The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1912-12-19
SWAN SONG INTERESTING ONE
Retiring Official Shows Large Amount
of Work Done by Him in Looking
After Orders of the Health Depart
ment and Pleads for Cleaner City.


city in the past eight months in the
role Of sanitary inspector, made his
final report to the city council on Mon
day evening and the report is the
most unique ever sent to the council
in that it goes into detail into the
work done by the health department..
The report in full follows:
TO the Honorable Mayor and the Com
mon Council.
Gentlemen:-
AS | have been requested by Alder
man Rhode, who informed me that he
was acting under theN direction of
Mayor Head, to discontinue my serv-
ices as sanitary officer, which position
/ have held since the 10th of last
February, and as my appointment was
confirmed by this council, | beg to
submit to you brief report covering
my activities during this period.
At the time Of my appointment, as
you well know, the city of Kenosha
was in the midst of an epidemic of
diphtheria and scarlet fever. Fever
deaths were occurring almost daily,
and the health department. consisted
of but one man, who was unable to
accomplish the desired results, unaid-
ed The sanitary condition Of the city
was deplorable- there was no means
of establishing nor of maintaining an
effective quarantine, and as a result,
especially among the large foreign
population, these two diseases spread
with increasing virulence and rapidity.
From the date of my appointment, to
the present time 800 quarantines were
established for these contagious dis
eases. and these case were regularly
visited and guarded and isolated. In
some instances, harsh measures were
necessary and arrests were made to en-
force the orders of the health depart
ment, and as result, the epidemic
gradually subsidized, until on July 1st,
when the former health officer was re-
lieved, but four cases were under guar
antine, and the diseases appeared I'M
der control
Since then or until week ago, SO
cases have developed and there were
19 cases under quarantine. During
my term of office, | have visited and
inspected and ordered cleaned up
where necessary, every home In Keno
sha. | have called at each place from
one to six times. Under my direction
1850 loads of garbage and rubbish
were collected and disposed Of. In.
stead of 81 dumping grounds, uncover
ed and breeding pestilence and dis
ease, | have limited them to just two
and these are being properly cared
for The site of the old Jerome Creek
for $50 feet, reeking with disease la.
den impurities. was under my direc.
ton, filed up, and 6S cess pools were
likewise drained and filled in, while
l64 private catch-basins were thor.
oughly cleaned and rendered sanitary
During my term I was obliged to kill
AZ dogs, 81 cats, and SO goats which
were a menace to the public health
All bakeries, milk depots and meat
markets were carefully inspected, not
only as regards the immediate premises
but also the manner in which these
commodities were transported to and
from their respective destinations
The condition Of all houses, cellars
and every business property in the city
was investigated defective plumbing
remedied, and as result of my activi
ties, Kenosha is today, cleaner anc
more sanitary than ever before in hel
history. ] have given up my time ex
clusively to this work, and have
shown no favoritism to anyone, M
matter what their position may. have
been. My duties have been as con
scientiously performed as it has beer
my ability to do them, but it will re
quire the same energy and persistence
in the future, or the same condition,
will prevail.
Every complaint given me, whether
| by man, woman or child has been in
vestigated, and has been immediately
adjusted according to its merits
speak from the knowledge born of ex
perlence, when declare that without
this energetic watchfulness and i'm
partial enforcement of the laws which
you have framed, it will not be posi-
bic to maintain state of health sucl
as we at present enjoy.
Necessarily the strict enforcement
OF my duties have made me certain
enemies among those who were no
in sympathy with sanitary reform, bu
this was inevitable, and will alway
be the fate Of a public servant VIII,
seorns to play politics where human
life is involved
M. T. Barber.
/ s~~~-------------------mD
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