The morning journal-courier., 1908-08-07
DIR. MAYER WRITES Tells Mayor Martin His Views on Need of Garbage
 Plant.
EXPLAINS THE SYSTEMS
Nothing Less Than Bankruptcy Gan Excuse Further Neglect of
 City's Duty.

Following the filing of the board of health estimates asking appropriation for an inolnerator plant next year, Dr James F. Maher, president Of the health board, has sent tho following letter to Mayor James 2. Martin, set ting dow. tse needs Of tse plant " this city and comparing the expense of other methods of disposal
 pr. Maher winds Gp his communi- cation with the statement. Tt seems to me that nothing less than bank ruptcy of the city can excuse further neglect of the citys most important duty, the care of its inhabitants health" The letter follows in part:
 New Haven, Conn. Hon. James B. Martin, Mayor of the
 City of New Haven
 Dear sir: Tn view of the fact that there have been printed during the year many newspaper articles dealing with tho garbage question !n New Ha- ven l dee-:a t advisable at thts time w.ea the estimates for next year ere under consideration, to write to you, setting forth conditions as they really are ana have been n th!s city.
 IS you know. the law .s such that !. Is practically impossible to take garbage cut of the city into the neigh boring towns. h years gone by, this did not matter much as there were many places in the th!nly populated outlying sections Of the city where hogs could be kept without creatin g any great nuisance. But as these sec tons became more th!cgiy populated the pigger!es. one by one, have been abolished, 50 that there are now only three or four places where the board Of health allows any large number of hogs to be kept And concerning these few remaining places the board os health every year receives many very bitter complaints end petitions.
 There Is, n my opinion, no place tn the city Of New Haven where large numbers of hogs should be kept or can be kept without creating a nuis- ance.
 The question then is, what can we do with the garbage of New Haven :?
 We coNld burn 1t by means Of coal which Is very expensive and some what Of a nuisance. Such Instructors are used !n many large hotels and small cities tn this country but the smoke and smells have caused the abandonment of many plants The cost per ton of garbage burned varies greatly in different cities Tn Lowell, Mass, it has been over s2 per ton. It is so expensive that some cities run their destructors only h summer To be at all economical, plant Of this character must be more or less cen trally located so az to make a short haul for the wagons With our very sensitive population. I am sure il would be impossible to locate such a plant here.
 Then there Is the reduction plant, in which the grease Is extracted and the residue sold for fertilizer. These plants are as a rule nuisances and have been abandoned in the majority of cities where built. They have been trying for years to be rid of the one tn Bridgeport The city this year of- fered the owners about se,0o0 a year to move
 Tn connection with the plan, I wish to state that the city must have a ten years contract But this will be mo obstacle, because New Haven now has contracts signed for longer terms of years, and other cities having char