The Spokane press. [volume] (Spokane, Wash.) 1902-1939, 1909-05-25
TIME TO COUNT The COST.

What the present sickness and resulting cleanup move
men under way in Spokane will cost in cold cash. to
say nothing Of other considerations will be matter of big
figures when the totals availshle.
Added to the greatly increased expense the city has been
put to at the instance Of the board Of health is the cost
demanded Of employers for medical inspection of their
forces daily the expense attached heaters and other
public gathering places daily and doctor bills nnumer
able piled rich and poor alike.
The undertakers share Of all this may be the smallest
cash item, but this is toll Of agony that cannot be
included in expense estimates of time of sickness It
belongs apart and claims heavier responsibility than all
the rest put together seas
Aside from the cost in human life which cannot be
charged to account of profit and loss the expense will
be blessing it will insure q unyieldng demand that
public health officials and inspectors hereafter do their
duty intelligently and unfinchingly.
Health office orders heretofore have been something of
joke and the city health officer admits that it
sary to get man from another city to show him how to
Perhaps this due to faulty laws under which the
health department could not operate perhaps to lack of
force and determination in the executive branch of the
department.
Whatever the reason there is certainly inducement
enough now to the establishing Of standard Of inspection
that will never permit another such costly and damaging
period as this in the ctys history.
Even in this extremity there are numerous cases of
repeated complaints of filth in various places; of
several different inspectors putting in time gazing at the
was made to clean up The whole city inspection system
lacks organization force and effectiveness
Under the old City Beautiful dream newspaper was
knocking when it called attention to isolated instances
such to be found all the city Authorities
resting on the oft repeated assumption that Spokane
the cleanes and most beautiful commonwealth in America
permitted the isolated accumuations to multiply We are
now reaping the consequences.
The annual cleanup day. that used to be effective
annual civic feature allowed practically die out
sanitary inspection absolutely failed to keep pace with the
citys growth and the city seavenger arrangement has
obviously amounted to nothing more than perfunctory
collection OF garbage and peruncory collection of bills
therefor
If the crematory department has ever mentioned any
thing resembling movement for closed cans and sanitary
handling of garbage the fact has escaped public attention
and the attention Of the to pass on the
work Their condemnationis sweeping and unanimous
Expensive experience is sharp teacher and if the les
son lost this time there small hope for anything along
this line in future 1t is question of spending through
the proper channels and properly qualified officials
tenth Of what an emergency campaign costs
The best legacy Mayor Pratts administration can leave
is the organization of thoroughly organized and
reliable health and sanitary department BY that means
ne will have made the term city Beautiful something
far more than taunt in plague of evil consequences
decided step in that direction would be the ascertain
ing OF what and whom to blame present conditions
and the eradication Of each chargeable with present
expense and suffering In this the property holder and
tenant must bear their burdens of blame for there would
be little work for health departments were individual c
Gems as soctous personally they expect officials to be
in regard to their neighbors.