The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1913-09-15
GARBAGE QUESTION
IN RICHMOND VERY
SER|OUS--D DAVIS
CrematorAPast Summer Was
Only AN, to Handle Half
of Refuse of the City.
OFFERS NO REMEDY
Fund to Enlarge Plant This
Year Used for Other Pur-
poses by Board.
OFFERS NO REMEDY

City Health Officer Davis today ad
mitted that during the last summer
the municipal crematory had been
able to dispose of only one-half the
garbage of the city. To prevent the
accumulation of garbage at the plant
1t was necessary to give about one
half the accumulation each week to
two hog raisers south of the city and
o few days ago garbage was denied
one of these men because complaints
had been filed with the health office
A year ago this month council ap
propriated $4,000 for the health de-
partment to be expended this year for
enlarging the crematory, but owing to
the crippled financial condition of the
city, Mayor Zimmerman and the
board of public works had this money
transferred to another fund.
The budget for 1914, authorized by
council, contains no provision for en-
larging the garbage disposal plant,
notwithstanding the fact that the gar
bage question next year promises to
be more serious than the last sum-
mer, because of the steadily increas-
ing growth of the city.
Plant inadequate.
From now on until next summer
the crematory will be able to dispose
of most of the garbage" said DR..
Davis today, "but last summer when
1t was most important to have the
garbage burned promptly, only one
half. of the accumulation could be
taken care of at the crematory.
"In a city this size a crematory
large enough to dispose of all garbage
is the only satisfactory method of
handling this question. There is not
enough garbage in the city to interest
capitalists in organizing a garbage
disposal company, and the plan of
selling garbage to hog raisers is i'm
practical
Before the crematory was built
continued DR.. Davis "the city expert
mented with selling it's garbage to the
farmer who submitted the highest bid
for the contract. These contractors.
however only took such refuse as
could be fed to hogs and left the rest
of the garbage in the rsceptacles, so
that plan proved very poor one.'
The oven at the crematory Is lined
with fire clay bricks and DR.. Davis
states the 1000 degrees of heat in
this destroys rapidly the clay Innings,
and frequently it is necessary to sus-
pend operations at the plant two and
three days until the oven has cooled
sufficiently to make repairs. In the
meantime the only method of dispos-
ing of the garbage is to send it out of
the city, which is a heavy expense to
the city, for it receives no compensa-
.tion for garbage used by farmers.
''If the plant was enlarged by the
addition of another oven one could
take care of most of the garbage
while the other was shut down for re-
pairs" said DR.. Davis. But DR.. Davis
has been unsuccessful in his efforts to
have the city adhs4ffse tfation see the
wisdom of such action.
To Push Ordinance.
The city health department is now
preparing to place in operation the
new garbage ordinance which requires
that the refuse from every home and
place of business be placed in three
receptacles, one for combustible ma
terial. one for slops and one for such
articles as broken crockery, glass
pieces of metal, etc. The combustible
material will be used as fuel at the
crematory and a saving in the coal
bill of the plant is anticipated.
Drivers of garbage wagons have
been instructed to notify the citizens
of this ordinance and, after short
time, if it is being violated by any one
he will be reported to the sanitary of
ficers. If his warnings are ignored
the violators of the ordinance will be
prosecuted by the city attorney.