Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1922-02-17
COUNCIL DIVIDED ON.
GARBAGE PROBLEM
Plan to Purchase Davis Plant
for SIS, 900 Meets With
Opposition.

Sitting as a committee Of the whole
following the regular meeting last
night members OF City Council dis
cussed at length the garbage collection
and disposal project and the contem-
plated purchase for $4,000 OF a Davis
plant to be operated In conjunction
with the present Nye incinerator. 1t
was stated that nothing definite was
accomplished at this meeting but II
is understood there will be some def
mite action with regard to the whole
subject next week.
The Board OF Health's recommenda-
tton that the city buy n Davis plant
for $4,000 sometime ago, was referred
to the public health and finance COM
mlttees Of Council and these commit
tees expectfto submit their report and
recommendations to Council next
Thursday night. II was stated today
that the members are divided In their
opintons as to whether the city should
hiy this Davis plant or walt until tho
Nye plant has been given a fair trial
with wrapped garbage. This division
Is what has delayed the combined COM
mittee report TO date and IL is possible
that there may be two reports sub
mitted, one from those members fav-
orins the purchase Of the Davis plant
and one from those opposed to 1t. How
the committees stand on this subject
could not be learned.
In Council proper however, there
are said to be five members who viii
not vote for the purchase of the Davis
plant or. any other plant until the Nye
/ plant has been tried out with wrapped
garbage. This number however, would
not be sufficient 10 block the purchase
OF a new incinerator. The contract with
the Davis company has been drawn UP
and Is all ready for the signatures OF
such officials who have 20 sign IL. The
Councilmen have had ell the speciflca-
tons for sometime and are thoroughly
familiar with them.
1t was the Davis plant the Council
men saw in Trenton several months
ago while on an inspection tour TO
that city and many of them were
much impressed with II. Those said 10
be ohtecting now are not opposing the
Davis plant as plant but they are
objecting to the city spending so much
money for new plant when they
claim 1t has never been demonstrated
that the present Nye plant would not
do all claimed for It II given a fair
trial with wrapped garbage. They say
with another unit which would cos,
less than $4,000 the Nye plant would
take care of all the garbage the city
could coAect and they object TO the ex-
penditure of $4,000 needlessly.
The Nye incinerator is now closed
because II is undergoing repairs and
being put in first class condition. The
Nye experts who have viewed IL have
expressed surprise that the plant die
not blow up because OF the manner ir
which II has been operated. that is
the dumping OF go much wet garbag,
into the furnaces as has been done
, /, They warned before the plant wa.
ever used that It would not burn we
garbage but II has never been ex
planned why thoroughly soaked gar
bage has been dumped into the fir,
boxes.
All city officials concerned are FIRE,
2 TO declare that something must b,
done and very quickly 10 relieve tn
e garbage situation. The material beinl
p collected is being DUMPED and onl,
= the cold weather. they say. is prevent
= ing it from being a serious menace {,
the public health. They are hopefu
\ that by summer the situation will hav
:. been cleared.up and that there will b
S adequate facilities for the disposal o
: all the garbage that can be collected 81
r The city.