Page:American Journal of Sociology Volume 9.djvu/487

 A MODEL MUNICIPAL DEPARTMENT 469

health laws ; (2) to enforce all orders of the board, by action of the courts; (3) to prosecute all violators of the Sanitary Code.

Naturally, the duties of the corporation counsel are all- important, for without his honest co-operation the work of the Health Department can be of very little use. One of his most important duties is the giving of legal advice to the department as to its rights and powers, so that its official acts may be within bounds of the law. As a result, the actions of the Board of Health are generally respected by the public, and the majority of its orders promptly obeyed. Where, however, there is no compliance with official orders within a reasonable period of time, it becomes the duty of the corporation counsel to secure their enforcement by the proper legal proceedings, either civil or criminal (the latter in cases where the most serious conditions exist), in the name of the city and department.

Some idea of the enormous work of this office may be obtained from the following table covering the year 1901 :

BOROUGH OF MANHATTAN.

Orders received from prosecution - - 22,736

Notices of intention to commence action - 22,736

Nuisances abated before suit - - 15,760

Actions commenced to recover penalties - 2,104

Actions discontinued, nuisances abated - - 2,107 Arrests (criminal) for violations of Sanitary

Code - - 1,431

Amount of fines imposed by courts - $5,107.00

The secretary's office. Under the secretary of the Board of Health are the chief clerk and five assistant chief clerks, one for each of the five boroughs of the present city. The duties of these officers are largely executive and clerical in their nature ; but the Division of Accounts and Supplies, which comes under the general supervision of the chief clerk, is of the greatest importance to the public. It has charge of (i) the sale of vac- cine, mallein, tetanus, and diphtheria antitoxin manufactured by the department; (2) the preparation of the requisitions for the printing of all books, blanks, and stationery required by the department and the distribution of the same, as well as the preparation of all contracts.