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Show WILCOX DEFENDS HIS DEPARTMENT Charges .of Neglect Are Denied. He Says Margetts Was Removed Re-moved for Incompetency; Does Not Specify. Statement to Council Committee Was Story of Overworky-Health Commissioner Com-missioner "Wants Assistance. DOCTOR. "WILCOX, Health Commissioner Com-missioner for Salt Lake Cilj denies de-nies that a member of his official offi-cial family has received a fee from a smallpox patient with the assurance as-surance that the patient would not bo sent to the pesthouse. Ho says he had heard of the case on which the report was predicated and that the physician who received the fee declared to him that the money paid by the patient was an advance payment for services to be rendered. Dr. Wilcox denies that his employees had anything whatever to do with the case. Asked by a reporter about the charge that he had neglected to visit the isolation iso-lation hospital since he was appointed Health Commissioner, Doctor Wilcox said that tho report was unfounded. "There were never as many as thirty-eight thirty-eight patients at the pesthouse. at ono time during my administration," declared de-clared Doctor "Wilcox. "There Avere never more than thirty-three. I have called up the nurse stationed there dally and have prescribed for the patients pa-tients by telephone, and there has never been any complaint of lack of treatment. treat-ment. The report that I have visited the place but twice during my term is also not true. I have gone there when It seemed necessary." "Is It not true that your inspectors have visited houses that contained smallpox patients and that after leaving leav-ing that they would ride back to the office on the street cars with other people'" peo-ple'" "I do not know that they have. I do not believe they did. I have instructed in-structed them differently. I know of no complaint In thi3 regard. Didn't Enforce Health Law. "Was the Foe house quarantined after af-ter Poe was taken to the pesthouse?" "Yes, it was. I heard afterward that women wero vieltlng the house and that the quarantine was not being observed. ob-served. I sent an inspector there and he asked if women were not in the habit of visiting the house. He was Informed that they were not. However, How-ever, the inspector found one hidihg behind the curtains." "Why were there no prosecutions?" "Well, I confess there were none. I yielded to the importunities of the family fam-ily because they were poor, and made no complaints. The place was fumigated fumi-gated and I believe tho danger to the public was small." "Why did you direct that Foreman W. G. Margetts of the sanitary department depart-ment surrender his office ?" "He was removed for cause." "Would you care to state the cause, Doctor?" "Incompetency." "As a matter of fact has not Foreman Fore-man Margetts been on the force for a long time and was he not regarded as a competent sanitary officer before you made complaint against him. Wasn't he so regarded by your predecessor?" "He has not been on the force very long. He is Incompetent." "Would you care to give some specific speci-fic act of Margetts's that would indicate indi-cate that he is not competent?" "I could give reasons. I prefer not to do so now. I do not think It is the proper time to do so." "But do you not believe that Margetts Mar-getts is entitled to know specifically why you have removed him?" "I do not care now to state why other than I havo said he is incompetent." "Wants Job for Relative. The removal of Margetts Is resented by many as a movement that is only justified by a desire to vacate the place so that Health Commissioner Wilcox may appoint Henry Arnold, his brother-in-law. to the place. This ho has tried to do. Several days ago Foreman Margetts reported that a certain pigsty was In sanitary condition. Later Dr. Wilcox declared that the report was false. This Foreman Margetts protested against and he hunted up the sanitary committee of the Council and had them accompany him to the sty nnd sec for themselves. It is understood that this committee, which is composed of Councilman Coun-cilman Barnes, Fernstrom and Preece, indorsed the report of the sanitary foreman. It was then presumed that the matter had been dropped until the Health Commissioner directed the foreman fore-man to consider his services at an end. Margetts has been a hard working official of-ficial and until the charge made by Dr. Wilcox there was no complaint against him. Dr. Wilcox said to the reporter that when he took charge of the department there Avere over fifty cases of smallpox small-pox In the city. He uays he has worked night and day to prevent further spread of the disease and that the disease dis-ease is practically stamped out. In this statement the doctor is not borne out by the records. At the time the doctor was appointed thoro was but one case reported and this patient was discharged from the pesthouse a day or two after the change in administrations. administra-tions. Nature May Have Helped. Doctor Wilcox admitted that nature may have had something to do with the ridding of the city from the disease, dis-ease, since smallpox does not flourish when the weather grows warm. A new charge against the health office is that about a month ago Ham Taylor went to the office of the Health Commissioner and was told that he had broken out with smallpox. He did not know what the matter wns. He was told, he claims, to return to his home at Waterloo and was advised that a ( physician would call on him, Ho ivent |
