The Detroit times., 1912-09-12
HAA8tB AGAINST HANDING
OVER GARBAGE COLLECTION
TO THE BOARD OF HEAL TIL
Says That Body Now Neglects
Alley Cleaning Work Under
It's Direction
D. P. W. HEAD FIXES BLAME
Declares Reduction Company
and Council Responsible for
Present Poor Service

II am opposed 10 taking the eolicc-
ton of garbage out OF the department.
OF public works and giving The work
TO tho Board OF Health, as suggested
by Judge Phelan,' said Commissioner
Haarer. Wednesday. If the Board
OF Health ever had ss many handicaps
10 overcome In the collection OF gar
bage as We have, the collection would
not be as good as II now Is, | base
my conclusion on the FACT that there
in an ordinance which forbids the
placing of stable refuse in the alleys
and making u the duty OF the Board
or Heath to proceed against persons
violating that ordinance. The BOARD
has failed TO enforce that ordinance,
though IL does not involve the hand
ling OF men, the expenditure OF money
or the enforcement OF contract
made by the council, as does the dis.
posal of the garbage.
stable refuse Is piled mountain
high In alleys which otherwise are
clean. II little garbage collects In
the alleys people are ever ready to
Condemn this department. We have
alleys which are spick and span ex>
ceet Tor the piles OF stable refuse
There are hundreds OF such violations
In the city and the Board OF Health
does not prosecute the offenders.
How then can IL be expected to col
lect garbage any better than We do?
ssWe get the blame for the boards
inaction In regard to the refuse. Peo-
pie see 1t, and, knowing that this
department is supposed TO keep the
alleJs clean blame us for il. This
city neyeT yet had an administration
I'm the department. of public works
against which there were no COM
plants and il never viii have such
an administration. The department.
in the performance of SO many duties
entrusted 20 it, is much like the po-
lice department; We can't satisfy all
elements at the same time
Search the records and you will
find that while the city has grown
phenomenally In the last few years
the appropriation for garbage collec-
tion has not kept pace. The estfma-
tors have been looping of our esti-
mates to make an impression on the
public, while this department has
been embarrassed and hampered7 in
its work. II 1t is granted that more
garbage should be collected, Just re-
call that this department this spring
asked for 10 new garbage wagons and
horses and the estimators cut the
number down to five. II the full num-
ber had been allowed as we asked. We
would be able to haul about 15 more
loads of garbage day to the receiv-
ing station at the foot of Nineteenth
st IT is like the new sewer main on
the west side. / advocated that sew
eral years ago. They cut out the es-
innate and said was crazy. Today
they say I'm crazy because it's not
already built Can you beat It?
The failure of this department to
maintain an adequate garbage collec-
ton service has been due principally
TO the fact that the Detroit Reduction
Co. has failed to carry out its con-
tract. The council made that contract
and the council has not enforced il.
although the contracts history has
been one OF repeated violations. / un-
derstand the eompany's equipment
for disposing of garbage In French
Landing, Is absolutely inadequate
Five ears ago the collection of gar
bage was entrusted to the Detroit
Canitary Co.. and it was the duty of
the Board OF Health to see that the
alleys were kept clean of garbage.
For some reason that arrangement
was never satisfactory, and the coun-
Gil took the collection away from the
company and the Board OF Health and
Pun Iit on the department of public
sidered, We have given better service
than obtained under the old arrange
ment, and don't see how the Board
of-Health can better the service un-
less the council either enforces or
cancels its contract and the board or
estimates allows a sufficient appro-
priation 70 do the collection work
properly"