The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1911-06-28
MERCHANTS MUST
REMOVE GARBAGE
Health Officer Threatens to
Hale Commission Men
Into Court
SENDS INSPECTORS TO
ROUND UP DISTRICT
Levy Firm Complains That
City Cleaning Department
Has Been Derelict
in its Duty

Acting under orders from their
chief, DIR. E. c. Levy. two board of
health inspectors set out from the
City Hall Wednesday morning to
round up the commission business
district as a result or a complaint
from the Levy Comm.ss Company
to the effect that the street cleaning
department had been derelict In it's
duty in removing garbage and refuse
from that district.
To quote tho language of Dr. Levy
himself. Somebody is liable to be
hailed into police court In mighty short
order II the commission merchants
do not sec that their garbage is re-
moved at their own expense"
The street cleaning department. of
which Henry J. Cohn is superinten-
dent, declines to remove this class OF
refuse because the city code does not
require them to do 81.
Backed Up by Law.
Here are two clauses from the code
which makes 1t very clear where the
responsibility Hes:
The garbage shall not be removed
from any house or lot that is not the
waste or refuse of private families
houses. green groceries, etc, shall be
taken to the crematory and deposited
there by the dealer to be burned"
Occasionally, by way Of accommo-
dation. 1t was explained at the Offices
Of the street cleaning department
wednesday, employees or this depart
ment remove . dead chicken or two
and other refuse for the commission
merchants. but they 90 not make q
practice OF II.
The Virginian received the follow
ing letter Wednesday morning from
the Levy Company, which speaks for
itself:
Merchant Makes Complaint.
We kindly ARK that you insert this
letter in your PIPER. We had occasion
TO telephone t1 the Street Cleaning
Department this incoming to ask them
TO please send and remove from our
premises about two barrels Of broken
and rotten eggs and dead chickens.
We were informed that we would have
to DO our own hauling or these arti-
cies, as the city ordinance only pro-
vided for the removal OF garbage from
residences. We Immediately telephon-
I'd the board OF health, and they had an
omcer call and inspect the garbage
And nothing more has been heard from
this department
We. who are In the commission
district. spend most of our time at our
stoves. Should we not have the same
health protection that the families
have at homee We pay 500 year to
DO business And instead of the City
Council consuming time passing ordi-
nances prohibiting the placing OF show
cases further than three feet from the
store line, would 1t not be better that
an ordinance be passed causing daily
removal of garbage In the commits
sion district during the heated sea-
son? Flies are greatly attracted by
rotten eggs and from the eggs they
scatter to every part of the city. There
Is an ordinance requiring the screen
ing OF all articles OF food on sale. What
good does this screening do II, before
the dealer receives II. the food be-
comes infected This In where a great
many diseases are contracted.
I'VE think IT, each citizen would
speak to his representative in the
Council that II would not be long be-
fore proper laws are passed.