The Kemper herald. (Scooba, Miss.) 1875-1908, 1907-03-07

passed I took some little interest in
it. " said DIR. Irion. fWhen the joint
resolution providing for the sale of
the quarantine station came up be-
fore the legislature I told the gov
ernor that / would fight it. The con-
current resolution failed to pass the
House because of my opposition to it.
At the time | sent the secretary OF
the Board of Health TO Baton Rouge
and had him tell Gov Blanchard that
would resign if the station was sold.
The governor refused to accept my
resignation. 1t was then agreed to
put in the words lease or sale, with
the proviso that the money was to go
to the credit Of the State Board OF
Health. This was accepted. -
DIR. Irion then told of the difficulty
the resolution had in the senate. The
hill passed, but he maintained that
he did mot relinquish any of his
riglns.
sNSince then," he said. 81 have
been trying to @set the Governor to
meet ME and thresh out the Difficult
ty, but the matter stands in the same
state. | do not want the idea con-
veyed that | am an opponent OF the
Governor r's," he said In fact, /
consider him one of, my best friends,
but on this matter of quarantine we
differ" Dr.. Irion said he offered to
go to Washington and discuss the
matter with DR.. Wyman and the Sec
retary of the Treasury, but the Gov
ernor had not seen fit to let him do
so. +3-.f
AT the, time the government made
an offer to Gov. Blanchard of $4,000
for the purchase of the Mississippi
Quarantine Station DR.. 1rion said he
made full report to the state ex-
ecutive but that he placed tha value
of the station high above that which
had been offered. The reply of the
secretary of state was to the effect
that if the state did not accept, a
Federal quarantine station would be
established.
| DIR. Irion here produced map, by
means Of which he explained that the
Williams bill provided for the estab-
lishment of four quarantine stations
along the coast line of the United
States. 1t mad failed, he said, to OBJ
tain control of the principal stations
along the Atlantic seaboard, includ-
ing New York, Boston and Phiiadel-
phia.
Louisiana, he explained, maintain
ed five quarantine stations, viz: AT
Lake Charles at TIE Atchafalaya riv-
er, Lake Borgne Rigolets and the
Mississippi River Quarantine Station,
which paid the expenses of operation
of the other stations. In the other
stations. In the other four, however,
there was deficit of some $4,000 per
year.
| At this point DIR. Irion said that if
the revenues from the station at the
I
mouth of the river ceased the board
would not be able to operate the 9TH
er stations as no funds were provided
by the state for their running ex-
penses.
Asked as to the effect of Federal
quarantine, as related to vessels IN
the lakes. DR.. Irion said that schoon-
ers and other craft would be COM
PEELED to go several hundred miles
out of their course to the station at
the mouth of the river for fumigation.
This would injure the Lake Pontchar-
train trade, the Lake Borgne trade
and the coast trade. Here he showed
figures as to the vessels which had
called at the Borgne, the Rigolets and
other stations. During 1906 some
4911 passengers and 1l2O schooners
had been attended to at these sta
tions.