Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1901-09-03
WILL HAVE MANY KICKS.
The Troubles of the Twenty-Ninth
General Assembly.

DeS MoineS, Aug. 29.--Ihe twenty
ninth general assembly will have
more than the usual number of kicks
to ameliorate when it convenes in
January. Nearly every one of the b.
enniai reports OF state officers this
year will contain recommendations as
regards the respective Offices, a num-
Der OF them proposing radical changes
which the assembly will not
be able to decide upon without dis
cussing the subject at great length.
The most important question to
come up will be the redistricting of Che
state into congressional. senatorial |
and representative districts. Little
attention has been given this question
thus far, the general impression being
that but few changes are necessary.
The excess of population in the Tenth
and Eleventh districts is too great to
be overlooked, and counties on the
border line of these and adjoining dis
tricts have already begun to figure on
political and other conditions which |
surround the changes.
State Auditor Merriam stated this |
morning that he would recommend to
the legislators several changes in laws
relating to his Office, one or two OF
which will be vital, and which will to
a certain extent affect the present
plan of controlling the insurance bust
ness of Iowa. Mr.. Merriam refused
to go into particulars in regard to the
matter, stating thai he Hreferred the
announcement of his Sntentions to
come through the biennial report.
One of the changes to be recon-
mended is to come from j. H. kenne-
dy secretary of the state board OF
health, with regard to the matter of
collecting data and statistics for the
department.
The worthlessness of the present
law has been demonstrated by the re-
turns which the Office is now receiving
with regard to cases of smallpox and
other infectious diseases. Some time
ago township and city health officers
We're notified to report on postal cards
enclosed, the number of cases Of small
pox, diphtheria and scarlet fever I'M
der their supervision during the period
of time to be covered by the biennial
report. The answers are nearly all
in--or rather those that will be sent
| in because there are numbers of Off
GERS who pay no attention to official
requests.
| More than half of the replies receiv-
ed state that there have been no cases
of the diseases mentioned in their re-
spective townships or cities, while to
the certain knowledge of the board of
health number of the communities
from which such reports have been re-
turned were among the worst infected
places in the state. There is no law
| to compel these reports, and the board
| is at sea-
The state board of health receives
an annual appropriation of $4,000 from
the general assembly to be expended
in issuing bulletins. collecting data,
etc. The law requires that informa-
| ton be collected but gives the board
no power to compel reports or to pun
ish officers who fail to comply with
the requests sent out, or who wilfully
| falsify the returns i'll order to have the
particular community in which they
reside appear on the face Of the re-
turns to be more healthful than neigh
boring townships or counties.
Another change which Or. Kennedy
believes is needful is in the manner of
returning birth. death and marriage
returns. 1t was formerly required
that physicians make the return OF
births and deaths to the county clerk
under a penalty for non-fulfillment.
The physicians were lax in making
their reports and the county clerks
and grand juries were still more lax in
requiring them, and the result was
.. that very small percentage of the
births and deaths We're made matters
: of record.
Then the legislature changed the
plan entirely. and compelled the as
SCISSORS to take reports of births and
deaths when they made their annual
), rounds and make special reports to
the clerks. the county clerks to make
reports to the state board of health
; the same as before.
Two years or more of this system
has proven it to be of less value thar
the former one. The county clerks
: in state convention short time ago
passed resolution calling for {
,change in the law on the ground thai
/ the present system was inadequate
and for the further reason that i
I punched the work at ones time of the
year instead of dividing it up as i
would do if births and deaths were re
ported from time to time as they hap
pened.
The last report of the secretary o
the state board of health shows tina
t during one year that there We're bu
sixteen deaths in Marshall county
\ Other equally ridiculous statement
D are to be found in perusing the repor
n as compiled from the data at hand.
/ The average number of deaths il
+ the city of Des Moines is not less thai
n fifty per month or 600 annually. to sa,
y nothing of the territory outside TIL
D city, but inside of Polk county. Ye
Ii the report shows that in the year 1S9
Y there We're less than 400 deaths in tn
q entire county.
d Dr. Kennedy believes that Their
should be return to the old system
n but he also believes that in addition
a to the penalty prescribed for failur
e to report there should be an incentiv
L to make such reports by attaching
= fee. Many states pay rs cents for tn
y return of births and deaths. The tots
II number of births and deaths in an aN
e erage county in the state will not as
d gregate LOCO AT 20 cents for eac