Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-12-07

between the two. The completion of the
Senate and the House Office buildings Is
a matter for special congratulation to
Congress.
Public-Service Corporations.
The Commissioners recommend that
they be clothed with the powers of a
public-service commission. so as to eff
fectively supervise the public-service cor
porations of the District of Columbia
Such regulation Of public-utility corpora
tions is now regarded in all large cities
as justified by the valuable franchises
given to these corporations and by the
public character of their work and It's
vital relation to the welfare of the COM
munity. Elsewhere public-service COM
missions have been created to perform
this important duty. Here it is not neces-
sary to establish a new organ of govern
ment or to incur the expense of annual
salaries for such purpose. The Com
missioners can take the additional duties
without interfering with those which they
now. perform. since the number of corpO-
ratlons- to be thus supervised is small,
and the number of questions to be settled
would not be large, although important.
All that is required is to give the Com
missioners additional powers to those
WhicTh they now have, and authority and
money with which to employ experts tenn
porarily when their services are required,
which would not be often or for long
periods of time
While the Commissioners recognize that
the District street railway commission,
composed of three citizens of the District
appointed by the interstate commerce
commission to aid it in the execution OF
the duty imposed upon the interstate COM
merce commission by Congress at the
ton Of the street railways of the District
of Columbia, has done valuable and eff
f1cient service. resulting in Improvement,
the commissioners believe that this Is a
strictly municipal function which ought
to be performed by the municipal govern
ment. There is no reason why the inter-
state commerce commission should be
performing this function, even with the
aid of District citizens who give their
time freely for that purpose. The two
street railway systems, the two gaslight
companies, the electric light and power
company and the telephone company
ought to be under the supervision of the
Commissioners, and the recommendation
of legislation for this purpose is earnestly
renewed.
Health and Sanitary Conditions.
The Commissioners have continued their
special efforts for the improvement of the
health of the District of Columbia and
have had the active and jealous co-opera-
ton of the health department during the
past year. WHICH has furnished new ex-
amples of necessity for the enlargement OF
the affairs and facilities of the health de-
partment. The presence of leading health
officers and sanitary experts at the inter-
national tuberculosis congress. held in
Washington in October, brought forth
gratifying concentrations Of the work al
ready done by the health department. but
also urgent advice to increase its staff
and provide better means for doing its
work.
The bill for the better improvement of
the milk supply of the District of Column
bia, drafted as the result Of the recon-
mendations of the milk commission ap-
pointed by the Commissioners. and SUBJ
mitted at the last session of Congress.
was heartily commended by the experts at
tending the tuberculosis congress- as well
as by other physicians in this and other
cities. 1t was gratifying to be able to
say to the tuberculosis congress that the
Congress of the United States had already
provided for the registration of tubercu-
losis cases and the free examination of
sputum in the District of Columbia. and
the municipal tuberculosis hospital Was
admitted by the delegates to be the most
modern and the least expensive in the
country.
Vital Statistics.
Deaths from all causes during the calen-
dar year 1907 numbered 6,343. equivalent
to a general death rate of 1925. a trihe
lower than the death rate for the proceed
ing year. 1885. Deaths among white peo-
pie numbered 1893. showing a death rate
of 1855. but the death rate among the
colored population was 2822 the result of
2.714 deaths. OF all Deaths approximately
IL per cent occurred among children less
than one year old. The total number of
deaths of this class, however, LIDS. large
as 1t was. Notwithstanding the increase in
the population. was less than the CORE
spending figure for 1905. when ,2233 deaths
occurred
Pulmonary tuberculosis caused more
deaths than any other one factor. and the
colored race suffered as usual most Sc
verely from the ravages Of that disea Sc.
Nevertheless the death rate from this
malady during 1907 was, for the entire
population and for the cOlored people the
lowest with a single exception of which
we have any record. and the death rate
for whites was absolutely the lowest
There was. however. an increase in the
number of fatal cases Of pneumonia,
which has in other places and at other
times been observed coincidently with a
decline in the tuberculosis death rate.
Typhoid Fever Conspicuous.
Typhoid fever continues as one of the
most conspicuous features in our mortality
table. not so much because of the number
of its victims as because Of the absolute
mystery that as yet envelops the causes
of its undue prevalence here. The very
best efforts of the public health and ma
rine hospital service and of our health de-
partment have been put forth to unrayel
the mystery. but as yet without success.
The record for the past year does, how
ever, show some improvement The to-
tai number Of cases of typhoid fever re-
ported in 1906 was 1.126, while in 1907
only 92S were reported, and the number
of deaths fell from 1852 to ia
I'm order that this report may show con-
ditions as nearly up to date as is prac-
ticable, the following figures are given
relating to the six months period ending
June 30. 1908. In view of the brief Pc
riod that they cover no extended analy-
sis has been attempted. The total num-
Der of deaths during the period named
was $3.50; the number recorded during
the corresponding period of 1907 was
31So The increase occurred uniformly