The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1916-02-21
Want to Still Further Re
duce Fairmont's Low .
Death Rate.
.EIRST COST $4,000
Believed That Running Cost
Will Be About $4,000
Per Year.

lktI@1uG |6UhEu- .Ol 41GhtIh 1AU hbS LNtSS
Gommissioners are planning TO make
Fatrmont the healthtest city IN the
United States. The death rate for
\ past year is the remarkable one of
49, per thousand OF population. the
local health officials are confident that
even this can be reduced by the use
ofYthe prUyerbial ounce of prevention.
Now that the drainage and water
problems Of the city have been per
fected as much as possible the atten-
tionBof this Board OF Health has been
directed to the disposal OF the gar
bageNof the city. The arrangements
atSpresent for the disposal OF garbage
in Fairmont are very unsatisfactory
and expensive and it Is the desire of
the Board of Health with the coop
eration Of the city commissioners to
i, Establish some uniform system OF mod
ern sanitary methods for the collec-
ton and disposal Of all kinds OF garh-
age IN the city, II
This problem is met in various ways
4 bysmoatim odern towns at present and
the methods vary according to the 10
cal sSpndl ions When garbage accum-
mates iii sufficient quantities 1t be-
comes sa valuable asset instead OF a
liability.
New York city sells It's garbage 4eyss
cry year to the highest bidder Tor the
privilege OF removing and dlspostng
I'M a. satisfactory manner OF the ac-
FOUNDATIONS. The man who has pur-
CHASED this privilege for the past sew
eralFyears is Antonio Capitio and ne
pays the sum Of $150,000 yearly. 1t
is estimated that even after paying
thisEprice for the privilege and meet
ing the enormous expense of collecting
and disposing OF the garbage, that
Gapitio nets a profit each year of
T1efweenlthree and four hundred thou
i sand dollars.
There are three different plans un-
aer consid deration by the city officials
atpresent but as yet no definite de-
EisionS has been made, and the Board
SealthS will welcome any suggestions
sidEp1ans that any interested persons
| ttills offer.
Each of the proposed plans call Tor
Naturalization OF q modern incinera=
tfon plant by. the city and the pur-
chase ;of two Ford trucks and one
large truck to gather and haul away
theSgnrbage.
The cost of Installing modern odor-
less incinerator that will even burn
4 dead horse without causing an of
fensiye smell. is estimated conserva.
lively at about $4,000. Two Ford
trucks properly equipped would cost
$1,000 and the large truck required
WouId 8cost about $4,000. This would
bayaEtotal OF only $4,000 but the cost
of{ 4they location for the fncnerator
WouId probably bring the complete
cost lof installing garbage system
un8toE $4,000.
The plant proposed would require
af least four or Ave men to operate
the5trutks and the incinerator. These
at5an average salary OF $50 per month
beSa total Of $500 for salaries. The
upkeep Of the trucks would be about
$4,000 per year and the cost OF gas
forSthe incInerator would not be over
503per year.
Thus the entire expense Of operating
the garbage system would be, about
$4,000 per year. These figures are
alISrough estimates but the local OF
iicia1s say that the system can be op-
Grated lsucc ccessfully for approximately
these figures.
The first method OF meeting this ex-
penseS Sof installing and operating the
ofoposed system Is tao include all of
fIie cost In the regular budget of the
ity'stexpenses and meet the increase
ia tiieS budget by q small additional
ieyyton the per capita tax. This meth
"a would be entirely satisfactory ex-
tept that some persons and families
wiiich pay but very little tax would
Iikelya receive the most benefit from
fheigafbage collection.
The second method under constd-
Grafton Is to make a small per capita
charge OF every inhabitant Of the city,
tiiis would probably not be over 5
cents per person and at the estimated
nopnlation OF $4,000 would bring a
revenue OF $10s00 per- year. But from
tiiis would have to be deducted the
cost on Collecting the amount. The
chfet objection to this plan Is that
Ia many cases families OF only two or
tfirse persons would have more garb-
age tcs be hauled than many poorer
J f6mfiies Sot several times this number
gaof persons! Thus the poorer families
you'd pay more than their share OF
'he SeIpense. Ia Ks
Ehe third dsplan of raising necessary
ndst operate the system Is to make
ixed charge for occupied rooms.
d pian has fewer efectsa than any
er as d wealthy family that con:
Ted ot only two or three spersonA