Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-01-08
REPORTS CONSIDERED
Business Brought Before the
Board of Trade.
THE PUBLIC HEALTH
STATISTICS BY COMMITTEE IN
CHARGE OF SUBJECT.
Work Along the Line of Charities and
Corrections - A Buffet
Lunch Served

tngton Board OF Trade were present iaS'
evening at the monthly meeting. held IN
the ball room of the New Willard. Presl-
dent W. " Cox was in the chair. The
presentation of reports from the commit
tees on water supply parks and reserva-
TONS charities and corrections and the pub
lie health and discussions of them occupied
the evening until nearly 10 o'clock. when
Secretary Charles F. Weller of the Asso-
ciated Charities spoke on the crying need
for relief for the poor of the District who
we're forced by circumstances to live In
blind alleys and thereby contracted conta-
gious diseases He showed, by the use OF
stereopticon pictures, the conditions obtain
ing in the slums of Washington, and asked
that the board take immediate action to
interest Congress and have passed by that
body a bill condemning all blind alleys ana
opening them through from street 10 street.
The wretched conditions of the poor ne
said were provocative of consumption.
disease which alone carried off % per cent
of the people who died In the Dlslrlcl eaSli
year and added that in washington tne
death rate was higher than in any OF IortS
of the principal cities of the United states.
His talk was given the thanks by rlslhs
vote of the meeting.
Provokes Discussion.
Considerable discussion followed the re-
mort Of the committee on public health. sub
mitted by Dr. D. Percy Hickling, chairman.
IT was occasioned by a reference TO the
purchase by the government of the site near
the Soldiers Home for the purpose of erect
ing municipal hospital for the treatment
of general diseases. This proposition was
combated by several members notably DE-
Woodward, health officer of the DISTRICT,
and DR.. Hickling, both of whom 1aVOreu
the erection of a hospital on the site which
should be devoted exclusively to the treat
ment of pulmonary tuberculosis.
Dr. Woodward stated that not hospital
existed in the District where these cases
would be taken for treatment, and ADDED
that inasmuch as this disease alone was
responsible for a vast majority OF the
deaths each year in the District, he was OF
the firm belief that a hospital for the treat
ment of consumption was urgent need
and its erection should be urged upon Con-
gress. This view met with the approval of
a majority of the members OF the board,
and a motion to submit the proposition to
the Commissioners of the District, with a
recommendation that they take the matter
up with the proper congressional commit
tee, was carried.
A resolution to ask Congress to appropr-
ate a sum of money for the purchase of
the lot at the corner of 14th street and Co.
lumbia road and make of 1t a public park,
was carried without dissent. In line with
this, as a move toward the Improvement
of the general health of the people of the
District, there was motion made and car
ried to cordially ndorse the work of the
Associated Charities and the Citizens Re-
lief Association, and also suggesting adj
visibility of arranging for public lectures
on housing conditions in the city and the
prevention of consumption. $3.50.
The action of the District Commissioners
in approving the bill for an act to buy the
lot at 10th street (eXtended) and Kenesaw
avenue, for public park, was heartily in
dorsed as recognition of the principle long
ago advocated by the Board of Trade. The
resolution that introduced it voiced the SEN
timent of the board that this action was
the first step toward compliance with the
policy outlined by Congress in the act of
March 2, 1893, known as the highway act"
which provides for reservations, circles,
parks and the like at all diagonal street in
tersections, these parks to be of similar
dimensions to those at present existing in
the District.
Protest Entered
A vigorous protest was entered against
the proposed action as provided in the ma
val appropriation bill passed at the last ses-
sion of Congress, of erecting on the site of
the old Naval Observatory a naval hospi-
tai. The protesting members of the board
maintained that this splendid site was
part Of the Riverside Park scheme, and
that it should be reserved for those plans
and held vacant until such time when the
improvements of the city might call for the
erection thereon of a monumental building
in harmony with the original design of the
city.
After the discussion of business a buffet
luncheon was served and small groups scat
tered about the rooms talked over in detail
the work of the evening
President Makes Appointments.
The President announce the assignment
of delegates to the National Board of Trade
as follows: A. B. Pardon, Archibald Green
lees, w. P. Van Wickle and S. w. Wood
ward.
The committee on civil service for the
District of Columbia was announced as be-
ing composed of John JOY Edson chair
man; A. r. Server, Geo. w. Evans Geo
w. McLanahan, Charles w. Needham
Thomas w. Sidwell and Rufus H. Thayer
The delegates to the international arbitra-
ton convention, which is to meet here on
Tuesday next, are Charles j. Bell, Thomas
F. Walsh. William J. Boardman and Jack
son II. Ralston.
Public Health Report.
The report of the committee on public
health, which was adopted as submitted,
follows:
The analysis OF the records of deaths
made annually ty the health department
las, during the current year been made ia
refer to the statistics for the calendar year
and not to those for the fiscal year rms
has been done so to facilitate compari-
sons between vital statistics referring to the
District of Columbia and those referring to
other communities, which commonly follow
calendar years and not fiscal years in the
preparation of analogous data In order
however. that information may be available
relative 10 mortality in the District of Co.
lumbia up 10 the latest possible moment a
supplemental statement has been prepared
showing In general way the conditions
which existed during the first six months
of the current calendar year 1t has been
necessary. therefore, for your committee to
consider, first, data relating to the calendar
year 1902 and then data relating to the
first six months of 1903.
During the calendar year 1902 there oc-
CURED in The District of Columbia 5,7SS
deaths. OF the decedents 3, 100 were white
and 2598 colored. The death rates corre-
spending to these figures are as follows:
For the entire popula ton, 1899 per LOCO;
for whites, 1882; for colored, 2913 These
figures compare favorably with correspond
ing data during the past ten years Only
once before that time has the annual death
rate gone below II, in 1897 when 1t was
15.SS, and during the entire period it has
averaged 1929. The death rate for the
entire population, 1899, is the best recorded
during the past ten years with the exception
of that for 1897, 1879. The annual average
during that time was 21.22. Infantile NOR