The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1904-10-26
WIDEMOyEMENT
For Better Conditions and in the Dis
semination Of Information in
Regard to Dangers
and Safeguards
BY Paul Kennedy.

within the past two years IN this coun-
try has recently been given fresh i'm
petus BY the active cooperation which
the Central Federated Union Of New
York has rendered to the Committee
on The Prevention Of Tuberculosis, and
BY the opportunity which those two
committees now have in conjunction for
placing before all Of the locals Of the
Central Federated Union information
in regard to the dangers and the safe
guards 81 which much more must be
generally difTused before an adequate
handling Of the difficulties Of the situa-
ton in New York can be hoped for.
In the city OF New York, as indeed
in all large cities, the situation is very
bad, notwithstanding the fact that
great improvements have been made
So great, in fact, that the death rate
from tuberculosis Tor the old city of
New York is now over 40 per cent
smaller than it was in 1881. This re-
duetion means that last year with
population of 2,1s6,000 there were act
ially 122 fewer deaths than there had
been from the same causes in 1881 with
a population of 100000. This re-
duction having taken place largely in
those parts of the city which were the
healthiest and where reduction was
least needed, and, in addition, the inn
proyement having been least at those
ages where consumption IS overwhelm-
ingly important as canse of death,
a feeling of satisfaction is not to be
too freely INDUCED in, and hope for the
future may only be had as these results,
tremendous as they are in certain par
ticulars, may point sure course along
which our efforts may be directed ia
the future.
Great az il the problem in the city
OF New York, great have been the
achievements. The board Of health has
bv its persistent and effective efforts
gained for itself ain enviable reputation
in other states and countries which have
been trying to reduce the ravages Of
this great white plague this disease
tot The tenements.
The new tenement house department
has contributed a considerable portion
to the general good by exposing to the
public gaze the foul conditions under
which portion Of the population we're
compelled to live, by letting in sunlight
into many of the old dark, interior bed
rooms, and by enforcing without fear or
favor and with the vigorous endorse
ment Of well-nigh all the citizens, the
provisions of the tenement-h house law
which do away with the filthy air shaft
and abominable school sink, that re-
qilire that every room shall have a win
dow and every apartment its water
closet
These and small parks, the enforce
ment of child labor law, and better
wages have, with many other forward
movements. consciously or not helped
to reduce the ravages Of tuberculosis in
New Cork City, but still this captain
Of the men of death" takes off nearly
one third of all the workingmen who
die between the ages of Is and A years.
Still it forces the stricken trade union
man down through the wasting months
Of his sickness from full earning capaei-
ty through period when less and less
can he command strength for his usual
work, and when more and more he needs
that strength that he may secure extra
nourishment and perhaps fresh air in
more expensive rooms until, in not a few
instances, through descending scale Of
employments he at last reaches the
point Of actual dependency.
tuberculosis is indeed the great enc
my Of society, working its greatest
havoc among laboring men and causing
direcct loss in sick benefits to the I'M
ions whihc must be tremendous a loss
which with the present limited methods
of classification unfortunately can not
be ascertained.
1t was with realization Of this that
the Central Federated Union took up the
fight few months ago, instructing its
committee on sanitation TO actively co
operate with the Committee on the Pre-
vention of tuberculosis for the Charity
Organization Society. Since then nnm
erous talks upon tuberculosis have been
given before various locals Of the Cen
trail Federated Union, and arrangements
are now being made for a thorough and
systematic discussion of the Importance
OF this question to trade union men be-
fore a much larger number of the local
unions These discussions, for such they
really are, the audience often putting
questions and talking almost as much
as the speaker Of the evening, have very
little of the medical about them, the
aim being to bring out the facts which
So Is important for the layman to UNI
leistand, such as tn prevalence Of the
disease the danger Of splitting, the value
of fresh air, warning against "sure
cures. and directions as 70 the proper
treatment Of the disease.
Ignorance IS the great ally Of tubercn-
losis. II is confidently expected, there
fore. that we shall see no uncertain rel
suits from tile spread Of this movement
among other trade unions in New York
and other cities Already muceh has
been done along these lines by the I'M
ions ii Boston III cooperation with the
Boston Society for tia Relief and CON
troll 81 tuberculosis II il to be hoped
that similar work will be taken up IN
Chicago, Milwaukee, SIT Louis, Cleve-
land, and other centres where syste-