Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-11-10

| with the result that nonresident insane
have been returned to nineteen states and
| six foreign countries Your attention Is
called to the Municipal Hospital question
1 and recommendation that buildings be pro-
vfded for inebriates, incurables and con-
| sumptives. To reduce hoodlumtsm and
| crime among the unemployed, minors and
| truants, the establishment of public play
| grounds under the auspices of the Associat-
| ed Charities is commended. This work has
! been done under and at private expense.
| The District should provide Fairgrounds as
| well as parks. There should be no further
| delay on the part of Congress in providing
| funds for the erection of municipal house
| for the aged. otherwise known as aims
| mouse A site has Jeen purchased, 1t is an
| ideal one. ample in size not only for the
| home but for all eleemosynary and penal
| institutions now on the eastern border of
| our city. Your body has urged this item
at all times on members of Congress. Our
| Commissioners are with you on the aims
| house question Urge on them the removal
| OF the Jail and workhouse, for your fair
city Is retarded in growth eastward by
| these Objectionable buildings and their in
| mates. Many questions for the betterment
| of the conditions of our worthy poor and
| for the correction of the habits of the Grim
| mai classes are discussed in the report of
| this committee. The members of this
| board should read its report and aid by per-
sonal investigator and then by advice 10
this committee.
Increase in Insurance Rates
The business men of Washington-that is
| to say, the men who pay the excessive per-
sonal tax: the men who are most liberal to
all charitable enterprises; the men whose
doors stand wide open and which are en-
| tered by every man or woman having a SUBJ
scription book-have had thrust upon them
in the last two years another excessive tax
| IN the way of a % per cent increase on in
surance rates. by excessive re-rati and
many other undesirable regulations 1t is
not necessary at this point to call your at
tent1on to the amount Of loss by fire which
has been sustained by all persons in the
District. Your attention. however will be
called In the future to the small amount of
losses which have been paid by the several
insurance companies of the city in compari-
son with the enormous amounts of money
which have been collected by them in ex-
cessiVe premiums.
1T seems to me to be unjust to any per-
son who has been guaranteed immunity
from loss by fire to be charged one hun
dred cents for immunity for a period of one
year with a guarantee that fair amount
OF that sum would be returned at the end of
the year, to receive then only fifteen cents
out of the one hundred. This is a parallel
case to the conditions now concerning the
business men of this city with reference to
loss by fire as against premiums paid for
guarantee. l present this fact to you hop
Ing that the new committee on insurance
will take it up and that it will investigate
and report to a meeting of the Board of
Trade on this subject.
Medical inspection of schools has become
q law and is now in force. The suggestion
of quarantine station as acted upon by
this committe has been enacted into law,
and the old smallpox hospital has been set
aside for this purpose. This committee has
inaugurated a series of lectures in public
schools. Fourteen lectures were given last
winter. 1t is it's intention to continue this
work and to give more than fifty lectures
before the public schools this winter by
knn RI fhn lilo a-tG Of
the subject they will discuss, who give their
time and knowledge free, the only expense
attending these lectures being for printing
and for exhibition slides.
"a fund is now being raised by private
subscription to pay all the expenses incur
red in this good work.
THE handling of lunacy cases. prior to
actual commitment in the District of Co
lumbia As far from satisfactory. and it is
hoped that the attention of Congress will
be so directed to the necessity for proper
law, advocated by the committee on
health Of the Board of Trade. that relief
Will be given at this next session.
"A law for the destruction of unsanitary
dwellings in the District is needed. The
prevention of tuberculosis is possible, and,
If necessary. a law should be enacted with
provisions that will prevent the spread of
that disease. 1t Is urgently recommended
that all cases of consumption be reported
to the health officer of the District, in the
same manner as are cases of typhoid fever
in order that their number and location
may be definitely ascertained, so that suit
able instructions may be given to the pa-
tent and to those exposed to the disease
necessary to prevent its spread. These
only few of the matters of public hygiene
which have been taken up and are being
urged by this committee. To fully acuuaint
yourself with it's work read their report
The Public Library
On Wednesday, January Z, 1903. at
o'clock pm, the new Public Library build
ing, on Mount Vernon square, was turned
over by the building commission, through
H. B. F. Macfarland. its president to
Theodore w. Noyes, as president of the
trustees of the Public Library and pre-
scented to the citizens of Washington in the
presence of the donor. Mr.. Andrew Car
negie; the President of the United States
and a large assembly of distinguished citi-
zens, with impressive and BETTING cere-
monies
THUS began the report of the committee
on Public Library. l would be taking up
too much of your time to dwell upon this
report and the other reports l will call
your attention to, as ii would too long
continue the consideration of the presi-
dents report / call your attention to this
report, however, and ask that it be read
as 1T is history of the effort made by pub
lic-spirited citizens of Washington to es-
tablish a library, giving its history in full
to date.
I'VE are all proud of our new library
putting. II is situated IN almost the CEN
ter of the city of Washington both as to
geographical location as we'll as the center
of population. 1t has a most impressive no.
sition in the center of two of our principal
avenues, and is one of the beautiful sights
Of Washington. 1t gives all great pleasure
to look at 1t every time they pass Its ex-
terror today. however, is not to be com
pared with its beautiful interior. Every
one turns his face toward this beautifnl
interior. which will brighten the minds and
future Of every applicant. Every effort
should be made by this board to encourag e
large appropriations by Congress for its
support and to induce those who have large
or small collections of books to remember
the institution while they live by a dona- |
ton or by paragraph in their wills giving |
to the Carnegie Library their valuable col.
lectionS.
Public Order and Prosperity.
The prosperity of the country has work
ed against Washington. Congress appro- |
priated a sufficient sum of money and au-
thorized an increase in the number of ma
trolmen. but the compensation offered. to |
wit, $12O per year, or $50 month, has not |
been great enough to induce the class of |
men required by the police regulations to !
apply Tor positions the force If hoe |