The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1874-03-10
xar YORK tho highest, being S.25 and Ban
ho fnxcsas 4. W.. s.

we consider the eieSatiVb, Inv 49, ,,,;IdneSa
drain,sc, the excellent WAFER. .no ;aiiu ,,e,.
y. .s trades and the freedom from epi.
I.os which Richmond enjoys, tho mortai!-
~ .@S n,,r rity exceeds considerably lair
average. :, ,,,or, of those
eacfv addressed a communication 10 she
Richmoud Academy OF Medicine, respect
fully requesting Its members and the proies-
sion gcnerally to procure statistics IN oroef
70 cornpile two tables: First, record OF aus
ease, whether terminating In death or nos ;
and. secondly, a record Of deaths-but maze
with reference not to the municipal or poiitl-
cal divisions of the city, but with reference
TO the local prevalence Of peculiar types o.
disease. The communication was favoraoiy
considered by that body, and some steps
we're taken, as was informed, to carry tne
proposal Into effect but they were at last
abandoned.
I renew the suggestion here in the hope
that the Board of Health may undertake al
least the latter part of the proposed WORK
The medical certificates of death need only
state the residence of the deceased to enable
such report as have indicated TO be made.
aud the localities of greatest mortality, and
of peculiar types of mortality, might be then
indicated. The practical good of this would be
that the Council and the citizens would
thereby be furnished both with guide and
q stimulus to measures Of sanitary reform,
now neglected for want of the information
necessary to their comprehension.
Supposc, for example, it should be found
that miasmatic feyers prevailed within dls'
lance of a hundred yards of Shockoe creek
throughout its course, and within like range
of the James River and kanawha canal
how soon would the city improve the former
and prohibit the exposure Of the beds OF the
latter to summer suns? Here, as elsewhere
and everywhere, the first step in remedy is
the entertainment of the place and nature OF
the evil.
IMPROVEMENT OF JAMES RIVER.
So much of the welfare of Richmond de,
ponds upon revival OF her commercial pros
perity that cannot entertain the fears which
seem to be felt by the engineer OF this lms
proyement that the city will srudge the
small outlay which is called for as her share
of it's cost. Unhappily we do not enjoy that
influence with those who distribute the pub
lie funds OF the Federal Government which
entities us to expect much at their hands as q
matter of favor. The appropriation askea
for By the engineer is only s. 900, the amount
on hand to the credit of the fund, SS,oVo,
being sufficient, with this addition, 10 Tue
Judgment of this office and of The joint com
mittee. to discharge during the year tneir
part of the Joint undertaking eDtered INTO
with the Government for the prosecution OF
this work. rru..a
The existing arrangement with the Uniteo
States has been in operation one year, ana It's
results are found partly in the economy OF
expenditure on behalf of the city, Indicated
bv the above estimate. and partly IN tue
actual work done. nehundred and twenty
two thousand six hundred and eighty-siN
wards have been dredged and placed behind
dykes; 2,54O lineal feet of dykes have been
constructed; 1888 cubic yards Of rock blasted
and removed from Rockets reef; 105 boul-
ders requiring the services Of divers have
been raised and removed.
The channel at Rockets reef, to which the.
operations of 1873 were principally confined,
is now seventy.tive feet wide and htteen
feet deep at low tide, or eighteen feet at
mean high water; and during the current.
year these distractions, the most formidaolei
in the river, will be completely reduced. IL
covers a space of AGO feet in length OF almost
continuous rock. From the brewery to the
brick. yard, at the commencement opera
lions, not more than ten and bali 1eet
could be had at ordinary high tide. through
this shoal channel has been made loo ieet
wide and sixteen feet deep. The removal OF
certain lodges of rock in this shoal VIII
give the standard eighteen feet here also, and
this will probably be effected during the
year.
When these improvements are completed
the deepening of the channel below will not
be difficult of erection; though rs the depth
of a river is only the depth Of its shoalest
channel, nothing practical seems 10 be
achieved until all is accomplished. The en-
o;neers are ugreed that depth at mean high
tide of eighteen feet is not only attalnaole,
but within the certain reach OF the existing
appliances and arrangements for its attain.
ment.
TIE PUBLIC SCHOOLS. :,
The school-year closing with the last
of June-a period of seven months in
advance Of the close Of the fiscal
year-the reports from this depart
mcnt have something of the freshness
of interest which would attach to them if
they could be made up to day more nearly
coincident with that of the other branches
of public administration. But the general
and commendable interest which the public
and the Council have always taken in the
matter of public education, since the period
system was established by law, justifes the
belief that a short summary Of the results
will prove acceptable.
The average daily attendance during the
last session was-white, 2,151; colored,
], 346; the attendance for the preceding ses-
sion having becn-white, 1,9S1 colorcd,
1918, showing an increase of-White, I'll
colored. 73. When We remember that the
private reports have remained about az
during the preceding year, and that large
and well-attended parish school, IN Whicn
the poor are educated Free has been put 10
operation by the Roman Catholic Bishop,
these results are very satisfactory. Inc
larger relative as we'll as positive increase IN
the white attendance is peculiarly note
worthy.
The number of schools during the past
session was: White, 60; colored, 35. against
white, So; colored, 81, in the preceding
session. The teachers have also been in.
creased from 80 in the session OF 18Il-'12 to
106 in that of 1S72o73. f.
The number of scholars in average attend
ance amounted to $50 per school and 3G per
teacher in l871-'72 aud to 362 per school and
33 per teacher in 1812-'73. -
Indulge the hope that these latter figures
will be maintained; at least, that they will
not be materially diminished.
The total expenditure on account of the
public schools, excluding disbursements on
account Of construction and on account of
apparatus and furniture, was in 1912,
$50, 402 SO, or sixteen dollars and forty lone
cents ($16.41) to each scholar in average at.
tendance. The expenditure on like accounts
during the past year was $50, 368.39, or eigh.
teen dollars and seventy-five cents (SlS.75)
to each scholar in average attendance. The
total expenditure for the public schools on
all accounts during the session of 1929