The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1915-02-06
Believes Pay Should Enable
Official to Devote Entire
Time to Safe Guarding the
City.
WORKS BOARD LARGE
Robbins and Bavis Suggest
Change to Save 81, 200 for
Additional Health Bureau
Funds.

Mayor Robbins and President Bayis
or the board OF public works, are to
ask Senator McConaha and Represen.
tative Judkins. IT is understood, to
make an effort to amend the bill pend.
Ing In the legislature requiring county
health officers to devote their entire
time to the duties Of their offices 30
that 1t will also require health officers
in the all the larger cities Of the state
to do likewise.
Health officers in cities the size Of
Richmond now receive such small n.
muneration for their services that they
are compelled to maintain their pri.
vate practice to support themselves.
DR.. 8. G. Smelser, local health officer.
receives a salary Of only $500 a year
and can give only q small part Of HIS
time to his official duties, although the
department at which he is at the head.
is intrusted with the safeguarding of
the public health and supervision of
municipal sanitation.
Wants Salaries Raised.
In cities the size Of Richmond and
larger secretaries of municipal health
boards have as much responsibilities
as presidents Of boards of public
works. but the state still stubbornly
refuses to recognize this fact" Mayor
Robbins asserts. Il think supervision
Of the public health and sanitation is
important enough to require health of.
ffcers to devote their entire time to
this work, and that the salaries pro-
vided for such offices should be suffi-
ciently large to attract the best type
Of men to aspire to them"
Persons who have interested them.
selves in the effort to improve the sys-
tenn for supervision Of public health
and sanitation in cities are generally
or the opinion that city health officers
IN third class cities. in which class
Richmond Is included. should receive
salary not less than s.. 500 year nor
more than $4,000. and be required to
devote their entire time to their Off.
cial work.
Save on Works Board,
There is general dissatisfaction with
the cities and towns law which re.
Qu1res three appointive members to
constitute the board of public works
In third class cities. 1t has been point
ed out that the practical method for
organizing board Of public works
would be the appointment of only two
members. the third member of this
body to be either the city clerk, en-
glneer or controller, who would re-
ceive no additional compensation. BY
the elimination Of one appointive board
member the city would save $1,000 per
annum, which could be applied to the
salary of the city health officer.
1t has also been suggested that the
city health officer could also be an
employe Of the school city. acting as
medical examiner and receiving from
the school city not less than $500 a
year.
There isn't a minute of the day a
health officer could not find some
thing to do" Mr.. Bavis says He has
to see that the quarantine rules are
properly enforced. he has to supervise
the inspection OF milk and meats. he
has to see that the garbage is prop
erly collected and disposed of and that
the various laws and ordinances per
tanning to the safe guarding of the pub
lie health are property enforced.
There are quite a few ether things he
could do. 1t is foolish to expect. how
ever. under existing conditions, that
the health officer can devote as mucn
time to his office as is necessary"