Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-01-05
FOWL STRIKE ONLY.
Chicken Regulation Not Out, if
Trainers Can Save 1t.
APPEAL OR NEW TEST
Commissioners Not Yet Determined
How to Proceed.
HEALTH OFFICE IS NEUTRAL
DR.. Woodward Not Strong Advocate
of Scheme-Inspectors Have
Plenty Else to Do.
HEALTH OFFICE Is NEUTRAL

TIL District officials will not take Judge
Mullowny's decision In the chicken regu-
lation as final by any means. unless Cor
! poration Counsel Thomas decides that it
10 better to drop the matter.
There was some talk this morning Of an
appeal from the Police Court decision.
1nasnuch as no formal report had been
received from Mr.. Pughs Office, the Dis
trict government does not know what it
Is going to do in the matter OF litigation.
But it still believes the chicken law
good No instructions have yet been ie-
sued to the health department inspectors
to relax vigilance in measuring off dis
tances from coops to dwelling houses.
No instructions have been issued to stop
granting permits to chicken owners who
come within the scope of the regulations,
which. Judge Muuowny said yesterday,
contra dicted themselves and were 'rldicu-
lous'
Up to Corporation Counsel.
The regulations were drafted by the
corporation counsel. Whatever he recon-
mends In the matter of an appeal or of
new prosecution will be Endorsed by Com
missioner Mcfarland, who has oversight
of the health departments matters. 1t
may be that the prosecution of different
case might develop other facts.
The health department is receiving let
tiers constantly asking for permits to keep
chickens. Many bear words Of bitterness
for inspectors who visited them and
passed sentence of exile upon fowls
One woman wrote to the proprietor OF
one Of the largest department stores in
the city, begging for influence to be al
lowed to keep her chickens, which, she
said, would support her through the win
ter by laying eggs. Health Inspector T.
NJ. Conrad. to whom the letter was for
warded. said today that at the present
price OF eggs her request resembled an eff
fort to obtain a valuable franchise.
DR.. Woodward Lukewarm.
DR.. Woodward was asked by Star re-
porter for brief history of the Rise
and Fall of the Chicken Law this morn
ing. He made reply that the history Of
this little matter is "a long tale of woe
A search through the records discloses
that DR.. Woodward has been only luke
warm on the subject of this regulation
for period Of three years at least. There
is a letter from him referring to a previ-
GUS chicken law in which he says that
parts of the regulation were cumbersome,
that he did not believe in going to the
trouble of trying to maintain them. and
that the matter was not worth the trouble
of fight in court.
status in the Police Court, was drafted
DR.. Woodward told the Commissioners
that parts of it were excellent and parts
were illogical. He did not like the parts
which Disseminated against chicken own
ers outside the fire limits. making them
keep their birds fifty feet away, while
city folks could bring them to twenty
five feet.
The doctor said that if chickens are a
nuisance at fifty feet outside the fire
4
feet inside the limits. Also he said he
had many more complaints of pigeons
flying around than of chickens scratch
ing for gravel in back yards.
Attitude of DR.. Mcpherson.
The records show that DR.. Dorsey Nc
Pherson. who appeared in the Police
Court yesterday as witness against
chickens. has been after his neighbors
right to keep fowls for long time. Away
back in August. 1906, he complained
about a neighboring hencoop. The Com
missioners then told him that there was
need of a regulation for chickens. and If
nuisance existed he could probably
have it corrected by a talk with the
chicken owner.
Chickens came and went. The old
regulation died, but the opposition to
chickens lived.
DIR. Mcpherson voiced the sentiment of
the anti-fowlers when he wrote to Com
MISSION West in March, 1905. saying he
believed that the smell of chicken coop
could be regarded just as much of d
nuisance as the beating of carpets and
clothes within one hundred feet of a
dwelling, which had been prohibited. DIR.
Jefferson then said he was going to
persist until he accomplished something.
and quoted: In due t me ye shall reap
if We faint not
Then some one tried to get a regulation
on the books to control the flight of
pigeons, carriers horning birds and all,
but. the corporation counsel $ office, in
legal phrases, laughed it to scorn.
The health department just at present
would probably be glad if the subject Of
chickens were quashed for all time ne
l. AI,Ia,r n