Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1910-02-15

warning Of this In his speech before
the Periodical Publishers Association.
But for various reasons, Chairman
Weeks is going to do the probing with
his committee. One reason more or less
gossiped about at the capitol is that the
postoffice department would rather be
investigated by the house committee
on postoffices than to let the matter
drift into more unfriendly hands, as
might happen if an investigation were
ordered by resolution in either house.
On many scores, it is asserted there
is extravagant management of the pos
tai service. The matter of railway mail
pay is one. Many members of house
and senate are not satisfied as to this.
They are convinced the railroads are
exacting too high charges for the mail
service and that if this problem were
solved on a purely business basis, the
government would pay considerably
less than it does and the deficit would
not be as large as it is.
One statement made is that offices
do not keep pace with the demands on
them. Some offices are too small for
the demands; in other case, if for any
reason a city or town goes backward,
as many boom towns do, the service is
not curtailed proportionately.
The committee is going to give care
full consideration to the merits of the
Overstreet plan and the things which
arec laimed for it. 1t is represented
that it would much simplify admins
tration. so much so as to effect savings
that would about wipe out the postal
deficit
Malaria may be stamped out of the
Panama canal zone by the American
army medical officers on duty there
by the same methods substantially by
which yellow fever has been banished
from the zone.
The work of stamping out malaria
is going ahead steadily and should it
prove successful, it will revolutionize
the business of digging the canal. That
is to say, if the thousands of men en-
gagged in construction of the great wa
terway were relieved from the ravages
Of malaria and the effective strength
of the force thus increased, the task
of completing the canal would be made
simpler and easier.
The effort to cope with malaria con-
ssts in the destruction of the mosquito,
Of the variety known as anopheles,
which carries the malaria germ. In ev
cry way possible, Colonel Gorgas and
those under him are waging war on
this mosquito. 1t was established by
experiments made in 1898, by DR.. Ro-
land Ross of the British Indian army
medical service and by three Italian
physicians, Bigami, Bastianellim and
Grassi, that malaria is transmitted
from one person to another solely by
this mosquito and us not due to MAS
mas exhaled from the soil, or to pois-
onous air of any sort.
Should the canal zone be ridden of
the curse of malaria, there is no doubt
tina. the sequel would be that efforts
would be undertaken seriously in this
country to rid some of the malaria
stricken regions of the United States
of the disease.
The reports Of the isthmian canal
commission show that wonderful sue
zone in combating yellow fever. 1t has
been done by the destruction of the
mosquito that conveys this disease.
Surface pools. were drained and filed
in with gravel or covered with petro-
leum. Petroleum was Systematically
applied to standing water in all
bitches, pools, rain water cutters and
the like. In every possible way, the
yellow fever mosquito was warred
upon. Since 1905, yellow fever has been
banished from the canal zone Lately