Evening star., 1941-11-28
7 Moves Under Way
To Control Sanitation
In Boarding Houses
House Unit Considers
PIon to Tighten Code
For Restaurants
By JAMES E. CHINN.

Two moves were underway today
to control sanitary conditions ir
Washingtons boarding houses as
members of the House District Com
mittee planned to recommend an in
crease of 20 in the Health Depart
ment's inspection staff.
First, the Commissioners were re-
ported to be preparing to issue a
code of sanitary regulations to apply
to boarding houses serving 10 or
more persons.
Second, Representative Schultz
Democrat. of Indiana announced he
would sponsor legislation that would
remove any question as to authority
of the Health Department to regu-
late sanitary conditions in these
places.
Meanwhile, the District Committee
began consideration Of . new and
tighter code of regulations proposed
by Health Officer George G. Rutland
to govern sanitary conditions in
restaurants and other public eating
establishments.
Yesterday Commissioner Guy Ma
son told the committee the Com
missioners "are giving DR.. Rutland
an absolutely free hand" and that
if he failed to supervise the Health
Department properly the Commits
sioners would run it for him.
Provides Revocation Authority.
The principal provision in the
proposed code would give the health
officer authority to revoke or sus-
pend the license of restaurant for
violations. Under the existing code
the health officer can only refuse to
renew a license.
Another provision would require
the management of restaurants to
keep walters. cooks and other en-
ployes handling food under medical
supervision" Records Of medical
examinations given these employees
would be filed at the Health De-
partment.
The committee, which for several
davs had been considering COM
plants of insanitary conditions ir
some restaurants, suddenly turned
its attention yesterday afternoon te
boarding houses when 1t was tolc
there are between 5000 and 1000 OF
those places escaping Health De-
partment inspection.
DR.. Reid Ashworth, director OF the
departments Bureau of Food In
spection, said no effort had beer
made to check on the boarding
houses following a court decision ir
a test case some years ago which
held the Health Department lacked
authority to send inspectors into
private homes which have boarders
Keech Sees Authority.
CORPORATION Counsel Richmond B
Keech, however, has advised thu
Commissioners that the Health De-
partment can legally regulate sanl'
tary conditions in boarding houses
under a recent order, issued undel
provisions of the Licensing Act o
1892, requiring rooming or boarding
houses accommodating 10 or NOR
persons to obtain a license at
cost of IS a year. AS result. h
said, DR.. Rutland has been in
structed to draw up sanitary regu
lations to cover the boarding houses
Mr.. Keech said that under th'
order rooming or boarding house
accommodating 10 or more person
are held to be public places" ant
subject to inspection, not only b.
the Health Department. but by thu
building inspector, the fire marsha
and electrical and plumbing in
spectors.
The House committee will hold ,
special meeting next Friday to pas
on DR.. Ruhland's proposed new res
taurant sanitary code. The health
officer and Mr.. Keech were re
quested in the meantime to discus
the code with representatives Of tn
Washington Restaurant Association
to find out whether 1t meets thei
approval