Albuquerque morning journal. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1903-1926, 1910-12-21
Dlphtheria Death Rate, 1909.


Editor Morning Journal;
just at present there seems to be
the desire on the part OF many Albu-
querqueanS TO improve the city. The
council is contemplating the building
of a city hall: there is talk of paving
the business sections of the city, and
there IS nearing completion q well
built but enormously expensive sewer
age system. The good roads commits
sion is endeavoring to encompass a
way to build an excellent road to con-
meet us with Santa Fe, and the Com
mercial club recently took steps to
promote the maintenance of an i'm
proved health department for tho
town.
All OF these enterprises are to be
commended. All are exceedingly i'm
portant measures. All will do much
TO promote business and make Albu-
qnerque Il greater and larger city; but
all of them take money and each of
them viii return TO the city a differ
ent %percentum of profit for the money
invested. All of them are required
for the clty's welfare; some are more
needed now han others: some will
do good to the few, while others will
benefit the public generally.
Some Will cost the city thousands,
some tens of thousands and still others
hundred of thousands of dollars.
when only a small amount OF
money IL available for all of these i'm
provements, no matter how great the
desire is to complete all of them. some
must wait; and the. one that is the
most needed, which least brooks de-
lay, which gives the greatest benefit
10 the greatest number. and, il pos
sible, which Is the least costly, is the
one which should be first begun.
The building of q city hall adds 70
the beauty and impressiveness of the
city, does away with the loss of a
small amount of money paid at pres
ent for rental; houses and gives COM
Portable offices to city officials:
but costs in the neighborhood of $780,
000. 600 and benefits only a very few.
The paving of the business sections
of the city increases the value of the
business blocks, increases business OPP
portunities, gives the city an advanced
position amongst the towns of the
southwest, but this costs in the neigh
bOrhood ct 100, 600, and really
only benefits a comparatively few Of
the taxpayers.
The building of the Canine Real
viii cost about $4,000, increases the
accessibility of the city TO those few
persons living on II, provides good
drives for carriages and automobiles,
but BENEFITS only a very small per-
eentage of the people who win have
pay for II.
The Improvement Of the city's
health department will cost In round
numbers about $4,000 TO 5000; will
return to the city from ten to one
hundred fold the investment, and is
4 benefit to every human being living
the boundaries of the city. II
is an absolute crying necessity to the
people OF Albuquerque at this very
moment.
There is no better advertisement for
4 city than its vital statistics, by
is meant its recor of deaths
all causes
Disease and death lurk in the dirty
parts of the world. In proportion TO
the dirt and unsanitary conditions
prevail. will be the death rate
If a community. More thar fifty out
of every hundred people die of germ
diseases. T~hirty-ftve of these fifty
deaths could and should be prevented.
Take a glance at the death rates of
he United States in general ana sew
sral of the cities of this country
at random, for the year 1909.
particularly at Albuauerque'S
faced position I'm the list;
rahfp I-neafh Bafa from oil ra.,so.