The Sentinel=record., 1914-04-05
CITY COUNCIL TAKES INITIAL STEP IN THE MATTER OF A
 SANITARY CITY.
MUNICIPAL OWNERSHIP PLAN
Board of Health Has Spent Several Weeks on the Subject and Has a Plan That Will Give City Excel lent Service at Small Cost.

The first step towards municipal ownership was taken by the city council last night when an ordinance was passed at a special session of the city council authorizing the board of public affairs to advertise for bids for the erection of an incin- erating plant, contemplating taking over the whole of the garbage ques- tion by the municipality.
 There were present at the meeting Aldermen Reynolds, Rigsbee, Will. liamson, Shepherd, Burgaurer, Petit, Gunther, Ledwidge and Ellis.
 Alderman Petit, who has met sey. eral times with the board of health recently, and who was chairman of a special committee to make some in- vestigation along this line, reported that he favored the taking over by that the city should buy and operate an incinerating plant, under a de- partment of sanitation.
 Dr. Wooten, secretary of the board of health, was asked to address the council. He stated that he and the council committee had conferred with cities of from 5000 to 70,000 in habtants all over the country, through correspondence, and they had come to realize that in only those cities that had municipal plants was there any satisfactory results.
 They had also learned that the cities which had put in the cheaper reduction plants had not received satisfactory results, but those which had put in the up-to-date incinerating 1 suits.
 "The plant will not cost more than $19000 to get the best" said Dr. Wooten. "The plant can be pur- chased on an initial cost of from | S3, 1000 to 5000. The companies we have been corresponding with will make a bond to the city that their | guarantee will be met in every par ticular I believe that at the present rates charged for the removal of garbage, the municipal plant would pay itself out within four years"
 There was some objection by AL derman Williamson, on the point of finances. He did not think the city would undertake the expenditure at this time.
 Alderman Petit asked how much longer the city was going to deal with the garbage question in a farci- cal manner. He thought it was time that the city was taking some step to protect the city from pestilence.
 "We had better go in debt for an incinerating plant suggested Alder man Reynolds, than to pay out an equal sum in the suppression Of some epidemic.
 Alderman Petit suggested that moval of garbage would be much less than at the present time. He said in one city the maximum charged for garbage removal was s2,000 per year. He said that here | the hotels of any consequence paid $5 per month for the removal of gar bage, and Alderman Reynolds stated that was what his hotel paid at this time.
 Alderman Williamson offered an amendment which curtailed the au- tihority of the board to the extent that instead of the board of affairs having authority to purchase after advertising for bids, the board report back to the city council for a con. firmation of it's actions.
 After some discussion of the sub ject of the amendment, it was adopt ed, and the ordinance was read the third time and adopted. which gives the board the authority to do the ad. vertising and receive the bids for such a plant, subject to the approval of the city council
 By the time the bids are received and presented to the council for ap- proval there will be a change in the city council, but 1t is not likely the proposal will have opposition from l tha new municiDal hody