Evening star., 1937-08-22
SLAUGHTER HOUSE
TO Be DISCUSSED
ON |CKES RETURN
Commissioners Expected to
Await Secretary for
Conference.
PROBLEM OF SEWAGE
ALSO TO BE STUDIED
|Gobel Attorney Warns Officials of
Company's Valuable Prop.
erty Rights.

The District Commissioners may
have to wait 10 days or so until Sec
retary 1ckes returns to the city from a
vacation, it was indicated yesterday
before conference can be arranged
on matters affecting both the Benning
slaughter house and the sewage dis
posal works at Blue Plains.
1ckes intends to cooperate fully
with the Commissioners. it was said
at the Interior Department, but it
was not known definitely whether he
had forwarded reply in clearing his
desk Of official papers before leaving
In the afternoon on a trip to Chicago.
Nor was it known whether he wished
TO sit in at the conference or delegate
others to hold it.
P. w. A. officials interested in pro-
viding protection for the new sewage
works displayed little or no interest in
the Gobel Co.'S contention the ques-
tion Of the slaughter house opera
tions being a health menace" had
been effectively disposed of last Oc-
tober. 1t was Ickes' warning that
such operations were regarded by the
Public Health Service as a potential
menace to the sewage plant that
forced the Commissioners to make
re-study of the problem.
Extent of New Study.
This new study, it was pointed out
yesterday, was far more penetrating
than the investigation conducted last
Fall, when the District finally was
compelled to issue the Gobel Co. a
building permit. Regardless of the
company's attitude on this matter, it
was said the problem of slaughter
house waste would have an important
bearing when final application is
made for q permit to operate in the
District.
D. Edward Clarke, the firms at
torney, warned the Commissioners
IN reply made public yesterday, that
the company has valuable property
rights in the District which it is en-
|deavoring to protect It had paid its
predecessor 100000 for the right to
operate an abattoir, Clarke said. and
to deprive it of that right now would
|unquestionably be constitutionally and
morally wrong
While the Gobel Co. apparently
has no desire to attend a hearing on
the sewage problems, Clarke did not
actually close the door If you think
hearing on this matter at this time
would be helpful either to you or to
my client, will be very glad to CO.
Operate to that end" he wrote Com
missioner Hazen
Health Service Report.
The Gobel attorney raised another
point which no doubt will be fully
considered when the Commissioners
and Secretary Ickes eventually get
together. The Public Health Service
report, he pointed out, contains in
formation concerning the Union
stockyards in Benning and its opera
tlons as being more injurious to
the sewage system than the Gobel
slaughter house.
Officials long have realized it is
impossible to separate the two opera
tlons in considering the effect that
the sewage from Benning would have
on pollution. The Public Health
Service report, dated May q, in dis
cussing this phase, said:
The plans of the Gobel Co. show
that all drainage from its plant and
from its pens would pass to the city
sewer system. This would reduce to a
minimum the amount of polluting ma
terial that might reach Piney Run
from the plant area. However, Pinev
Run passes directly through the plant
and the two stock pens are located d.
rectly on its banks. Under best condi-
tions 1t would be impossible to keep a
certain amount Of polluting material
from reaching this small stream.
Survey of Stock Pens.
"A survey Of the stock pens now in
existence shows that they are covered,
but do not have impervious floors The
unloading area at the railroad as we'll
As the cattle runs and roadways are not
paved.
Since this area drains directly to
Piney Run 1t is to be assumed that con-
siderable amounts Of pollution would
(see SLAUGHTER HOUSE, Page B-33