Audubon Republican. [volume] (Audubon, Iowa) 1894-1925, 1901-10-24
NOTES FROM THE CAPITAL

Iowa, according to the report of Sec
rotary ]. +. Kennedy, of the state
board of health just filed with Gov
ernor Shaw and Alas cases in the
biennial period 1900-1901. IN the first
period there were deaths in twelve
cases and thirteen deaths in the last
period. Altogether there were 4,79i
cases and % deaths. Secretary Ken
nedy is of the opinion that the small
pox of this winter will not be more
extensive or more deadly than that
OF the last two years. But six coun-
ties in the state escaped epidemics
of the disease in the last four years.
They We're Delaware, Grundy, Jack
son, Mills, Louisa and Warren. HAM
ilton county suffered the worst dur
ing the quadrennium, having 433
cases; Appanoose had 395; Guthrie,
PCS; Webster, 204; Boone, ZIG: Mo-
mona, ISL; Wapello, 1877; Humboldt,
1876; Marshall, 116; Benton, 1876; Cass.
lO7; while none of the other counties
had TO exceed 100 cases. Deaths oc
Cured as follows: Lyon county. 4:
Cass, Jefferson, Poweshiek, 2 each.
Appanoose, Benton, Buena Vista, Ger
ro Gordo, Davis. Fremont, Henry.
Lucas, Marshall. Monona, Plymouth.
Scott, Story, Wright, l each.
The Des Moines, Iowa Falls and
Northern Railroad company has filed
a trust deed to the Colonial Trust
company of New York, conveying it's
property to secure bond issue. This
is the company that is now engaged
in the construction of railroad be-
tween Des Moines and Iowa Falls. The
deed natures in thirty years and pro-
vides for an issue of bonds at the rate
OF $16,O0O,0O0 per mile, the bonds to
be delivered by and the money turned
over to the railroad company as fast
as the road is completed. 1t is un-
derstood that arrangements have
been made for financing the. entire
road, together with extensions that
may be made beyond Iowa Falls in
conformity with the plan of the COM
pany to build eventually to Usage.
The company has now completed and
has in operation a line ten miles out
o. Iowa Falls and will be operating
trains to junction with the Milwail-
kee road this fall: Next spring il is
intended to complete the road to Ber-
wick, from which point trains will be-
operated into Des Moines over the
Chicago Great Western tracks until
such a time as the company can Sc
cure an adjustment of differences en-
countered in securing right of way
into Des Moines.
The annual report of the civil engi-
neer, Charles Francis, to the state
board of health has been filed with
Governor Shaw. 1t says that ST.
Louis can lave no complaint against
Chicago ON account of the sewage
that passes by ST. Louis via the canal,
the Illinois river ana the Mississippi,
for st. Louis is emptying her sewage
into the Mississippi to be carried oil
down by other cities. He asserts,
however, that such method of dis
posing of sewage is wholly wrong,
and, as it is entirely unnecessary in
that section, 1t is very nearly Grim
inal." Engineer Francis predicts that
eventually cities will be compelled by
federal statutes TO keep their sewage
out of rivers. His solution of the
problem would be the establishment
of filtration plants. For Davenport,
typical city of 10000, which disposes
of its sewage by sewers entering the
Mississippi and her garbage by dump
ing it by boat into the current of the
river. he would buy 100 acres Access
sible and at reasonable price. In
sixty acres he would esta blish eight
filter beds of seven and one-half acres
each. This would enable each bed to
work one day and rest seven. The
plant would filter and dispose of the
sewage of city of 10000 people in
definitely. The efliuent from the beds
would be almost pure water. The
other sixty acres of the farm he
would irrigate with the rich sewage
and use for truck gardening, the reve-
nues from which would support the
sewage disposal plant.
Secretary ]. J.. Kennedy of the
state board of health has decided to
recommend TO the legislature that the
law relating to the gathering of vital
statistics be materiallv changed. The
vital statistics of Iowa he regards as
sadly inaccurate and unreliable. The
return of births and deaths is made
by assessors. Formerly it was made
by physicians. There is no penalty
for failure to return. The secretary
suggests that either a penalty for not
making accurate returns be enforced
against the assessors, or that the
business of making reports be re-
turned to the physicians and they be
allowed compensation for making
them. The record of marriages is
kept practically complete by the IL
cense system.
Auditor OF State Merriam has COM
pleted the first accurate footings of
the assessment Of property in Iowa
for this year. The total is $685. $685.
269. The total assessment is divided
as follows and compared with 1900:
1901. 1900.
Realty .......si05, 590,1s5 1898, 250,sss
Personally =. 104,030,797 9s,s56,1s5
Railroads and
sleepingc cars 47,32S,452 4s,ls1 500
Telegraphs
and tele- So
phones 49,. 1,3oo.24s 1,2o6, $50
Express ...... 1857 244,97O
Last year the total assessment was
$539,753,759. In 1899 the total was
$500, ,9o5.
The state law required the execu-
tive council to fix such tax levy in
mills this year as would raise $780,
900 next year on the assessment Of
this year. The council recently fixed
the levy at 2.7 mills. This will raise
81 ,5o7, 972.
The State Epworth League conven-
tion will be held at Hampton Novem-