Daily Kennebec journal., 1919-12-25
Editors Letter Box
Question. for the Health pspartme,

Questions for the Health Department
Editor Kennebec Journal:
Reading in Saturdays Journal the
report of our district health officer
one could not help notice that under
our present system of administra-
ton an administrator who cannot find
a means Of creating additional ex-
pense is an unheard Of individual.
/ For instance, are any figures avail
able that would show that city gar
.bagc to be fed to hogs would return
q profit or loss, would feed one or a
hundred hogs, would come anywhere
near paying the cost of collection?
What would the people have to put
their garbage in. how often would it
be collected? How about the poor.
hogs? Our experience in the army
cantonments may be enlightening.
Perhaps our present method of dis
posing of garbage as it comes along
is both salutary and sanitary.
If it is an offense to sell meat "as
comes from local centers (Which isl
far from sanitarily raised, butchered
and cared for are our laws so de-
fiant that nothing can be done un-
less we have a municipal slaughter
house" and a meat inspector who
shall at the same time be a milk in
spector?" If the laws are being vio-
lated prosecute, for it would seem
that with the whole gamut of off,
cials from health officer to high sher-
iff someone could be found to 60
ahead. Although it may be that Au-
gusta should have special officer to
look after that.
/ Then milk inspector is needed
although the quality of the milk
stands high among that used by 9TH
| er Maine cities in fat and solids but
except for visible uncleanliness there
is no test" Augusta pays a milk
inspector and by ordinance che shall
perform all duties imposed by law
and ordinance" The pay is 5000. 1t
would seem that when a person takes
the position knowing what his COM
pensation is that he should carry out
the duties Of his Office. If you pay
| him 10 times as much it may be that
you have assurance of more COM
plete performance of duty, but that
does not necessarily follow.
! But why not try at least to do the
best you can under your present sys-
tenn where it is said 'for the inspec-
| tor under the present administration
, has neither time nor equipment to
make it," 1t would amount to some
| thing if public officers were impelled
/ to do the duties imposed by law-and
then they told us the recompense was
| inadequate-than for them to sit su-
7 pinely by, draw their stipends and
do nothing because the pay is too
small Ii a man makes All agree
ment let him keep it or. withdraw.
Besides we have State milk inspec-
tors for some purpose or other.
AS to vital statistics the laws are
stringent enough to cover deficient
reports, etc. if someone would only
see they were enforced. but apparent
ly that can only be done by special
deputy to look after it and perhaps
later by another deputy to look after
him.
,, Let US get down to business. We
! have plenty of laws. enough officials,
the trouble comes in enforcing them.
| swearing out the warrant. etc. Let
| some of our present officials start
| prosecutions, let us not burden our
selves with more clerks. etc.. who
simply augment present evil.
| RALPH w. IRVING.
| Augusta, Me. .-...