St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1896-01-01
CONFERENCE COMMITTEE TANGI.
BLY, REDUCES THE TAX Es-
INNATE FOR 1SO6.
A BACILLI HUNTING PLANT
IS ALLOWED THE HEALTH De-
PARTMENT AT THE COST
OF SALARIES.
coSFEREEs ARE ALL THROUGH
And Only Two Items In the Esti.
mate Were Increased-The
Cut Is General. u

The conference committee finished
with the tax estimate yesterday after
noon. The net saving effected by the
committee on the entire estimate
amounts to $l62544. The total reduce
tions footed up $l73,244 and the increases
aggregated only $10,700.
There were only two items left for the
conference committee to consider yes-
terday, the health department fund and
the general fund. The latter was adop-
ted as it stood without discussion, but
DR.. Stone had something to say before
the health department estimate was
passed upon.
DIR. Stone explained to the committee
in one OF the most concise and forcible
statements made before that body the
needs of the health department The
comptroller's estimate provided for q,
total of $4,000 for the department, di4
Vided as follows Commissioners sall
airy, $2,4OO; assistant commissioner saI{
ary, Sl,200; other employees salary, 81, ,000i
office expenses, $500. The Parker rel
trenchment committee recommended
that the force be reduced TO one health
commissioner at 81, 400, one health officers
and one meat inspector at 1920 eachs
and one bookkeeper at $500; total 81, ,4OO.I
Before DR.. Stone spoke Mr.. Wheeloch
moved that the salaries of the healthl
department employees be reduced 10 per-
cent. After the doctor had finishedl
Mr Wheelock withdrew his motion DR..
Stone said to the committee: q
Some time ago / sent in a communfS
cation asking for $1,000 for the health
department instead of 100000. In this
connection let me relate a little historya
In 1890, the salary list of this departs
ment amounted TO ST., 1861 AZ; In 1891 thS
salaries were SIS, ,443. SO; in 1892 SO. .279 az
IN 1899, $1O,5T9.S4; in 1894. ss,S62 80, and
In 1895. when / made cut OF 20 per cent?
the salaries amounted to SS,13299 n
/; Il took charge of the health departt
nent March II, 1895, and when, shortly
afterwards, the city comptroller ind
formed me that $3,115.19 had alreadY
heen expended, leaving a little over
%, ooO for salaries, / kept my force downl
1 during the summer months to six emf
pioyes, instead of increasing it as had
pSen the custom. The result was that
al my inspectors were compelled to do
the work of health officers. During ths
smallpox scare last spring they worked
from fourteen to nineteen hours a day1
rms department has been cut CONSTANT
ly. 1t
HAS BEEN CRIPPLED,
crippled and crippled, and as conse9
quence 1t Is today Inefficient"
Dr. Stone then laid before the COM,
mlftee the pressing necessity for pro-f
Vlding enough money to establish and
MAINTAIN archaeological laboratory,
Inc natural topography Of the city of
st. Paul rendered 1t a healthy place;
but 1t could be made the healthiest
city in the country.
The object of laboratory" contfn-
ued DR.. Stone, rs to prevent dis
ease. Take typhoid fever for in,
stance. 1t is communicated ONLY byi
what passes into the mouth. There
fore 1t Is impossible to trace any cases.
OF typhoid fever unless we have facil-t
tiles for examining or testing the fluids
that people have consumed | may saw
that our we'll water is the cause of 99l
per cent of our typhoid fever Sup
pose that sample of suspected water
is sent to US. We have no means Of
determining whether 1t is infected andi
consequently We cannot close the,
well.'
DR.. Stone also explained the value of
a laboratory in making tests in cases.
OF diphtheria, and illustrated how the
quarantine which now lasts thirtyi
days might be raised much sooner and,
considerable money saved thereby. All
laboratory would also enable thei
health department to test the milk Of
tuberculous cattle, which conveys otheri
diseases than consumption and is thei
cause of hundreds Of deaths among
children.
DR.. Stone then dwelt upon the needl
Of portable disinfecting plant The
present mode of disinfecting by thel
use OF chemicals, burning sulphur, etc.n
destroyed enough clothing to pay for
two portable dislnfecting plants, which,
cost from $500 to $1,000 each The
steam process, however, disinfectedl
Dr.. Stone referred once more to thej
need of laboratory for testing the
diseased beef shipped into ST. PAUL.
The doctor said that lumpy-jawed cat-1
tie were i
BEING KILLED sURREPTITI-
OUSLY
in the suburbs and the meat sold int
st. Paul Z
In conclusion, Dr. Stone said that
the department required an ambulancej
for conveying cases of contagious andi
infectious diseases to the hospital, as
he had put stop to the practice of
conveying them in upholstered vehi-ii
cles. II
A discussion followed. Mr.. BemenS
agreed that laboratory was greatly
needed. Mr.. McCardy thought that
the board Of control intended to es-i
tablish one at the city hospital, butt
DR.. Ancker explained that fuily
equipped laboratory had not beeni
asked for, but that 1t was intended to-
put in stationary disinfecting plantd
for the purpose of disinfecting theI
clothing and other fabric exposed tol
contagious diseases at the city hospi5
tai. a
This being the case, the committee
decided not to grant the request of
the health department for a portable,
disinfecting plant. q
DR.. Stone estimated that a bacterioS
logical laboratory would cost 81, 200, toI
establish, $500 to maintain It for onel
year and that the employment of onei
assistant to DR.. Rothrock would cost
5000 year more, making total. OF,
$2,4O0.
Dr. Stone informed the committee
that there was balance on hand inf
bis department amounting to $1,000s
Mr. Bement moved that an item Of
s2,40e be inserted In the estimate fori
the establishment and maintenance OF
q meteorological laboratory. Il
Dr. Abbott amended the motion bN
substituting s1,400 In view OF the ball..
ance of $1,000.