Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-08-09
HAVE A RECORD DAY
Fly SWatterS Turn in $50, 300
Dead Insects.
FITZGERALD IN THE VAN
Leads the Race at Present, Score
of 326, 400.
FUNK Is IN SECOND PLACE
Closeness of Scores Indicates All the
Contestants Are Putting Forth
Best Energies.
JUNK IS IN SECOND PLACE

Establishing the best days record of
the present months campaign. contest
ants in The Stars fly war yesterday de-
livered $50. 500 insects This makes the
total slaughter for the month so far
1899, 400.
Lawrence Fitzgerald, with score of
AGO, leads the race, but Layton ii.
Burdette is close second. The latter
has destroyed 80, 200 flies. and is only
800 points behind Fitzgerald.
William Steiner, who consistently has
played a prominent part in the all-sum-
mer war against the insects, is in third
place with a score of 261 900. One of the
surprises Of the campaign this month is
the showing of Frank Funk. This young
"swatter" has climbed into fourth place
and may go higher if he continues at the
present rate. His score is 1SS.SOo.
Slightly warmer weather has brought
on more flies, and this undoubtedly is
responsible for the better scores made
yesterday by The Stars crusaders. Ear
lier in the month contestants gave indi-
cations of becoming discouraged because
Of the fact that flies had become eX-
tremely scarce. They did not abate their
activities against the disease-spreading
tribe, however. and now have established
fairly large scores for the first nine days
of the month. ri
Put Forth Best Efforts.
There is every inducement for the en-
trants in the campaign to put forth their
best efforts this month. as in addition to
the monthly prizes to be awarded, grand
prizes for the best scores of the entire
crusade are to be presented at the end
of September and records made this
month will go a long way toward decid-
ing the winners of the grand awards
1t is evident that the contestants are
exerting their greatest energies to be UP
in the race this month. This is shown
by the clOseness of the scores. But the
fact that the scores have not been
larger is regarded as proof that the in
sects have become greatly reduced in
numbers and that the fly war is accom-
plishing what it was hoped it would
DIR. Murray. supervisor of the cam
paign, is enthusiastic over the outlook
The crusade already has been big sue
cess, more than justifying the efforts il
has called forth. declares this official OF
the District health department.
Views of Chicago Doctor.
'Of all the propositions looking to the
Improvement of the health conditions OF
the community none, in my mind, is
more commendable than the war on the
fly that is being waged in various cities
of the United States" said DR.. William
Watson of Chicago, now visiting in Wash
ington.
Since arriving in Washington" DIR
Watson continued, II have been greatly
interested in the campaign against the
fly being conducted by The Star. and. al
though I have known of many campaigns
conducted by newspapers and Organiza-
tons ! have never seen any which re-
suited in such wholesale slaughterlnG OF
the pests as the one in Washington.
physicians of all schools. no matter
how much they may disagree some
points, are unanimous in the belief that
the fly is one of the greatest. If not the
greatest carrier of disease germs that Is
to be fought Practically all physicians
agree that the fly can be eXtermnated
by methods such as those employed by
the boys and girls in the Washington
campaign. To be of lasting result. how
ever it is important that the work be
carried on increasingly during the entire
season. and, above all. the breeding places
of the insects should be destroyed.
Duty of Housekeepers.
"In a great measure the demolition of
the breeding places is up to the house
keepers of the city. Hundreds of thou
sands of flies are bred in back yards and
CelldfS, DecduSe tiie O"IlSIS VI inc iioIhS'
allow filth to accumulate. Flies in great
numbers breed in small areas. If every
housekeeper i'm the city would make it a
point to see that her home and sur
roundings are kept in sanitary condI-
tor the number of flies would decrease
rapidly, and what few survived eventu-
ally would be eXterminated by the boys
and girls in the campaign.
STABLES and garbage dumps are great
breeding places. but the damage from
these sources, I think, is Overestimated.
Housewives blame the public places as
the source of the fly crop and do not at
tempt to stop the large amount of breed
ing that goes on in their homes. Put
much of the blame directly on the homes,
where it rightly belongs. Let every house
keeper have clean home and the diff
ference soon will be noticeable After all
of the residences are made sanitary then
IL FOR. IllIhlir DlacaS to hn