The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1904-07-15
WILL RID STATE
OF SMALLPOX
pS DR.. W. W. OWENS BELIEF.
r STATE BOARD OF HEALTH
.,-.xTs AUTHORITY AND MONEY.

NJ Owens BACK from "'"'
where He Appeared Before APP
,rouriation Committee and Gen
oil Judiciary Committee in In
.res+ of Board of Which He Is "a
..,,her-Board Given Only $4,000
LAT Year and Has Asked for
100000 from This Session of Leg
ikIature.
mr. w. w. Owens, one of the mem
&c of the State Board of Health,
Tho appeared before the committees
If the Legislature, returned home yes
4ordav morning, confident that the
General Assembly will materially in
crease the appropriation for the COM
Inc year, and give the board police au-
+boritv to enforce it's regulations. The
concentration for this year, the first
nj the boards existence, was only 3d.
ma and $4,000 has been asked for at
this session.
If the proper police authority is given
the board and the desired appropria-
+ton is made, DR.. Owens is confident
smallpox can be stamped out of the
state within a comparatively short time.
He believes the board will be of vast
benefit to the state, though he frank
" acknowledges that very little was
accomplished this year, because of the
small appropriations. With total APP
preparation of $4,000, the active physi-
clan of the board and the secretary re
ceived $1,000, leaving the ridiculously
small sum of $1,000 with which to fight
disease throughout the state.
Must Increase Appropriation.
Il told the committee" said DIR. Ow-
ems. that the board might just as
we'll be abolished, if the appropriation
was not increased and police authority
given"
The amount asked for was small
enough, DR.. Owens thought, but with
that sum and the power that it is pro-
posed to give the board, he thinks
wonderful work can be accomplished.
The act creating the board, he said,
was drawn and passed in a hurry, and
there were consequently many defects,
which will have to be remedied. The
board appeared before the Judiciary
Committee of the Legislature in order
to try and get these amendments
through.
There is no provision in the original
act for the enforcement of the regula-
tons of the board. In one case, where
it is stated violators of certain regu-
lations may be indicted, no specific
punishment is mentioned. and the
clause, therefore, does not hold.
Counties are allowed under the act
tn hut If NV
kicks about it, the official buying it
must pay for it himself. The Governor
is empowered to purchase vaccine and
pay for it out of the contingent fund,
says DR.. Owens, but that fund is not
an elastic one, and cannot be drawn
on to any great extent.
just What Is Wanted.
Under the amendments proposed,
which DR.. Owens believes will be pass
ed the board is given authority to
declare and maintain guarantees, to
enforce vaccination and to compel
counties or municipalities to purchase
vaccine points, when it is needed.
The board is also given the authority
to appoint a temporary health officer,
to be paid by the county or town
where he serves, whenever such an
officer is needed. With these proVi-
sions and the appropriation asked for,
Dr. owens is confident that smallpox
can be wiped out of Georgia within
few years.
He points to the way Havana was
cleaned of yellow fever and calls at
tention to the fact that there is no
sure preventive of the fever, while
vaccination will prevent smallpox. He
thinks there is no doubt that the task
can be accomplished and believes it
will be done if the board is given the
money and authority. In regard to the
authority it has been proposed to give
the board, DIR. Owens says the board
will, of course, act in harmony with
all local health officials.
WcstmOreIand Was Mistaken.
In regard to the statement of DR..
Willis Westmoreland of the board, be-
fore the Appropriation Committee of
the House. which inferred that South
Georgia was infested with smallpox
far more than other portions of the
state, DR.. Owens said he thought DR..
Westmoreland was simply honestly
mistaken.
He had probably gathered his data
from reports of towns, said DR.. Owens,
and been able to get the reports from
the cities and towns in this section of
the state, while he had not secured
them so completely from others. He
thought DR.. Westmoreland's state
ment unfortunate. but did not believe
ne had purposely cast a slur on South
Georgia.