The age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1897-1902, 1902-01-06
Committee Makes Important Re-
port Pan American Congress
WANT NATIONAL QUARANTINE
Declares in Favor of Establishing :
Commission at Washington
and Also to Hold a Sani-
tary Convention.

Mexico City, January 5.-The committee
on international sanitary regulations OF
the Pan American conference will report
this week unless the conference is broken
up by the differences over arbitration The
recommendations on sanitary matters are
perhaps of greater practical Importance
than any that have hitherto been submit
ted to the conference. The recommends
ton that will attract most attention in
the United States is that which looks to
the naturalization of quarantine. The re-
port recommends an international ar
fangement on the following basis:
The undersigned signatory republics,
desiring to lessen the burdens experienced
by the existing administration Of quaran-
tine regulations imposed upon interna-
tionaI intercourse and commerce on ac-
count OF the existence within their re-
spective sovereign limits of infectious or
/ contagious diseases, and convinced OF the
fact that international comfy in SANTA
ton and quarantine would tend greatly
to remove existing obstacles and promote
mutual interchange Of trade and COM
merce, as well as eradicate organic
causes Of contagious diseases thereby
protecting human life and adding to the
prosperity and development of those
places now imperiled by ravages of dis
ease, have agreed to recommend the fol-
| lowing resolutions to the earnest consid-
Grafton OF their respective governments:
| Maritime Quarantine.
| l: All matters relating to maritime quar-
antine should be intrusted to the national
| governments which shall have the sole
right to institute maritime quarantine; to
establish the necessary quarantine sta
| lions, both land and floating; to define
| the length OF time during which a vessel
may be detained and to adopt such
measures as may be deemed necessary to
prevent the introduction of contagious
disease.
2. In the ports of each of the signatory
states there should be established two
kinds of quarantine-first. the quarantine
!, of inspection or observation; and second.
the quarantine of detention and disinfec-
ton.
5. The signatory parties agree to
recommend that prohibitive quarantine
Of all kinds of new manufactured mer-
chandise between ports and territories of
the parties shall be abolished.
4. The signatory parties hereby agree
to cooperate with and tend every pos
sible effort to the municipal, provincial
or local authorities within their respective
limit to IL end that efficient and modern
sanitary conditions may be obtained in
all the ports and territories of each. that
quarantine restrictions may be diminish
ed to a minimum and finally abolished.
8. The signatory republics further agree
that 1t shall be the duty OF their respec-
tive health and quarantine organizations
to promptly notify the diplomatic or con-
sular representatives of the signatory re-
publics stationed within their territory of
the existence and progress within their
sovereign limits of the following diseases.
namely: Cholera, yellow fever, bubonic
plague smallpox or other serious pes
tilential outbreaks. 1t shall be the duty
OF the sanitary authorities in the respec-
tive ports to note on the bills of health
the transmissible diseases which may ex-
list In said ports prior to the sailing of
the vessel
Sanitary Convention Needed.
6. In order to bring health and quaran-
tine organizations more closely together
for mutual benefit ana international CO.
operation general convention of repre-
sentatives of these organizations shall be
provided for as hereinafter specified.
In order to promote the above aims it
is recommended that an international
sanitary convention shall be established,
| whose membership shall consist of not
| to exceed five delegates appointed by each
republic; said delegates to be selected
| from the respective health and quaran-
tine organizations of each republic so far
| as practicable
| Tint yaparal convention Of tI,esa daI-
egates shall be held once every two
years, in which convention one delegate
may represent more than one republic,
the voting to be by republics, each repub-
,lic represented having one vote in the
convention.
called by the President of the United
States Washington, d. c., one year after
date OF adoption of these resolutions by
the conference, and the meeting place or
places Of subsequent conventions shall
be determined by the general convention.
The executive board shall consist of
five members, to be elected by the gen
eral convention which with the surgeon
general of the marine hospital service of
the United States as chairman ex-oficio
shall maintain permanent international
sanitary bureau at Washington, D. c.
The functions Of the general convention
shall be advisory in character. They
| shall make fnanifeSt pfactlcal ana active
the latest scientific knowledge which the
world has obtained in sanitation to the
| end that the public health may be pro-
tected and that commerce may be facli-
tated.
Can Appoint Experts.
The general convention assembled or in
the interim the executive board shall
have the authority to appoint sub-com-
mittees or experts to investigate. in CO.
operation with local authorities into the
| sanitary condition OF ports or places
where pestilential diseases prevail and to
inquire into any other special conditions
affecting the health of the American re-
pubics and to maintain communication
|
No HoA~1