The Hillsdale standard. [volume] (Hillsdale, Mich.) 1851-1909, 1899-02-07
DEADLY CONSUMPTION.
Necessity for Legislation to Con.
troll the Disease.
EASY TO RESTRICT AND PREVENT.

EASY TO RESTRICT AND PRENENT.
Work of the State Board of Health and
Its Results, as Observed by Our Corre-
spondent at Lansing-The Helme Bill
for the Taxation of Copper Produced Mt
Mines-Proposed Repeal of the Beet
Sugar Bounty Bill.
Lansing, Mich, Feb. For a number
OF years the state hoard Of health has
laid great stress on the necessity for
greater care in the treatment Of per-
sons sick with consumption and the
need of state hospital for consump-
tives. 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 we'll 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 it's restriction and preven-
tion require such spreading Of informa-
tion and such cooperation OF all classes
Of people as can be had only through
legislation based upon those important
facts relative to the disease which have
been thoroughly established in sanitary
science.
Timely Recommendations.
The board has renewed it's recon-
mendations in this connection to the
present legislature, and has asked for
law requiring the more prompt and
thorough reporting OF consumption TO
the local health officers. That these
recommendations are altogether timely
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 call
endar year. These statistics are based
on the sworn reports of township and
city clerks. and they show that out Of
a total of 2S,6S9 deaths in Michigan last
year, 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.
For q number of years / have been a
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 abolishment
| Of the board, am more thoroughly con-
Yinced than ever that Michigan makes
no investment from which its citizens
| as q whole derive greater returns than
! 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. / 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,
| cials, or have been interfered with ir
| their schemes which prSnlsed 10 jeop-
| ardize the lives and health of the citi-
| zens OF the state The taxpayers oi
| Michigan will make sad mistake II
| they permit the work Of this department
| to be curtailed in any particular.
| Taxation of Mines.
| From consumption to mining Is ar
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 person!
to the subject of the taxation of mines
No ons. IL is believed Will undertake L
seriously maintain that the vast min
ing properties with which Michigan
abounds pay the state anything like
the revenue that should be received
from this source. Previous to 1891 thil
state imposed a specific tax on copper
and iron. the rate on copper being th'
ridiculousy small one OF IS cents ton
The legislature Of 1891 repealed that Law
and provided for the assessment OF min
ing property the same as any othe,
property That this law is not a sue
cess from the standpoint OF the stat,
needs no further demonstration thar
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 10
Gated other valuable copper mines. &
only s42. 900 Oo0 Senator Helme will thi
week Introduce a bill providing for I
specific tax OF l cent pound on coppe
that markets for IL cents a pound an
so cents a ton on all ore that market
ut 500 ton. Governor -Pingree had
scheme TO assess copper stocks, but h
has eoncmced that the plan OF tn
Helme bill is better than that.
Annual Revenue OF &2.60o,00o.
It fs figured that this bill would brinI
the state an annual revenue from
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