1 semer, the carrying over until next l meeting night the report of the school l committee with regard to the selection 1 of site for the, new school, and last, 1 but by far one of the most pleasing fea- 1 lures of the entire meeting, was the utter l absence of complaints of any kind. It l is believed that in that particular line l the record has been broken.
 Those present at the meeting were 1 Mayor Rush. Alderman Lewis. Winters, ] Batson, Thomas, Ross, Long, Edmundson l and Copeland.
 The report of the warden for the month of February was read and received lnforma tion. The report of the keepe- = l live stock was read and received as in- formation. The report of the city phys- elan for the month of February was read 1 and received as information. He called attention to the fact that several phys- clans had failed to turn in a report to him for the births and deaths during the month of February. He also addressed
 
 to some criticisms that were made against his office at the last meeting:
 City Physicians Letter.
 To the Honorable Board of Mayor and
 Aldermen City:
 Gentlemen-Re eferring to the attack of MT. W. T. Kennedy on the correctness of the January city physicians report and matters pertaining thereto. I beg leave to make supplemental statement and explanation-not so much for your in- formation, for I believe that all are, or at least a majority of the board. are ac- quainted with the facts, but to inform the public at large of the matter and to explain the apparent discrepancy be- 1 tween the number of bodies handled by the undertaking shops in Bessemer and
 the number appearing in the city physi- clans report
 In the first place a great many more deaths occur outside the city than in the city limits-the latter only being included in the report. During the month of January there were r deaths reported all told-nine in the city and eight outside the city. Through the courtesy of the Cedar Hill Cemetery company I was permitted to examine and check up the number of burials occurring in January,
 with the following result, viz: The total number amounted to IA. Of this number i five died outside the city limits, but all had been issued permits from the city i physicians office There were three trans
 portation permits issued. thus accounting 1 for the total number of deaths reported 1 as occurring both in and outside the city i limits
 As to the charge that would not hold
 a post mortem examination on the body of a negro found dead, will say that Mir. | Kennedy, as acting coroner offered to l pay through the county, a fee of 8 for ! the work. I refused to do it for that amount. which is any physicians privi- lege, but issued permit for his burial
 Of the 22 bodies handled by MT. Ken nedy four of them died in the city limits four appeared in the report, and burial permits were issued for four. The balance of them died from Fossil to Virginia Mines from 'Possum Valley to Pot ters, etc.
 The city physician recognizes the right of any citizen to criticse the actions of any public official, and he gladly well comes such criticisms and suggestions as will tend to better and improve the con- dition of the death department, but he also recognizes the right of any such off eial to resent any and all statements which create false impressions and will not stand the light of truth, for such is not only detrimental to the officer or department he represents, but also to the whole city.
 It has long been source of regret that the vital statistics of the city can not be absolutely accurately obtained, but this data can only be secured from the attending physician or the undertaken, and if they fail to report to the health officer it is violation of the law-not by the health officers, but by the phy- l sician and undertaken. Greatly regret 1 ting the necessity of consuming your val 1 uable time and assuring you of my best | efforts to further the interests and eff ciency of the health department, I am very respectfully,
 GEORGE D. WALLER, | City Physician,