Evening star., 1937-07-30
DEMAND Of |CKES.
SPURS FIGHT ON.
SLAUGHTER HOUSE.
w. P. A. Administrator Calls
! tor Protection of Sewage
| Investment.
WARNS OF NULL|FY|NG
NEW PLANT BENEFITS
Letter to Hazen Orders Every
Legal Step to Be Taken to Save
$4,125,000 Expenditure.
BY NELSON NJ. SHEPARD.


Secretary 1ckes brought the public
controversy over the nullifying effect
that waste from the proposed Adolf
Gobel slaughter house would have on
successful operation of the Districts
new sewage disposal plant to sharp
issue today in ,2o0-word warning to
Commissioner Melvin c. HaZen
AS administrator of the P. w. A.
which financed the S4125 900 primary
sewage plant at Blue Plains to reduce
pollution OF the Potomac River, Ickes
made peremptoy, demand on the
Commissioners to take all possible
legal action" to protect the benefits of
this sizable public expenditure. Other
wise. he reminded, he would consider
the failure to improve conditions in
the river complete wastage" of the
p. w. A. investment.
He based his warning to the Dis
trict on a widely publiczed report
made by the Public Health Service
after a careful study of the Gobel
Co.'S plans for a regional meat pack
ing plant at Benning Surgeon Cen
eral Parran had suggested in this
report that additional pollution and
overlooking of the sewage system
might require early construction Of
secondary features for biological treat
ment.
One Company's Burden.
I'm this case, through the action
OF this one company" Ickes said, the
taxpayers of the City of Washington
would have to bear the burden of a
100000 or s4OoO,ooO secondary
treatment plant or lose the benefit of
the $4,125,000 already spent"
Commissioner Hazen received the
1ckes letter as conferves at the Capitol
were reaching a final agreement on
the Districts new tax program de-
signed to meet an expected deficit
Of s7,O0O,000
In suggesting several possible ways
out OF the situation created by the
determination OF the Gobel Co. to
20 ahead with plans to build and
complete" the slaughter house be-
fore October /. the public works adj
mipistrator sought early information
alto what action the Commissioners
viii take"
One suggestion 1ckes advanced was
Sdr the District to shift the financial
burden" Of the additional sewage
plsnt that will be required to those
whose action will necessitate its con-
struction"
Would Tax Sewage Volume.
BY this. 1t is understood. he had in
mind tax that might be imposed on
the Gobel Co. based on the actual
volume of Its sewage Such q method
recently was made effective in Chi
cago, which charges excessive use of
the city's sewage disposal plant
against the large meat packers.
In his letter to Hazen. the admin
a direct concern" in the use to which
its funds are put and in addition the
Secretary of the Interior is charged
with the maintenance of the Capitals
parks and the Memorial Highway,
which, he claimed, would be affected
by inadequate sewage treatment.
Surg. Gen. Parran pointed out. he
wrote, that the Blue Plains plant was
designed to handle the sewage of
approximately 65o,oOo people and that
operation Of the proposed Gobel
slaughter house would add sewage
equivalent to population of 100000.
After reciting pollution dangers
cited by the surgeon general that
would affect the Potomac and Piney
Run, stream flowing through the
Gobel site, Ickes wrote.
You will recall that the original
application of the District of Colum-
bia for a sewage disposal plant pro-
treatment. the estimated cost of the
system being set at 100000, for
which an allotment was made.
Later, after thorough investigation,
1t was determined that primary treat
ment was all that was required.
Cites engineers Report.
zone Of the considerations directing
this change was the finding in the
report by the Board of Sanitary
Engineers, appointed by the District
Commissioners, that:
"'The District of Columbia sewage
Is more like that of residential COM
munity with. combined sewers than
that of an industrial city,"
1ckes went on to say:
ut now appears from the report of
the surgeon general that the primary
treatment of sewage in the new dis
posal plant will be insufficient to pre-
vent obnoxious conditions in the Poto-
mac River if the proposed slaughter
house Is allowed to operate.
I'm other words, despite the ex-
penditure OF $4,125,O00 Of public
money advanced as a loan and grant
from the Public Works Administration,
conditions in the Potomac River may
be Just as bad as, if not worse, than
existed before this expenditure. This
Is tantamount to complete wastage Of
the public funds involved.
''One alternative would be for the
District to construct the secondary
treatment facilities in the disposal
plant. In this case, through the ac-
ton of this one company, the tax
payers of the City of Washington would
have to bear the burden of a $3,000,-
600 or s4,00o,O0o secondary treatment
plant. or lose the benefit Of the s4,-
l25,000 already spent.
Requires Return in Benefits.
"The Public Works Administration
has q direct concern in the use to
which funds allotted by it are put. 1t
has legitimate interest in seeing to
It that the benefits anticipated from
public project actually accrue to
the community concerned. In addi-
tion, the Secretary OF the Interior is
charged with responsibility for the
x proper maintenance of the parks ad-
jacent 10 the streams to be affected
and Of the Memorial Highway. which