Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1920-09-22
GARBAGE DISPOSAL
CONTRACTORS SAY
THEY WILL QUIT
Serve Notice on City Plant Will
Close Friday Unless Loss IS
Made Up.
CITY COUNCIL MAY
ACT THIS EVENING

The Wilmington Sanitary Co., which
has the city contract for disposal OF
garbage. officially announces that 1T vii
not function in that behalf after next
FRIDAY. This, in the face of the fact that
the company is bonded and the contract
has FIVE more years to run. The com
pany. in communication to the secretary
If the Board of Health, absolutely refuses
To operate after Friday, September "a
unless il ia reimbursed by the city fol
losses IL claims to be sustaining.
The communication, which was sent
10 the secretary of the Board of Health
hv Edward l.. School, president of the
Sanitary Company, follows;
$50 North esd street, Phila., Pa.
September is, 1920.
Secretary Of the Board of Health,
City of Wilmington, Del.
Dear sir sir:-Confrming visit and con-
versation had with YOU yesterday IN
reference to the contract of the Wal
mington Sanitary Co, we have had
this contract now for a number OF
wears and il has been losing propo-
sit,on. IL is now beyond the financial
ability of this company to continue as
explained To you yesterday. Owing
TO the price of coal, the price of labor
and freight, this company will be
positively unable to operate without
beng reimbursed by the city of VIII
mington for the financial losses which
IL Is now undergoing. We are getting
$500 per year for this work, and 1T
is costing us at least $500 more per
week than this to operate. You will
consider this notice as final. If we are
not paid at least 81 per ton on the wet
garahage AS delivered at the plant,
we will have 70 close on Friday, Sep
tsrnbcr "a. This would be for q mini
mum quantity of at least 40 tons per
day.
In order that the city may not
suffer from this action, we are willing
to turn over the plant for the city to
operate at its own expense. We
must have q reply to this letter before
this date as it is utterly impossible for
us to continue. We are
Yours very truly,
Wilmington Sanitary Company,
Edward L. School,
President.
In fQl5 the Wilmington Sanitary Co
s,sncd a contract from the city of Wi
minRton for nine years standing and tb'
city a now paying s., 500 each year fol
the work carried on by this company
However. it is claimed that 1T is costing
at the present time, $500 more to operate
In regard TO the request that at leas
81 be paid for each ton Of wet garabge a
delivered to the plant, with a minimum
quantity of 40 tons each day, at these fig
urcs the company would be receiving $40
each day, and at the rate of 3l3 days II
the year, the total would reach $50,
oso. or an advance of $40, 5 so over tn
amount called for in the contract. tn
letter WAS read at the Board Of Healtl
meeting yesterday afternoon, after whlcl
the matter was referred to City Council
which Will probably consider 1T IN com
mittee tonight.
UP TO COUNCIL.
After the letter had been read at tn
board meeting DR.. c. NJ. Handy, presi
dent of the board, stated that the con
tract under which the company wa
operating was between the Mayor anC
Council of Wilmington and the company
and therefore 1T was up to City Councl
To act"
Ii is likely that Council will take som
steps tonight TO force the sanitary com
pany to explain Its position on the S4S, ,00
worth of insurance said to have been col
lectcd by the company IN January wheI
the plant TIE company was operating q
that time, owned by the city, was burned
dowr.
No steps have been taken to rebuild thu
plant. The company has been operating
IN temporary structure. Recently th'
company changed hands, Edward L
School OF Philadelphia becoming presi
dent. Ii Is understood that Colonel j. A
Ellison has sold his interests In the concern
Councilman James G. Mearns ex
pressed surprise when told that the matte
had been referred to Council. 81 have no
heard of the matter" he said, "but it Ger
tainly shows that there was something
loose about the contract" City Solicitol
Huxley stated last night that "the best
thing would be for the city to operate ii
own garbage plant"
Should the company go out Of business
a. II threatens on Friday, several city
officials stated it would be breaking the
contract between the company and the
city. Such action would probably lead tt
q move by the city TO collect the $4,000
bond under which the company is operat
ing.
MAYOR TAYLoR's VIEW.
Mayor Taylor, when asked his opinion
OF the matter, said this morning that il
view of recent and past troubles in con
nection with the operation of the garbag'
disposal plant, IT seems TO him that tn,
city will eventually have to take over anS
run il, and If conditions are as stated, thii
might as well be done now as at any time
i, was likely, be thought, that the cost. t.
the city OF doing this would not be create
than the 10000 extra asked by the pres
ent contractors, and the work would b.
under city control.