1955 Holiday season for Roanoke, Va., sanitation workers

City sanitation workers attend to piles of cardboard boxes and evergreen branches accumulated at the Roanoke, Va., landfill during the holiday season. Perhaps the busiest people on the city payroll this week are the city garbage collectors. Usually, after the Christmas holiday, collections go up two thirds. (start film) So, with apologies to Lewis Carrol, we give our annual tribute to the garbage man. (show film) Tis the week after Christmas, and all over town, decorations and trees are all coming down. The kids are breaking their new stock of toys, and mother is frantic with more and more noise. Her job is to get the house back in condition, while Dad doesn't realize how tough is the mission. The garbage men say the haul's about par, that Christmas this year was the best one by far. Turkey bones--chicken bones--hambones piled high, make garbage collectors wish they could die. There's been no complaints that collections are lagging, the trucks are returning with transmissions dragging. In a couple of days, thing'sIll be back as they were, less hustle...less bustle...less worry...less stir. But in less than a year, it'll all come again, to the dread and annoyance of the town's garbage men.