The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1908-12-04

en- up was that of good roads. Professor
Merrill of the Agricultural college was
called upon to state conditions. He said
that the only good roads in the state
were in Salt Lake county and that the
remaining roads of the state were i'm
paSsable from six to ten months of the
year He stated that while a large amount
of money was expended on the roads, it
was not expended in the proper manner
and that the supervisors were not elected
on account of their knowledge of road
conditions and methods. but from political
reasons.
L. A. Austin of Cache county also spoke
on good roads. saying that abundant ma
terial for fine roads was readily avail
able and advising that the roads be made
good from the beginning instead of being
patched UP inefficiently. He blamed the
poor roads for the lack of proper social
intercourse in rural communities and stat
ed that in three years the cost of prop
erly built road would be more than re-
paid to the farmers on account of the
facilitated movement of crops. Mr.. Aus
tin explained that the first conSiderati ton
of the farmers was the irrigation ditcnes
and that the seepage from these bitches
in many cases materially injured the
roads. He stated that the farmers had
met with splendid cooperation from TIE
automobile owners and that they would
demand a state appropriation at the COM
ing session of the legislature to be used
in connection with the local road funds.
Sewage Systems Advocated.
w. W. Ritter of Salt Lake spoke on the
necessity of sewage systems in the coun-
try towns and gave instances of most
unhealthful conditions resulting from lack
of a sewage system in some of the north
ern towns of the state. He explained the
lack of such systems by stating that in
some instances the communities had ex-
hausted their borrowing power and had
reached their limit of taxation. He adj
xocated campaign of sanitary educa-
ton.
DR. T B. Beatty. secretary of the state
board of health. then addressed the COM
mission and explained the sanitary stu
alton throughout the state. DR.. Beatty
said that the powers given 10 the local
health officers were ample If they were
enforced, but that the regulations could
not be enforced without the cooperation
of the community at large. He stated that
the root of the evil is ignorance and that
it is most important to get a system of
district schools. DR.. Beatty said that ty-
phOid fever and pneumonia. both germ
diseases, We're the most dangerous of the
diseases common throughout the state
but that tuberculosis is less frequent than
in other communities.
No inspection of Meat or Milk.
DIR. Beatty stated that there was no
this state and no law regulating butcher
shops except the city ordinances, which
regulated the matter in a weak way. He
inStanced several cases of typhoid DIRECTLY
$1,000
of five cows owned by George NJ. Can
non. who had addressed the commission
earlier In the day. three had been found
to have tuberculosis. He explained the
fatality of pneumonia in Utah by the lack
of proper ventilation and the ignorant
dread of fresh air. and told of school
trustees in the northern part of the sta q
who had ordered the windows of the
schools kept closed in order to save coal
He advocated a law requiring the sani-
tary inspection of school houses and pub
lie buildings
Rural Free Delivery.
The question of rural free delivery was
then taken up, and j. G. Duffin of Utah
county stated in answer TO a question
that the rural free delivery routes in his
section were most satisfactory. He also
said that his section of the country was
in favor OF postal savings banks and
parcels post.
DR.. G.. T. Thomas maintained that the
need on the farmers was not for savings
banks, but for banks where they could
borrow the money necessary for improve
ments and additional equipment at rea-
SOnable rate Of interest. He gave in
stances where farmers were paying from
to 10 per cent. and where. in the south
ern counties, they were not able to Dor
row money at any price. He stated thsN
the farmers were paying from u to IS
per cent to the implement companies "
the use of partial payment system and
said that the need of the farmer lay not
in savings banks, but in more readily
cbtaina5le capital.
J. 2. Sorensen Of Big Cottonwood ex-
pressed the opinion OF himself and his /
neighbOrs being In favor of both pos
tai savings banks and a parcels post
Rural Telephones.
The question CT rural telephones was
then taken up by c. G. Adney of Corinne.
who explained the working of the Bear
River Valley Telephone company. a CO
operative company. owned by the farmers
Of the Bear River valley and told the
story of the farmers fight with the Bell
Telephone company. in which the Bell