The Birmingham age-herald., 1920-10-21
MERIDIAN, MISS.

Meridian. Miss. October 2o.-tSpe- 1 cial. l.)-Through the persistent efforts | of the Meridian Federation of Woman $ | Clubs the city council has decided to
 inaugurate a system of milk inspec-
 tion in this city in line with the most l improved method known to the health ! authorities. The city clerk has been in
 structed to take all necessary steps for ! placing an ordinance already covering l the matter into operation at the earliest
 possible date. Meridian sometime age ! had a milk inspection department iI
 operation but at the outbreak of the war the work was abandoned because 1 of the bacteriologist in charge of thf 1 work entering the service of tho gov I ernment, no other expert being avaia- 1 ble to take his place.
 Meridian city school authorities are 1 facing d serious problem as to how to enforce the new compulsory school att tendance law enacted by the recent leg islature because of the crowded condi- | tion of each of the city school buildings There are approximately 2,000 school children within the compulsory age from to 15 years, who are not in the schools and who with the present facili- ties cannot be forced to attend for lack of accommoda dations. The trustees have admitted 70 the city council their in- ability to cope with the situation dur ing the present school term and have appealed to the city to take the neces sary steps for the enforcement of tn law at the beginning of the next school term. In order to do this plan will have to be made for additions to each of the ward school buildings and tho
 construction of one entire new build ing. Equipment and about twenty five new teachers will also have to be pro-
 vided for It is proposed that th' Inoney required for the needs be raised by bond issue to be voted by the qualified electors. Should the bond is
 sue fail to meet with the approval of
 the electors, the question of the en
 forcement of the law in Meridian will
 still be a problem of the most serious
 nature
 Mayor John NJ Dabney. with refer
 ence to the building by the city of an
 electric lighting plant for street and
 public building illumination. so that operation of the plant may be begun g the expiration October 1, 1921 of the franchise of the Meridian Light and Railway Company, has addressed the following communication to the city council:
 .In furtherance of my verbal motion to the effect that your honorable body proceed at once toward the establish ment of a municipally owned and op- erated electric light and power station for the lighting of the streets and the municipaIly owned and controlled build ings. I hereby move you in extenso as follows:
 Tina. the clerk be instructed to i'm mediateIy get in touch with competent and accredited engineers for the pur- pose of securing with the least pos sible delay concrete and full technical advice on all matters pertaining to conception, plans. cost. etc, of saif plant and street equipment; and that thereupon an ordinane be adopted for the promulgation of sufficient bond issue to meet the estimates of the en- gineers and the people be given an op- portunity thereby to act for their fu- ture welfare
 Tt is needless, I am sure. for me tc undertake to impress 1pop you the gravity of the situation with regard to the lighting probleuis of the city ofi Meridian. If the people at this unhappy juncture in our affails do not show the reauisit determination for blazing a trail out of the wilderness. I view