Evening star., 1937-05-30
SLAUGHTER HOUSE
SEEN OVERTAX|NC
SEWAGE FACILITIES
Problem Expected to Be an
Issue When Hearings on
Bill Reopen.
LOAD is HELD EQUAL
TO 100000 PEOPLE
District Officials Worried by Fear
Project Would Tax 81, 4,125,0 900
Plant.

posal plant from slaughter house
operations proposed here by Adolf
Gobel, Inc, New York packers, is
expected to be made an issue by both
Federal and District sanitary engi-
neers, it was said yesterday, when
hearings reopen at the Capitol on the
King-Norton anti-nuisance bill.
Comparable slaughter houses in
other cities, with their related sewage
problems, are being studied carefully
by the sanitary officers, who are now
engaged in rechecking the operating
plans submitted by the Gobel firm.
which has been granted a building
permit. Since Public Health Service
engineer first gave damaging testi-
mony as to the effect of the waste and
draining on the sewage plant, officials
at the District Building have been
somewhat worried.
They admit their earlier estimates
on the amount of sewage the Gobel
plant would add to the Districts sew.
age system is subject to radical change.
The more thoroughly they have gone
into the matter the closer their esti-
mates coincide with the findings Of
Federal Investigators.
Equal to 100000 People.
The Public Health Service estimate
Of this added load was given as the
equivalent to 100000 people. This
amount, based on the capacity output
called for in the Gobel plans, would
constitute 80 per cent of the total
sewage capacity Of the Districts ex-
pensive new plant.
In making this estimate, Ralph E.
Tarbett, senior sanitary engineer, built
1t on the daily slaughter of 3,l0O
animals. His expert opinion on the
pollution that would affect Pope's Run,
which flows through the Gobel prop
erty, and also on the Anacostia and
Potomac Rivers, was unrefuted at the
time.
An official said yesterday that
packing plant in Fort Worth, Tex,
comparable in size to the proposed
Gobel plant here, produced sewage
waste about equal to that of the city's
population. which was 1872 900 as listed
In the 1890 census.
The claim of Gobel attorneys that
only few hundred animals would be
killed daily is not taken seriously by
the Government officials who are
seeking to block establishment Of
slaughtering plant in Benning.
Its Scope Not Explained in Detail.
If the firm intended to sell only TO
the Washington trade, which already
Is adequately supplied with meat
products. they say its claim would bear
more weight.
The mere fact the plant is pro-
posed as regional establishment
which would engage in interstate
shipments, as we'll as in the local
trade, is justification for the state
ment, officials said, that the Gobel
mr. would do all the business it
could get
Tie company attorneys have had
very little to say at the hearings about
the scope Of their intended opera
tions except to claim exaggeration on
the part of District and Federal
officials. That the plant would en-
gage in interstate shipments is the
reason for their claim that all meat
slaughtered at the plant would be
under close Federal inspection. Other
wise, the Federal inspectors would
not be interested.
"A plant of that kind will handle
all the business it can get," c. Mar
shall Finnan, superintendent of
National Capital Parks, said yester-
day. If they can operate to capacity
I hardly think they will turn business
away"
There would be limit to the num-
ber Of animals that would be
brought into Washington from Senator
1ydings' Southern Maryland district
perhaps, officials said, but there would
be no limit to the number that could
be shipped by rail to meet orders.
Load Would Increase.
In making study of the sewage
problem, they said it was fully justin
able to base the study on the capacity
OF the plant. That capacity has been
established beyond dispute at 3,l00
animals.
Even should the plant run at only
half Of its capacity, the load" on
the Districts sewage disposal plant
would be equivalent to human popu-
lation OF 10000.
The sewage plant was designed to
handle the needs of a population of
$4,000 and every yearly increase in
business at the slaughter house, it
was pointed out, wosld add just that
much more to the load.
Aside from the actual use the
slaughtering plant would have of the
city's sewage system, officials are
equally interested in the relative cost
to the District of handling this excess
burden Of waste. On the basis of the
overload represented by testimony
given before the Senate District SUBJ
committee, which was not refuted. the
cost would be approximately $4,000
annually.
These are some OF the matters which
officials hope to bring out more fully
when hearings are started in the
House District Committee and are