Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1912-11-21
Why Destroy the Old Gre
matOry at All?
DR. j. Floyd Asks Some Rather Pointed and Pertinent Dues
tions Concerning the Disposal of the Citys Garbage
Editor The Georgian

Editor The Georgian;
MYTH reference to the contro-
w versy that is now going on
between the health board
and certain members of the alder
manic board relative to the build
ing Of new disposal plant or ere
matory for the disposal of the city's
refuse and the present plans of the
health board to demolish entirely
the present crematory, the only one
the city has, before the new build
ing is even begun, beg to say that
as the health OF the city is of para
mount Importance and should be
considered first and above all 9TH
ers, whether financial or political,
the removal Of the present crema-
tory and the depriving of this city
for any length of time of a plant in
which to dispose Of its garbage is
nothing short of crime
l am reliably informed that the
present crematory is capable of
burning so per cent Of the citys
garbage and was doing this at the
time it was shut down by the board
of health and that with slight re-
pairs and intelligent handling, can
burn practically all of the refuse. I
think it would be well for the citi-
zens as well as the city officials to
consider carefully the plight the
city will be in if they permit the
present crematory to be wrecked.
And in the Meantime?
First, what is to be done with the
garbage while the new plant is in
course Of construction? DR.. Gill
bert says 1t will be dumped around
the outskirts Of the city and prop
erly fumigated. What does DR..
Gilbert mean by the outskirts of
the city? AS matter Of fact a
part Of it is being dumped in the
valley between the end Of Forrest
avenue and the west end OF Will
liams Mill road and within a few
hundred feet of the houses Of citi-
zens who, while they can not live on
Peachtree street, are citizens and
pay taxes just the same and death
to them or in their families is just
as much a bereavement as it is to
their more favored neighbors, the
QyNY ~ L. To-, u
ed at their doors. l call attention
to this particular dumping ground,
as I know it personally. There
must necessarily be numerous ones
Ike this about the city and they
must be worked overtime if the
crematory is demolished. Are these
dumping heaps being fumigated?
Go and see. Only last Sunday one
Of them caught fire out near Eighth
street and filled the neighborhood
so full of foul smoke that It was
necessary for one OF the citizens to
come to the city at midnight Sun
day night and get permission for
the fire department to go out and
extinguish this fire. Where was
DR.. Gilbert and his fumigating out
fit?
Second, there has been good
deal said by those interested in
building this new disposal plant
about the danger of dumping the
city's refuse about the city next
summer. Now, assuming that this
new disposal plant is ready to dis
pose Of all the refuse by next May,
for which we have no guarantee,
what is going to become of this
garbage that will accumulate in the
time intervening between the de-
struction Of the old plant and the
completion of the new? Is it going
to rot and disappear during the
winter months, or is It not going to
be in just about the proper condi-
ton to rot and putrefy and breed