Perth Amboy evening news., 1918-11-27
GET BUSY NOW

While waiting for that substantially increased appropriation for
the health apartment for next year, there is no reason why the health
department should not proceed to clean up some of the bad spots in
the city pointed out at the mass meeting in City Hall Monday night.
The health department, for instance, has positive proof that Perth
Amboy is being served with an inferior grade of milk. Statistics read
at the mass meeting showed that the milk OF one dealer was very bad
last March and that it was even worse in October. Why has the health
department permitted this to existf Why was not this supply of milk
shut off in March when its condition was noticed? Why has nothing
been done to stop this filthy milk coming here since OctoberP
We believe that under the laws, the health officer has the power
to dump this milk in the gutter. Why has he not done so if the dealer
persists in ignoring the orders of the health boardf
How can the health department be considered anything else but
a joke fl t does not take steps to enforce its orders9
There is the city dump that is a constant breeding place for dis
ease in the northern part of the city. The man who spoke for the So
called Budapest section of the city Monday night drove home the facts
in clean, straightforward, common sense style. What is the use of
making the people of that section sick by dumping the filth of the city
The Board of Aldermen cannot escape their responsibility in this
regard. Why is not the garbage contractor compelled to live up to his
contractY What is the ueo of a contract, anyway
But an efficient health department would see that the health
laws of the city and state are obeyed regardless of any contract that
exists. If the contract is not in compliance with the health regula-
tions it is not worth the paper it is written on. 1t is for the health
department to enforce the law regardless of what contracts the city
may make, and the courts will uphold the action.
There is the slaughter house about which so much is heard, the
broken sewer and the nuisances that have been reported time and
again. AS M spokesman for the Western Improvement Association
said Monday night, what W e need is less soft soaping each other: a
hewlng to the line, the chips falling where they will. When we pass
an ordinance, have that ordinance enforced; when a contract is let.
have it lived up to, when an inspector goes out to inspect, let him in
spect and act accordingly. Unless these things are to be done the
mere appropriation of more money will not remedy the conditions.
The present health officials have been most dereict in perform
ng their duties. Whether o r not they are worthy of handling the ad-
htonal appropriation that is going to be given the health department
will depend largely upon the manner in which they fulfill their duties
turing the remalngng few weeks of the presenat year.
The present force can do a great deal right now toward cleaning
up. Ii they don do 1T now what ground have we for believing that
they VIII do 1t with a large appropriation True, a greater work can be
done and more m en al be engaged to accomplish much that the pres
st small force is unable to handle, but that is 10 excuse for neglectng
to do everything they can now.
The limehght has been throws o the health department of the
city, The officials have got to make good or it is up to the city to get
men who will.