The San Francisco call., 1899-03-18
QUARANTINE REGULATIONS.

THE necessity for State and Federal cooperation
in quarantine has been admitted by both Federal
and local authority. The exercise OF quarantine
powers by municipalities within the States is OF doubt
iul utility.
1t is admitted in behalf OF the Board OF Health OF
this city that authority should be by the Legislature
concentrated in the State Board OF Health This will
cure the present evil of splitting up control and re
ponsibilty and scattering them among the cities and
counties OF the State making all sanitary supervision
50 much everybodys business that in time OF need It
is apt to be nobody's business The yellow teVer
States on the Gull OF Mexico and our South Aatlan-
nc seqboard have had this whole question long before
them as a burning issue
Joseph Y Porter, NJ. D., State Health Officer OF
Florida in a communication to the Committee on
Commerce. of the United States Senate last year SAID
1t can be said with truthful postveness that some
OF the methods introduced by the Marine Hospital
Service or by the authority OF the Supervising Sur
veyor General OF that service, njudicious and,
however honestly intended, had as much If not
greater effect in creating panic and commercial dis
ster in the States of Louisiana Mississippi, Alabama
and Texas during the last autumn as did the failure
to maintain proper regulations by the various State
Boards OF Health OF those States, failure which, IS
but Justice to those Boards of Health to say, was due
TO the defectveness OF their several State statutes
upon the subject Any one who will care
disease introduction and suppression OF cases they
arise and before epidemic of the same ensues can
not ail to be impressed with these factsrst that it
is State duty to provide adequate legislation for the
purpose; second, experienced and conservative men
only should administer the statutes through and by
we'll equipped State Board OF Health"
Dr. John NJ. Williamson, in paper State quar-
antine read at Il conference OF the local Boards OF
Health in this city in 1897, said 1T IS enlnently
proper criticize with severity the apathy and dere-
ction shown by the State OF California in not having
provided its principal port modern and complete
facilities for the exercise OF quarantine and partcu-
ary in the matters OF disinfection and fumgation
These declarations should be sufficient to demon
strate the need OF the presence OF the State in CO
operation with the Federal Government
Before a Federal quarantine officer placed here,
following the opening OF the quarantine station by the
Federal Government Angel Island injected
skip had to lie in the stream, her we'll passengers
cooped UP with the sick her mails and cargo held
on board, until the quarantine period was passed.
II she were Pacific liner she lost her sailing day. her
owners lost the use of her and shippers and passen-
gers were curtaled in the convenences of travel and
commerce.
This had gone on for years because there was no
quarantine station where her passengers could be
landed the sick and well separated mails fumgated
and cargo and ship disnfected and the vessel made
ready for prompt docking in time for her outsaing
date 1t will be seen, then that in its operation here
exclusive local jurisdiction was so ineficienty
equipped that it restraint upon trade and bar
to commerce. while afordng less protection than il
should TO the public health.
AS there is quarantine station provided by
the United States let the State do its duty put itself
in line FOR cooperation and increase its own safety
by concentrating local authority in one place.
1t must not be forgotten that if our courts should
hold utterly against the Federal presence in quaran-
tine matters and Federal jurisdiction should entirely
recede after all effective quarantine without embar
RAISING trade could only be had by using the Federal
station Angel Island This fact is sufficient TO in
Gcae the absolute necessity for Federal and State
operation