Perth Amboy evening news., 1915-09-24
~D|NESEN EXPLAINS
HEALTH LICENSES
Says 1t Has Been Done in Other
Cities to Meet the Expenses
of the Board.
WOULD AMEND ORDINANCES
Permits to Keep Goats, Pigs,
Chickens, ETC., in the City
of Perth Amboy.
WOULD AMEND ORDINANCES

~ The following letter has been re-
ceived by the EVENING NEWS from
MAIDS Dinesen, relative to licensing
of the different shops, etc:
EDITOR EVENING NEWS:
Dear Sir:
Il would like to have you print
this letter in explanation of the
action taken by the Board at Health,
at my suggestion, relative to the
licensing of certain kinds of business
which require special attention and
careful supervision by this depart
ment
at has long been customary in
this and other cities to issue licenses
or permits for certain acts and bust
nesses for the purpose of regulation
and the collection of fees to provide
the necessary funds for the enforce
ment of the regulations; for in
stance, this city requires hucksters,
peddlers, junk dealers and liquor
dealers to secure license and these
licenses are largely for the purpose
of restraint, the fees in some cases
being so large as to be prohibitiye.
This city also issues building and
electrical permits, eXacting fee
much larger than is necessary to pay
the salaries of the men who enforce
the law. Of course the people OF our
city know that the sum of $4,000
per year is appropriated for health
work and this amount is increased
about $4,000 by the fees from licen-
ses and permits which are now re-
quired of milk and ice cream deal
ers, plumbers, BARRIERS and meat in
spection at the abattoir. Out of this
st 900 the salaries of the health
officer, food inspector, analyst,
plumbing inspector, secretary, two
nurses and a stenographer must be
paid The other expenses of the de-
partment are approximately $1,500
per year, a large part of which is
used to purchase diphtheria antitoX-
in for people who are unable to pay
for 1t, and / believe that this one
thing is worth more than the city
\spends for health work, for am IN
lfsesmed by the health officer that in
spite of the fact that there has been
an increase in the number of cases
of diphtheria, there were only about
half as many deaths since there has
toxin There are, however, many
other things that need and must
have attention, which cannot be
given them unless provision is made
for another inspector to do the work,
as the time of the inspector is at
present largely taken up by food in
spections, and would be entirely If
the state law was complied with, and
1t is for these and other reasons that
| will give that l suggested that
these ordinances be passed.
"The ordinances requiring per-
mits to keep chickens, pigs and
goats, especially the two last men
toned, are intended as preventative
measures and for the purpose of
regulation and not as source of
revenue, but the license fees for
meat shops, baker shops and restaur-
ANTS are expected to furnish the de-
partment with sufficient funds to
cover the cost of the frequent in
spections which must be made of
these places The collections Of
swill and offal is a business which,
while necessary, may become nuis-
ance and therefore must be regulat-
ed.
81 believe that the people of this
city want protection from contagious
diseases, that they want a sanitary
city and pure food and that they ex-
pect the Board of Health to secure
these things fo2 them, and as mem
ber of the board | intend to do
everything in my power to attain
this end.
yours very truly,
''MADS J. DINESEN,
Health Commissioner.