Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-10-24
STUDYING HEALTH
CODE FOR COUNTY
Boards Counsel Giving Sc
riouS Consideration to Sys-
tenn With Zoning Principle.
BY WILLIAM ]. WHEATLEY.
staff Correspondent of The Star.


SLIGO, Md, October 24-Formula-
ton of a health and sanitation code
for Montgomery County, with coming
principle, is being given serious con-
sideration by Capt. Joseph G. Cissel,
counsel for the Board of Montgomery
County Commissioners. Capt. Cissel
has been considering the health code
question for some time as result of
action by the Montgomery County
Civic Federation in suggesting the need
of such a code as one of the prime OBJ
jectives of the citizens body.
But the rapid growth in the metro
politan district of the county and the
fact that certain parts of this district
are as yet undeveloped has focused at
tention of the need of set OF regula-
tions to guard the public health. New
ertheless, this development has furnish
ed complications which practically
make it impossible to provide set OF
regulations for the entire county, or
even for the metropolitan district with
out working hardship in many cases,
and in the end accomplish point not
intended. Therefore, Capt. Cissel has
expressed the opinion that such pro-
posed code would have to operate by
zones.
Prepared Outline.
He has prepared a rough outline OF
what, in his opinion, will fill the needs
for health protection in the county
but he desires the aid of some health
and sanitation experts on the question
to ascertain that everything needed for
such safeguards has been provided. AS
soon as he receives word from the
chairman of the health and sanitation
committee of the civic federation that
that body is ready to discuss the pro-
posed health code, Capt. CiSSel said
he would go into conference with them
at which time he will produce as
basis for the discussion the tenta i've
draft which he has prepared. He also
has conferred at some length with DR..
Pratt of Rockville, county health officer,
who has provided him with much
material on which some of the pre-
visions of the proposed new code are
based.
When the proposed code is submitted
to the county commissioners with a
recommendation of approval, those
working on it want it to be as nearly
perfect as it is possible to have an
ordinance with as many angles as a
health code.
The coming principle as tentatively
proposed by Attorney Cissel Is designed
to meet the peculiar conditions pre-
vailing in the county; one section OF
which has virtually developed into
municipality, but without municipal
regulations, that is, within the metro
politan district.
Population Should Govern.
The density of the population, in the
opinion of Capt. Cissel, should govern
in the making and enforcement of
regulations, and it was pointed out that
a regulation that would be perfectly
proper and fair for section densely
populated, would not only be mani
testify unfair, but might work a dis
tinct hardship in sections where there
was only house or two. One of the
proposed requirements, it was suggested,
might be that requiring all property
owners to hook up to sewerage drainage
lines, where the latter are available.
But, it was added that in an isolated
case where the sewer line was provided,
it might be improper to stop the resi-
dent there from keeping swine or other
animals.
The preparation of the code is very
complicated task and for this reason
the preliminary stages are being ad-
vanced slowly so that when the final
recommendation is made the officials
can feel that they will have a group
of regulations which will provide for
the protection of the public health, and
at the same time be not oppressive to
those falling within the scope of them.
The Montgomery County Civic Fed
Grafton has been pressing for the pro-
mitigation of such code for a long
time, and it has for months been on
its list of matters to be handled in
the future. However, as the proposed
code is likely to have many complica-
lions because of the peculiar conditions
it is proposed to go carefully in its
preparation.