Evening star., 1953-01-11
Baltimore
The Strike Hordsses,
But Doesn't PoroIyze
BY WiIIiom Pyne

bage collectors, streetcleaners, school
janitors and other municipal labor
ers is providing this and other large
cities an invaluable lesson about
how to keep operating when their
vital services are interrupted.
The strike began on New Years
Day, after municipal officials said
they did not have the money to pay
a wage increase asked by the labor
erS' AFL union. There were imme-
diate predictions that the Nations
sixth largest city would be para
lyZed.
The greatest fear felt was that
serious health menace would result
from uncollected garbage and trash.
One especially dire prophecy was
that the city would be overrun by
horde of rats which would fatten
on the garbage and multiply.
Uninterrupted Routine
Instead, after more than week
with 3,100 workers off their jobs in
the sanitation. water. sewer, high
way and other utility departments,
the city's daily routine was unin-
terrupted.
There were indignant complaints
Of inconvenienceS from housewives
and some merchants, but, in the
words of one observer, "The city is
a long way from folding up"
Others feared snowstorm. Two
snowfallS developed during the
strike and had little or no effect on
the normally stagnant traffic condi-
tions in downtown Baltimore
Although pickets were thrown
around water pumping stations and
sewage disposal plants. the union
agreed to let emergency crews main
tain uninterrupted operation Of
these facilities. A few homes were
waterless owing to unreraired breaks
In minor mains, but such crises were
not numerous.
Dumps Rsopsned
E, For the frst two days Of the
strike, the city closed its incinerators
and dumps. But on the third day
the dumps were opened to the pub
lie and hundreds Of citizens drove
out to dispose Of refuse. Restau-
rants and other businesses sent
their trucks on daily garbage and
trash runs to the dumps.
During the initial phase of the
strike. the most serious problems
developed around the city'S public
markets. where mountains Of dis
carded vegetables. paper and
wooden cartons and other trash
grew overnight. However, after
the dumps were opened. the mer-
chants worked out truck pools for
moving the refuse and the situation
around the public marts returned
almost to normal.
William Fannon, the city's sani-
tation engineer, attributes the favor
able situation to public cooperation
and the fact that everybody has
an auto these days and can get to
the dumps"
He made the surprising disclosure
that no longer do the city garbage
collectors collect mostly garbage.
Ten or IS years ago the daily
loads picked up by the collecting
crews were IS per cent garbage and
35 per cent rubbish. Now 1t is 70
per cent rubbish and 80 per cent
garbage" he says.
Mr.. Fannon says the reasons for
this reversal Of the garbage-rubbish
ratio is due to the increased use of
frozen and canned foods and the
trend Of grocery shoppers away from
the public markets and their un-
packaged foodstuffs to the modern
supermarketS. Also, many modern
homes have devices which grind up
garbage Of all types.
Gorboge Disposal Pools
A new wrinkle in neighborly CO.
operation was developed on the first
day of the strike when householders
with garbage disposal units in their
kitchens made them available to
their neighborS. These community
garbage disposal pools" seem to
have eased the sanitary situation
considerably.
william Sallow, chief of the
Health Departments rodent control
bureau, gave quick assurance that
rats could not take advantage of the
garbage collectors strike.
He said that January tempera-
ing, and added that inspectors from
his bureau were reporting no signs
of an increase in rats, even around
the public markets.
Scores of suggestions flooded In
for the handling of garbage. One
woman wrote that potato peels
made fine fertilizer for rose bushes.
that coffee grounds are an aid to
lawns and flower beds and that
eggshells are a delicacy for birds.
The only things that had her
stumped were fruit skins, so she
recommended that canned fruit
Juices be used for the duration of
the strike.
TV to the Rescue
When the school systems Christ
mas-New Year holidays ended, 104
of the city's 1874 public school build
1ngS were uItIlcdIeQ pGCduSc VI d
partial walkout by janitors. BY last
Friday, most schools were operating
again.
To keep public education going.
school officials and the city's tele-
vision and radio stations worked out
a mass education program that is
attracting Nationwide attention.
AS stopgap measure, TV is salts
factory enough, but parents and
pupils alike seem to prefer the nor
NAL type of school. Some mothers
have volunteered to stoke school fur
naceS for the duration.
Fears that a heavy snowstorm
- MI saaA