The Detroit times., 1909-04-20

WASHINGTON, April 20.-A fgh
against the common house fly. or "ty
phoid hy," has been In progress II
Washington for three years. In May
1906, the health department OF TIT
District OF Columbia published a Sc
OF rules which have been SO well en-
forced that the fly evil has been re
duced 65 per cent In the national cap
ital, according to official reports
These rules may be briefly condens
| ed as follows:
All stalls In which animals are KEEP
shall have the surface OF the GROUND
covered with a water-tight floor. Ev
cry person occupying building where
domestic animals are kept shall main
tain. In connection Herewith, bin OF
nit for the reception Of manure, an6
pending the removal from the prem
| Uses OF the manure from the
animal or animals shall place
such manure I'm said bin o:
| nit. This bin shall be so con
structed as TO exclude rain water. ano
shall in all other respects be water
tight, except as II may be connected
with the public sewer. 1t shall be pro
vided with a suitable cover and con
structed SO as to prevent the ingress
and egress OF flies.
No person owning a stable shall
keep any manure or permit any ma
nu-e to be kept in or upon any portion
OF the premises other than the bin Oh
pit described. nor shall he allow any
such bin or pit TO be overfilled or need
! lessly uncovered. Horse manure may
be kept tightly rammed into well-cov
cred barrels for the purpose OF remov
al in sncn- barrels.
Every person keeping manure In
any OF the more densely populated
parts of the district shall cause all
such manure TO be removed from the
premises at least twice every week
between June and Oct. 81. and at
| least once every week between NOV
/ and May 81 OF the following year. Nc
person shall remove or transport any
manure over any public highway In
any OF the more densely populated
l.parts Of the district except I'm tight
vehicle. which, II not inclosed, must he
effectually covered with canvas, so as
TO prevent droppings No person
shall deposit manure removed from
the bins or pits within any OF the
more densely populated parts of the
district without a permit. A fine OF
not more than $40 for each offense is
provided.
In addition TO this ordinance. others
have been issued which provide
against the contamination OF exposed
food by flies and by dust. The ordin'
ances are worded 80 as TO cover all
possible cases They provide for the
registration OF all stores. markets
cafes, lunch rooms. or of any other
place where food or beverage IL man
ufactured or prepared for sale. stored
for sale. or offered for sale. In order
To facilitate inspection. and still more
recent ordinances provide for the reg
istration OF stables.
An excellent campaign was begun
during the summer OF 1908 against In
sanitary lunch rooms and restaurants
A number of cases were prosecuted
but conviction was found to be diff
| ficult.
Were simple inspection OF stables
all that Is needed. a force of four In
spectors. specially detailed for this
work. could cover the District OF Co
lumbia, examining every stable after
they were once located and mapped
once week. The average salary OF
an inspector IS S1.147, so that the total
expense for the first year was some
thing like $4,000. But much OF the
time of inspectors Ia taken in the pros
ecution OF the owners OF neglected
premises. Moreover the health officer
found during the summer OF 1908. IN
his prosecution OF the owners or man
ayers OF insanitary restaurants, that
his inspectors were practically sworn
out OF court by the multiplicity OF OPP
posing evidence. This means that II
will be necessary in such cases to
send two inspectors together in al
cases, so that the testimony or one
may be supported by the testimony oi
the other. This. perhaps. would dou
BILE the number OF necessary inspec
tors, making the expense of the ser
vice this year something over $4,000