HOTEL AND RESTAURANT DIVISION Inspectors W. G. Mase... B. A. Honeycomb.. Fred C. Borcherdt, Jr.. Madison .. Madison .Manitowoc The activities of the Hotel and Restaurant Division during the 1920-1922 biennium have been more far-reaching than ever before, and directly and indirectly have benefited larger numbers of citizens than in any prior period of the Division's existence. The volume of inspection activities is indicated by the following figures: The records show that the number of inspections was more than 1,000 in excess of the previous biennium, while the number of written orders issued, both regular and industrial, totalled 322 more than in the prior period. Supervision of sanitation of hotels and restaurants is always the major work of this branch of the health department, but the auxiliary fields of work, although not consuming so much time, are of prime importance in the extent to which they contribute to sanitation of places patronized by the public when away from home. These inspections embrace state and county fair grounds during fairs, where eating places have been supervised for general sanitation and toilet facilities given careful oversight; summer resort grounds, which are given a sanitary survey, and railroad depots and toilet facilities in connection with them, which are brought wherever possible into compliance with state sanitary standards. A permanent appointment of a third hotel and restaurant inspector, to fill the place formerly held by E. U. F. Loether, was made in April, 1921, when Fred C. Borcherdt, Jr., of Manitowoc, a hotel operator of many years' experience, was named to work in the district covering in a general way the northern and northeastern counties. During the summer months, also, a fourth field man was employed to make inspections of summer resorts. In these surveys special attention is given to means for the sanitary disposal of sewage, to obviate bacterial dangers which hold potentialities for typhoid fever, dysentery and other water-carried diseases. With hotel and restaurant inspection an established policy in state control of sanitation, owners have become familiar with its requirements, recognizing the true objects of the work, and with few exceptions are faithful cooperators in bettering sanitary conditions. Our policy calls for as frequent inspections as time will permit. With three men in the field it has been possible to inspect fully 90 per cent of the places one or more times per year. Hotels and restaurants of inferior class have required more than one inspection, but the constant endeavor is to bring these places up to a higher rating. During this period the State Board adopted revised regulations governing hotels and restaurants, and adopted the rules applying to each business as a separate code. Hotel rules apply now, therefore, only to hotels, and restaurant rules only to restaurants, instead of rules for both being in effect in a combined formula. The 1921 legislature was induced by traveling men's organizations and others to require Wisconsin hotels to post rates in each room, notice of any change in the rates to be posted at least ten days in advance. This law is now in full effect, and the field men of this division are charged with its enforcement. There has been general compliance. The division has continued to make note of fire and accident risks in hotels under joint authority of the Industrial Commission and State Board of Health. Duplication of inspection has been avoided by this means. Even at considerable expense in some cases, hotel proprietors are required to correct any conditions that contain possibilities of fire and accident. In all cases, however, human life is placed above other considerations. Inspections of fairs claimed some of the summer services of the field men. Nearly all county fairs, as well as the state fair, were visited for this purpose. Condition of the food supplies served at eating stands, personal hygiene of employes of stands, and attention to sanitary environment, the fly nuisance, etc., received attention, and orders were issued for changes to meet higher standards. The toilet accommodations were inspected and requirements for disinfection, sufficient capacity for large attendance, better water supply, and proper construction were brought to the attention of fair managements and provision made for reforms where needed. A number of fairs are today possessed of modern water-flushed toilets, and the trend is constantly, in that direction. Fair inspection, we believe, has been fully justified and the majority of fair managements are glad to concede it. Knowledge that they will be visited by an official of the State Health Department is a constant spur, leading lunch stand owners to observe state rules governing sanitation. On their part fair officials are prompted to have garbage service prepared for in advance, and for its regular daily collection, and to improve water supply and drainage conditions as finances will permit. We believe that continuance of this inspection service by the state is a necessity if many insanitary conditions once existing are not to return to be a menace to the great fair-going public. The work of summer resort supervision has brought to light many problems involving better protection of the health of resorters in this great playground state. It seems evident that more rigid requirements for the protection of health are needed, especially in the matter of better toilet facilities, safer sewage disposal and garbage disposal. It is recommended that a new set of definite rules governing summer resort sanitation be adopted before another resort season is upon us. It is gratifying to have had the exacting clerical work of the office executed efficiently by a faithful force. One of the results of their service was economy in office expenditures, the net saving in printing and supplies in one year amounting to $656. HOTEL AND RESTAURANT DIVISION-FINANCIAL STATEMENT FOR TWELVE MONTHS |