Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-10-25

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6r2o "a 81 4 ssx-reo1A 6oGD& llt1( ~
buiIdsnr WISHED by Mr. Newman wes
said 10 house forty-two men IN eSeht
bedrooms. Another building. converted
from a movlng-picture house into q
lodging house. had 100 beds in eighty
seven rooms. An old garage, turned
into dormitory. had los cots on the
first floor and seventy-eight on the sec
ond These illustrations. MI Newman
SAYS. are typical of conditions in many
parts OF Chester.
Mr. Newman dissects the lack OF sew
ers. the crude methods OF disposal ana
the neglect of the health department to
prevent overfowing vaults. The Gov
ernment Investigator says that in not
single instance of the scores of houses
he Inspected was the vault in sanitary
condition Every vault was found over
flowing; some were oNerfowlng into the
back alley, passing over the pavement
TO the first cross street pthers were
overliowing into the CUTTERS ana dralned
into vacant lots. while one was drained
back to the Kitchen.
Mr.. Newman attributes the unusually
large number OF typhoid cases in thes-
ter during September TO the sanitary
situation.
Included among the other nuisances
found were. Dilapidated buildings open
10 weather: cellars flooded. sometimes
through scepage. from underground
springs. at other times through leaks
from the drainage system: garbage
stacked in back yards and open lots.
Health Officers Attitude
Mr.. Newman says that James Nc
lntyre, health officer and Mr.. Ward. his
assistant. are inexperienced, This ref
erence follows: Mi Mcintyre stated he
did no, believe that his office ca lied for
a full-time service. that after he had
started the work of his office in the
norning his time was his own to do with
$ We pleased.
The city is paying MIR. Mcintyre sal
ary of $1,000. while an additional $500 Is
received from the state for acting as
.cgistrar.
Fer months wide-awake citizens of
Chester have noted the insanitary con-
dHions. while physicians have retold the
story many times of dirty and insani-
tary homes.
The last paragraph of Mr.. Newmans
report reads: 1T will thus he seen that
Chester is neither equipped at the pres
ent time to reduce the menace to public
health nor to care for victims of an eS.
demic or any large explosion which
may occur in the munition plants
Three days after this report was filed
the first Case of influenza was announced
and five days later the city was in the
grip of the epidemic. Heroic work was
accomplished and the disease is virtually
wiped out.
Mr. Newman asserts that the appro.
priation of 5000 to the department is
not enough. Increased hospital facili-
ties. better co-oydination and more efil-
cient system of records in the Health De.
partment under a trained health officer
are recommended
After glancing over certain section
of the eight-page typewritten document
Mayor Mcdowell said: This does not
surprise me. The conditions are true az
told by Mr. Newman. The city is pow
erless to act for lack of funds The
State, | understand. is loath to help
the city. 1t is a godsend that Trainer
tT. w Trainer. superintendent of
heallh) was assigned the task. for he
has awakened Washington to the neces-
sity for immediate work here
Mayor Mcdowell. during his three
years service, has voiced on the floor
OF councils scores of times his disap-
lh'oval of the work of the Health De-
partment. Mr. Trainer took office Jan.
uary l last and, being denied an appro.
priation requisite to carry on the work:
sought State relief
1t is understood from a reliable source
the physicians reports OF the insan-
itary conditions of Chester will present
many additional surprises.