The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1906-08-14
Secretary Crumbine Proposes to
Enforce 1t.
SHOWS NO WEAKNESS.
Calls Attention to Provision
of the Law.
School Houses Must Be Fumi-
gated Before Opening Day.

I'VE have received your order re-
quiring the fumigation of all public
schools in this county. What are you
going to do about it if we refuse to
obey your order?''
A message like this has been re-
ceived by DR.. S. ]. Crumbine, secretary
of the state board of health. from the
county attorney of Jewell county, and
from other counties which think the
state board of health is "butting in
to its affairs. in the issuance of the or
der requiring the fumigation of all
public school houses before the open
ing of school.
In reply to the rebellious messages
which have come in, DR.. Crumbine
hands out the following citation from
paragraph 1858 OF the general stat
utes:
THE health officer of the several To-
cal boards of health throughout the
state shall perform such duties as this
act, the local board of health or the
state board of health may require of
him. For any failure or neglect of
said health officer to perform any of
the duties prescribed in this act, he
shall upon conviction thereof be fined
ten dollars for each and every offense-
Il believe that we can enforce the
fumigation rule of the board and be-
lieve it is our duty to do So said DR..
Crumbine today. at means saving
lives; the lives of the school children
Of the state. It is worth some trouble
and expense to accomplish this result.
There is, however, a mistaken idea
about who shall pay the cost of this
here to inquire whether the county
board had to provide for the expense
of the work. The county board does
not. 1t is the duty Of the county board
to merely notify the proper officers,
and see that each school district board
does its own fumigating. Each dis
trict pays the cost of fumigating its
own school, and the expense is there
fore very light on ALL
Down in Lyon county, the county
board of health has sent to the county
superintendent of schools the follow
ing notice:
You are hereby directed by the
board of health of Lyon county to
notify the school directors of the sew
eral schools undeE your jurisdiction to
proceed at their convenience before
the opening of their respective schools
and attend to the following require
ments of the board of health of Lyon
county:
moved and all trash removed from the
school yard. rev
?. Vaults should be cleaned and
thoroughly disinfected with lime
D. Drinking water supply should be
inspected. If obtained from cistern,
the cistern should be pumped out, and
the cistern washed out. Cistern water
that has not been used for some time
is very likely to produce typhoid
fever Wells should be inspected to
see if water is pure and that no rab-
bits or anything detrimental have
fallen in the water during the summer
months. II 50, the water should be
drawn out.
4. Immediately preceding the open
ing of the school session. the building
should be thoroughly aired and scrub
bed, and this should be followed by
fumigation. Specific rules for the lat
ter will be furnished you by the secre-
tary, and should accompany each no
tice to school directors
You are therefore instructed to
mail copy of this order to all school
boards in Lyon county.
These rules are laid down at the
command of the Kansas state board of
health to the end that all possible
means may be taken to prevent the
spread of disease during the coming
school year
DR.. Crumbine approves this method
of procedure adopted by the Lyon
county board, and says that it should
be the plan in every county in the
state