The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1913-05-14


 vista, of the approaching municipal election, and inspired by the presence of Mayor Clifford B. Wilson. who at tended last nights meeting in person, the Board of Health last night began probe into the present practices which for the first time in many years startled the heads of the department into making public conditions which ordinarily are held from view.
 So deeply was the probe inserted last night under the direction of Com niesioners Fred D. Ives and William J. Mclaughlin, assisted at times by Commissioners Lewis E.. Schwerdtle and David NJ. Trecartin, president of the board, that even Health Officer E. A. Mcclellan, admittedly competent and careful and against whom no personal criticism was directed, like Rip Van Wrinkle, coming from the noun tains, broke the silence he has so long maintained and openly disclosed to the public's view the sore spots which have contributed towards the present necessity of investigation.
 It was a sane, quiet, though cabstjc arraignment of conditions with which he had to cope, that Dr. McLe1lan made in his explanations of the recent epidemic of scarlet fever and the find ing of infected meat and unsanttary street conditions disclosed last night to the board
 
 recent escape from the isolation hos pttal of an erysipeIas patient he quiet ly told of the strenuous amount Of work imposed upon him. He told of 12 patients being confined in the 1so- Iatiou hospital during the past month, requiring over 45 personal calls. HB made the startling announcement that during the same period of time 242 rooms had been fUunMgated under his personal direction and reported tF1a&
 
 let fever had been reported but s1 were known in April, and that many of those were due to the violation or quarantine regulations which there were not sufficient inspectors in the department to watch closely.
 He called attention to the number of inspectors main tained by other cities the size of Bridgeport and conGbat- ting recent criticism of the health Of- ficer and sanitary inspector being so often seen together in an automobile. drew a specific comparison with the city of New Haven where the records showed that but 200 inspections had been made in April against over 400 iR this city. Quoting Peter Whites re- port he conc1usively showed that the health department was not properly eqU: pped to carry out the work de- Eaanded and advocated the -appofIat- ment of an additional inspector, which was co1curred in by the Mayor and later voted by the board.
 That the county officials, police and judiciary, had not heretofore given the department that support which was needed in cleaning up the city was openly disclosed by the health officer, who warming up to his subject told of the difficulty and long waits neces- gary before the cleaning of yards ommendations for the conviction of offenders which were at once acceded to by the commissioners, and 1t is likely that the board at it's next meet ing will take such action upon partic- ular cases that will bring the delin- quents directly before the local courts for fines or imprisonment
 Mayor Wilson, witnessing the public hearing, in the case Of William C1Erran. a rniIkman Of Madison road, who after against selling aduItera.ted milk under conditions alleged to be unsan4tary, suffered the revolking of his license to peddle, called attention to minor viu- lations shown by bacterio4ogica1 tests of milk recently taken from wagons and warned the inspectors that the milk laws cannot be enforced too strictly. Investigations into 12 cases are to follow.
 Mayor Wilson further spoke upon the conditions of the streets in the city, demanding that immediate action
 
 having them cleaned up and the work pushed as rapidly as possible with the addition of a temporary inspector. for which the amount of $500 was avaiI- able. The inspection of meat mar kets, grocery stores lodging houses come into public print was advocat- ed
 The case of Curran, who appeared in person with his wife, was threshed out most carefully. It was shown that he violated the regulations a year ago, though promises to accede to the de- mands of the inspectors had then been made, he had ignored efforts of Meat and Milk Inspector Knapp to have the barns and m11k-bottling house kept in satisfactory condition. On March 28 and April Il, samples had been seized by the department which show ed water and skimn1ed product and his license had been revoked It was further shown that since revoca ton he had openly sold his product and last night he defied the board to pre- vent him. from dispensing the fluid to customers Upon the motion Of Com missioner Ives 1t was voted to call the attention of the County Health Officer to hts violation that prosecution may enSue-
 Investigation Of the sale of "bob veal" disclosed the fact that five car cases had been condemned by the Meat Inspector, some of which bore the slaughter-house inSpector's seal. These were found in Hamilton street butcher shop and under the exsmina- tion directed by Commissioner Me- Laughlin the meat inspector was fore ed to say that the stamping had been done by Assistant Inspector Smith, whose exp1ana ton was that he had neglected to weigh the calves when brought for slaughter. Commissioner Mclaughlin further inquired into the practice of stamping calves slaugh tered beyond the city limits and brought here for sale. He demanded that many changes be made in practices prevailing at that place that no loop holes for violation of the law be of fered. Upon vote of the board further inveStig atione will be made bv the