Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1909-02-03
THE BOARD OF HEALTH.
DIR. JEWELL in MOVEMENT TO
CURB 1T.
Our Representative Explains His
Position in Opposing Unwar-
ranted Expense of Health
Laws.

We have received a letter from
DR.. P. M. Jewell, Winneshiek coun-
tvs representative in the state legis-
lature, with reference to the unwar-
ranted expense placed upon the state
TO enforce the drastic rules and regu-
lations laid down by the State Board
of Health. Practically all will agree
with him that legislation is needed
TO correct this matter, and will up
hold him in joining with other MEM
bers of the legislature in regulating
the powers and the rules Of the State
Board of Health. Here is the let
ter:
'Des Moines, Iowa, Jan. 20, 1909.
Editor Public Opinion
In the January Goth issue of your
valuable paper, l notice you repro
duce an article from the Des Moines
Capital, under the heading Attacks
Board of Health. which purports to
be an interview with the writer.
while there may be and is mis-
representation and distortion of my
views in some respects, in the main
am perfectly willing to subscribe
to and stand sponsor for the state
ments therein expressed.
"An examination of the records of
the Auditors office will reveal the
fact that the Board of Health ex-
penses of Winneshiek county for
five years, from 1908 to 1907 in
elusive, the average has been $212.-
90, whereas, for the single year of
1908. the first and only one in which
the new rules and regulations have
been in effect, the cost to the cOun-
ty under this head has been nearly
$2,4OO, over eleven times as much
as the average of those five years.
Have the exigencies of the case
demanded this enormous increase
of expenditure of public monies?
Have the people of the county, dur
ing the year 1908 been passing
through an epidemic of one or two
or the entire list of diseases danger
Gus to the public health? And il
not, whence comes this greatly adj
ded expense to the county? And in
view of the fact that we have had
but one years experience under the
present regime, what may the fu-
ture hold in store for us? If this
thing is done in the green tree, what
may we expect in the dray?
Under the present law and un-
der the rules and regulations of the
State Board of Health Hereunder.
abuses and extOrtions have develop
ed that are intOlerable and which
cannot be submitted to any longer.
And, permit me to say, these abuses
are not confined to Winneshiek
county in particular, far from it.
'In one county bills to the amount
of approximately $4,000 have been
audited for the year 1908 VS.. Board
of Health Account. And from near
ly every county in the state the cry
comes up as with one voice for de-
liverance from the unreasonable.
intOlerable burdens heaped upon an
unsuspecting public.
And, Sir, if l mistake not, the
temper and disposition of majority
of the members of both houses Of
this SD General Assembly, there
| will be some sane, sensible, reason
able legislation enacted that will put
! a curb upon and eliminate this
prodigal waste of the public funds,
and give the public some relief from
the imposition under which it has
been laboring for the last year.
Very truly,
''P. M. Jewell"