The Owosso times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1897-1926, 1899-02-10
DEADLY CONSUMPTION.
Necessity for Legislation to Con.
troll the Disease.
EASY TO RESTRICT AND PREVENT.


spondent at Lansing-The Helme Bill
for the Taxation of Copper Produced at
Mines-Propos Repeal of the Beet
Sugar county Bill.
Lansing, Mich, Feb. 7.-For a number
of years the state board Of health has
laid >Preat stress on the necessity for
greater care in the treatment of per-
sons sick with consumption and the
need of state hospital for consump-
lives. In this connection the board has
called attention to the fact that now
that the specific cause of this disease
is known, and the several ways in which
| the disease is spread are also known,
and the measures for the restriction of
the disease are SO well understood, the
most important being the destruction of
the sputa of every consumptive person,
consumption Is believed to be one Of
the easiest diseases to restrict and pre-
! vent. But its restriction and preven-
ton require such spreading of Informal
ton and such cooperation OF all classes
of people as can be had only through
/ legislation based upon those important
been thoroughly established in sanitary
| science.
Timely Recomm endations.
The board has renewed its recon-
mendations in this connection to the
present legislature, and has asked for
a law requiring the more prompt and
thorough reporting of consumption to
the local health officers. That these
md la a1 ell
and important is fully demonstrated
by the statistics just completed by the
secretary of state showing the number
of deaths in Michigan for the last CAL
endar year. These statistics are based
on the sworn reports of township and
city clerks. and they show that out Of
total of $50 deaths in Michigan last
ear, 2,456 were from consumption,
which disease led all the rest, causing
more death than typhoid fever, diph-
iberia and Group, scarlet fever, measles,
whooping cough and diarrhoetic dis
eases of children all combined. In view
of this fact the necessity for legislation
that will enable the board to handle this
disease to the best possible advantage
need not be enlarged upon.
Cry Against Board of Health.
somewhat careful and almost daily OBJ
server of the work Of the state board of
health and its results, and notwith-
standing the fact that there are never
wanting those who appeal to each sue
ceeding legislature for the adjustment
Of the board, am more thoroughly con-
WINGED than ever that Michigan makes
no investment from which it's citizens
a a or
that which goes to maintain this board.
and 1t is my deliberate judgment that
there is no branch Of work carried on
under state auspices that could not be
better dispensed with than the work
this board is doing. I have on my
tongues end the names Of those who
are persistently crying for the abolish
ment or Gripping of this department,
and in every instance they are those of
individuals who have either been
prodded by the board for not doing
their duty as physicians or health off,
Gals, or have been interfered with in
their schemes which promised to jeop-
ardize the lives and health Of the citi-
zens of the state The taxpayers of
Michigan will make sad mistake If
they permit the work of this department
Taxation of Mines.
From consumption to mining is an
easy descent, as both land their follow
ers under ground. The recent sensa-
tional advance in copper stocks has di-
rected the attention of many persons
to the subject of the taxation of mines
No one, it is believed, will undertake to
seriously maintain that the vast min
ioan
abounds pay the state anything like
the revenue that should be received
from this source. Previous to 1891 this
state imposed a specific tax on copper
and iron, the rate on copper being the
ridiculousy small one of rs cents ton.
The legislature of 1891 repealed that law
and provided for the assessment OF min
ing property the same as any other
property. That this law is not a sue
cess from the standpoint of the state
needs no further demonstration than
the statement that the total assessed
valuation of the county of Houghton,
in which the great Calumet and Hec-
la mine is situated, and in which is To-
Gated other valuable copper mines, Is
only s42, 600, 600. Senator Helme will this
week Introduce bill providing for a
specific tax of 1 cent pound on copper
that markets for IA cents a pound and
60 cents q ton on all ore that markets
at 500 a ton. Governor Pingree had a
scheme to assess copper stocks, but he
has concluded that the plan of the
Helme bill is better than that.
Annual Revenue of $2.5OO,OOO.
1t is figured that this bill would bring
the state an annual revenue from
copper and iron mines Of about $780,
600. Some of the supporters ofth Chew
er-Atkinson equal taxation bill say
that the specific tax plan should not be
| adopted for the reason that should the
output Of the mines be stopped by rea-
| son of a strike or from any other causes,
| the state would get no revenue so long
as this condition continued. These
persons favor including this class OF
property in the Cheever- Atkinson bill,
and they declare that this plan would
increase the assessed valuation OF
Houghton county from s42,OO00o0 to
5000. 600. coo. 1t is safe to say that out
of all this agitation there Will be
evolved some scheme for making the
| mn. residents who own by far the great