The Saint Paul globe., 1896-12-18
THE SUM OF $1,000 ADDED TO THE
AMOUNT ORIGINALLY DECIDED
UPON.
OTHERS PASSED WITHOUT CHANGE
If the Bonds Are Not Taken Up the
Repair Fund May Receive
Sum for That Purpose.

1891, anu the nineteenth Item prOVlQ1ng
$4,000 for the bridge repair fund The
amount to be appropriated for the re-
pairing of bridges will depend entirely
upon the decision of the committee on
the comptroller's proposition to redeem
the bonds that fall due in March and
September, 1897. If it decides to re-
fund the bonds and thereby reduce the
estimate by $150000, it is altogether
likely that the estimate for repairing
bridges will be increased sufficiently
to provide for the construction Of
steel bridge in place of the present
wooden bridge on Raymond avenue
The committee proceeded with the
special order of the day which was the
reconsideration of the twelfth item ap-
propriating $3.50 for. the maintenance
of the health department In compIi-
ance with his request made the prev
ious day, Health Commissioner Stone
was granted a hearing
DR.. Stone first called attention to
the various reductions effected in the
health department fund during the past
two years, whereby it had been reduced
from $4,000, the maximum amount al
lowed by the charter, down to $40, 900.
Now it was proposed to cut it still
more. DR.. Stone said that provision
was made year ago for bacteriologi-
cal laboratory, upon which the sum Of
81 ,254.53 had been expended during the
present year. The salaries for the year
1896 amounted to $819667; an assistant,
employed to prepare an index of the
deaths, had been paid $210, and the
sum of $29 had been expended for office
expenses. This made a total expendi-
ture of $9,690.20 which sum did not
include an unpaid bill Of $400 for print
ing. When this latter amount is paid,
the balance on hand in the health de-
partment fund would be $S0162. From
this sum, so DR.. Stone said, approx
nately $500 ought to be deducted as a
possible liability for customs duties on
the laboratory apparatus already sup
piled to the department, which would
leave a balance of only $500 in the
fund. DR.. Stone declared that if the
| estimate was not raised, the health
! department would not have enough
money to maintain the laboratory, hire
an additional health officer to inspect
vaults, cesspools and unhealthy cellars
and other nuisances, and to employ a
|
and births. Moreover additional ap-
paratus was required for the laboratory
which would cost in the neighborhood
/ of $500. The cost of maintaining the
! laboratory for one year amounted to
| 81 ,200-$600 for providing supplies and
! $500 more for the services of an assis-
tant In view of what he deemed to be
/ the actual needs Of the health depart
ment, DR. Stone asked that the estimate
| be raised to $11 900.
Referring to the work accomplished
in the laboratory, which was opened
last July, DR.. Stone said that 235
cultures for diphtheria were made, of
which 13 proved to be cases of ton
silitis. Therefore the quarantine was
raised at once. Six cases reported to be
! tonsilitis proved upon examination to
| be diphtheria. Samples of drinking
water were examined in eight cases,
| and the sputum Of f1fty-six suspected
| cases Of tuberculosis were also exam
| ined. One specimen of milk was exam
| ined and two examinations were made
| for typhoid fever. AS a result of th2
| work accomplished in the laboratory,
the quarantine for diphtheria in forty
| cases was raised ten to twenty -eignt
days before the expiration of the thirty
days limit required by law. In three
cases the quarantine was continued be-
yond the term of thirty days.
In the year 1895 there were Ais cases
of diphtheria, Of which 107 resulted fa-
tally, while the number of cases re
| ported during the present year up TO
date was 336, of which only SO resulted
in death. The number of cases of scar
let fever reported in 1895 was 220,
whereas only 10 cases have been re-
ported this year up to date, of which
only three proved fatal.
DR.. Stone said that the health de-
| partment was in sore need of an in
dex of the births and deaths. At an
| expense of $240 a copyist was hired
during the present year, who completed
an index down to the year 1890 The
births had not been touched. DIR. Stone
also asked for an increase in his force.
He had only two men who could be
sent out to investigate complaints Of
nuisances. Not more than one third Of
the city could be cared for properly by
the two men during the entire year
During the present year these two
health officers had made something
over 1000 callS-one of them 1928 and
the other 7,1S0 calls.
DR. Stone added that ST. Paul had a
remarkably low death rate Last
month it was lower than that of any
city in the world.
DR.. Abbott added his testimony 10
support the statements Of Dr. Stone,
as to the work accomplished by the
health department.
Comptroller McCardy pointed out
that on the eighty per cent basis. the
health department would have S.. 200
available at once plus a balance on
hand of 81, 400, making $S, 600, and by
adding $1,000 to be received from the
collection of delinquent taxes, the total
would reach $780, which amount
would be about 5000 in excess of the
estimate Of $3.50.
DR.. Abbott-We had better put the
additional money into the estimate
than into the undertakers' pockets.
move that the estimate be increased to
$1,000.
item, though Comptroller McCardy op-
posed reconsideration.
Aid Bigelow moved that 81, 600 be
added to the estimate
Mr.. Ben1ent seconded the motion and
added that he would like to give the
department enough to enable it to con-
tinue its work
Aid. Bigelow's motion prevailed by q
vote of nine to one. Comptroller Nc
Cardy voting in the negative
The committee next considered the
twentieth item, appropriating ST., SOC
for the judgment fund, and adopted ii
| without discussion.
The twenty-frst item, appropriating
$6,00e for the printing, advertising and
stationery, was adopted. Comptrolle.
McCardy accounted for the material
reduction Of this item with the state
nent that there was balance in the
fund Of about $4,000.
F 1TffetBacommittee also adopted the
twenty-second item, appropriating $12,-
SIS. for the municipal court fund.
The twenty-third item, appropriating