Councilmen Ok DDT For Elms

Noting that the city is having ■difficulty controlling the spread ] ■of Dutch elm disease here, the ' Bcity Council last night Bmously approved again using 1 BdDT to combat the disease. The use of DDT has been a I ■ controversial topic for a num-n Iber of years because the chemi-! ■ cal kills birds. At one poinl the ■ council had switched to a less ■ loxic chemical- methoxychlor- : ■ but this was abandoned when it ■was found to be less effective 1 than DDT. An "ad hoc" committee conlisisting of council members and H local naturalists had approved ■ the use of DDT because of the ■ serious problem facing the city. ■ Il lost about six per cent of its ■ elms to the disease last year. j Third Ward Councilman Rob■ ert P. Weeks noted that elms are ■ dying at such a rapid rate there ■ "is need for heroic measures." BHe said a representative of a H helicopter firm is scheduled to H contact city officials this month fin regard to the possibility of BI using helicopters to spray con■ centrated areas of elms. Thir'd Ward Councilman Pauljll ■1. Johnson added that there is II 'no proven evidence" that there II are any chemicals more effec-jll ;ive than DDT in combatingB Dutch elm diseases. He notedjll :hat crab grass killer used byH private homeowners is far more'H lethal to birds than DDT. I S e c o n d Ward Councilman II James C. Riecker addcd that he II believed far more birds are II killed by house cats than by II the chemical. I "I don't believe any subject II has received as much study as H this one," said Fifth Ward Coun-m cilman Richard E. Balzhiser. H He said members of the "adH hoc" committee agreed that the,B city would have to use DDT for I at least one more year. "WeB will hold the line in hopes thatB one of the other chemicals be-H ing tested will prove to be ef-M fective," Balzhiser added. I The council awarded the cn-l tract for delivery of DDT II Standard Oil Co. which submit-H ted the low bid of 86 cents perB gallon. II