The Colfax gazette. [volume] (Colfax, Wash.) 1893-1932, 1906-02-02
TO MAKE COLFAX HEALTHY.
Health Officer Palamountain Asks New Laws and
the Enforcement of Existing Ordinances
Physicians of City Too Observing State ON
Mortality Reurns-To Quarantine Measles
and Typhoid and Prevent
Splitting.

An ordinance making it compulsory
TO have burial permits issued to under
takers signed by the health officer.
An nOrdinance making it a misdemeanor
to expectOrate on the sidewalks or in
public halls or meeting places.
The enforcement of the ordinances pro-
hibiting the dumping of garbage, refuse
or manure in the alleys, streets or water
courses throughout the city.
The quarantine of cases of measles
and the placarding and optional quaran-
tine of cases Of typhoid fever under the
new rules of the state board OF health.
The enforcement Of the state law pro-
vidng for the filing with the county
auditor of birth certificates and the
proper preservation of the mortality
statistics.
The cleaning OF the South PaIouse, the
building of sewers in the north end Of
the city and the doing away with the
dangerous and unsanitary vaults.
This is the work cut out for the new
health officer, DR.. Palamountain,a and the
new board Of health. Ii is work which,
taken in connection with the sanitary
cleaning OF streets and alleys and Il
general "clean up" crusade, will tax the
powers OF the city officials and warrant
the united and energetic support of every
business man and citizen taking interest
in the health and progress Of Colfax.
When Health Officer Palamountain
toOk office he went before the city cOun-
Gil and outlined the work he believed to
be due the city from himself and the
health board. He asked the support OF
c0urcil and city administration in bring
ing about those reforms needed for the
preservation OF the health of the com.
munity. Since that time the health de
partment has been given assurance of
united support in the effort to make Col
fax one OF the healthiest aud cIeanest
cities in the state. Since then, too, the
sanitary conditions have been thorough
lY canvassed and this decision has been
arrived at:
To enforce those ordinances now pre-
vailing, and to pass new ordinances to
meet with the requirements for healthier
and cleaner city.
La an interview with reporter for The
Gazette, DR.. Palamountain said:
Under the new ruling of the state
board Of health it will be necessary for
the health officer to have reported to him
aIrcases- o: measles and typhoid fever.
In cases OF measles quarantine must be
established and q card posted on the
house. 1t is optional with the health
department to quarantine typhoid fever
but the requirement is that O yellow
card, the same as is used in cases of
smallpox, must be posted.
"The question of the return Of death
certificates is one which must be given
attention in the future. In the past
death certificates have not been made
out as required by law Only two of the
older doctors have complied with the
law which requires the filling out Of death
certificates and birth returns and the
filing OF the same with the county audi
tor by the 18th of each month. Neither
Of these laws has been observed here all
though penalty OF from S. to 500 is
imposed as fine for each failure to so
report. NV idea is to control the death
returns by the passage of a new Ordin-
ance authorizing the use of new form
under which the health officer must issue
and sign a burial permit without which
the undertaken will not be allowed to
make the interment Attached to this