The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1916-02-21

but living in a large house would pay
more than the large family in the
small house. This would be the most
fair as 1t is usual the more wealthy
families that have the most refuse
and garbage.
At present the garbage in the city
of the residences in the more congest-
ed districts. the majority OF the peo-
pie OF the city burning their waste
and attempting to burn even tin cans
and bottles on evil smelling heaps in
the alleys and backyards. These piles
of rubbish accumulate and smolder
and smoke for days and are not only
a constant danger OF fires from sudden
gusts Of air that scatter the burning
rags and papers but are also breed
ing places for flies and infectious dis
eases. fg
The present charge of the garbage
collector runs about 75 cents each
month for an average family. The city
by etfecting the proposed municipal
handling Of the matter will not only
reduce the cost to the individual fam
lily but will also do away with these
unsightly and dangerous piles of rub
bishl which are now to be found in
nearly every alley in the city.
The proposed garbage system pro.
vitles for at least q weekly collec-
tion from every house inside the, city
limits and everything will be- remoy:
ed icluding tin; cansa and rubbish Of
all kinds: tt is planned to- have gthe
trucks haul awayS all saccuntula tions
or manure from the stables IN the
citsr lcsss theFoHne sae tlle faTeti
remove fit tthemseIve at least every
two weeks. This vii do a great deal
toward the determination Of the flies
which infest the city every summer.
With small amount ofaprope sdt-
rected effort the, fly nuisance can be
completely abated according to the
local Health Board.
b Probably an appreciable amount OF
revenue can be derived by the city
from the sale of manure collected and
the valuable ash that the incinerator
will leave after the garbage is burned.
This ash is valued ingredient in
many kinds OF fertilizer. ven the tin
cans OF the city may be valuable II
they can be collected in sufficient
quantities to be sold for the iron they
contain:
Whatever revenues can be deriv-
ed from the scientific operation OF
the garbage plant will be that much
less Of the cost of maintaining the sys-
TEN that the city will have to meet.
It may be possible that the system
will be come self supporting as the
city grows and the amount of material
handled becomes greater.
ott.. trkay,SF fo aoneYd or
the matter very thoroughly before any
definite action Is taken, and compare
tive data from all towns which are now
successfully operating such garbage
plants will be gathered and inyestiga'
ted as to whether they would be prac'
tical for this city.
Wheeling is the only ci.y in this
section of West Virginia that has at
present modern system OF garbage
Disposal. The cost of operating the
Wheeling plant is approximately $40,'
900. But the local conditions at Wheel
ing cause the task of gathering the
refuse and hauling 1t to the disposal
tion than they would be here.
The death rate of 1873 per cent. Is
one OF the best talking points than
any town can have as an inducement
for the attraction. of outside capital and
labor. The death rate in Baltimore is
81 per thousand, Washington D. c. is
10, New York City is 13. The healthiest
city in the world is Berlin, which has
the low rate of nine deaths per thou
sand inhabitants. The Germans, by
modern scientific methods Of sanitation
have brought this rate down to Its
present percentage. But with the al
most ideal drainage and climatic con
dition that Fairmont enjoys owing to
the natural topography OF the country,
there is no reason why this town can
not be made famous as the healthiest
city in America.