New Britain herald. [microfilm reel] (New Britain, Conn.) 1890-1976, 1917-10-10
HEALTH BOARD and
COUNCIL At ODDS
Former Wants Salary Fixed; Lat
ter Wants Supt. Selected
superintendent

| H0d1CIl dL NEW bTltdlu, NOAL. Ills
is the s O S which has been sent
out by the board of health in order
| to secure a man who will be able to
! fill the shoes of DR.. T. Eben Reeks,
| former superintendent, who is now
in the employ Of the state.
The persistent efforts of members
| of the board of health to secure the
! services Of a candidate for the posi-
ton have as yet been to no avail.
An advertisement has been inserted in
one of the medical magazines by the
chairman of the board, DR.. George
H. Bodley, but to date has not borne
fruit. Through the medium of the
Harvard Institute of Sanitation and
Preventative Medicine two desirable
physicians have been communicated
with. Both men declined to consider
the proposition, one replying that he
expected to receive an appointment
at one of the National Army canton
ments and the other stating that he
preferred to follow up his laboratory
and research work. And to make the
task Of appointing new superintend-
ent more difficult there seems to be
some quibbling going on between the
board and the common council. 1t
seems as though the common council
is opposed to naming any fixed salary
for the position until the board names
a definite candidate to succeed DR..
Reeks. The health board, it seems,
does not wish to name candidate
until the common council has named
a definite salary for the position. It
has been rumored that one or two
of the local physicians would be will
ing to grasp the opportunity If the
salary was to be set at $4,000 per
annun.
Until the board has a definite basis
to work on, that is, price which they
may offer to candidates as an objec-
tive for coming to New Britain, it is
probable that successor Of the for
mer superintendent will not be
named.
DR.. H. T. Bray at last evenings ses-
sion stated that he had received sew
eral complaints from residents in
the south end Of the town regarding
the sewerage conditions on Bassett
street just below Roberts street. Ac-
cording to the doctor sewer pipes
from two houses in that vicinity
which empty into the Bassett street
dump have no cesspools at their
terminal with the result that the con-
tents ooze above the surface of the
ground. The pipes have been broken
several times by heavy wagons being
driven over them with similar results
1t was suggested that the sewer
pipe be extended a certain length but
DR.. Bray was of the opinion that this
would involve an engineering prob
lem. Finally DR.. Bray made a mo-
ton that steps be taken to have the
problem laid before the common
council
Just before adjournment the propo-
sition laid before the board by DR..
D. M. Lewis Of New Haven was
briefly discussed. Dr. Lewis, it is
said, was willing to accept the posi-
ton of superintendent Of health for
$4,000 yearly in addition to having
an autom obile furnished him by the
city. Members of the board did not
appear over anxious to take any ac-
ton on DR.. Lewis proposition.
The physicians who declined to be
considered as candidates for the posi-
ton are DR.. Stanley H. Osborne, con-
nected with the Massa chusetts state
board Of health, and DR.. Benjamin
White of the anti-toxin laboratory Of
the New York city department of
health at Otisville, Orange county,
New York.