The Palatka news and advertiser. [volume] (Palatka, Fla.) 1908-19??, 1912-10-25
81. 90 Per Year.
BOARD OF TRADE
STIRS OFFICIALS
By Public Discussion of CITY
Health Conditions.

routine and during a lull in the pro-
ceedlngs devoted to new business,
Mr.. {. r. Melton, the mill man and
among the more prominent of Pa
latka's recently acquired men of ac-
tion and business, sprung a sensa-
Clon before the meeting of the
board of trade last Monday night
when he secured the floor and in
a brief but pointed speech arraign-
ed the city for permitting careless
health conditions to go uncorrected.
Mr.. Melton argued that no city
could expect to become great without
proper sanitary oversight and the
reduction of the sources of i'll health
to a minimum. The "model CITY"
was the healthy city, and its chief
asset consisted in healthy citizen.
ship. He didn't know what allied Pa
latka, but after ten years residence
in Florida, he was forced to admit
that there had been more sickness in
his own family in the few weeks that
they had resided in this city than in
all the previous years of his residence
in the state. Not only had there bean
sickness in his own family, but the
mill hands in his employ had suffered
greatly from fevers and lassitude
He believed this was largely due to
the unsanitary condition of the CITY.
Mr.. Melton made a good impression
on his auditors by his earnestness and
the diplomatic way he had of ruhbiny
home the truth of the city's condition
as it appeared to himself and othesj
who had been devOtng time to nurs-
ing sick children that should have been
given up to business.
Geo. b. Selden also spoke. lie had
had sickness in his own family and
had found it difficult"to operate his
plant on account of the illness of SO
many of his eopratives.
Geo. A. Mauman thought that the
city should employ sanitary or health
officers. He charged neglect on the
part of the authorities.
Other speakers were inclined to
blame the authorities for laXity in
regard to health legislation and ordi-
nance enforcement.
Aid. W. A. Hicks of the Third ware
and eX-Mayor Howell A. Davis de-
Tended the city vigorously and laid
the fault at the feet of the people,
who were careless and who resented
municipal interference with the man
ner in which they chose to decorate
their back yards.
Col de Montmollin was bit sore;
he had had sickness in his own fami-
ly and he was sure the authorities
had been neglectful of their duties in
regard to enforcement of sanitary
conditions.
Col. S. j. Hilburn made a smooth
and quieting address brim full of
sympathy for the afflicted and calcu-
lated to pour oil on the troubled con-
sciences of the officials. He thought
that the board should have a confer
ence with the physicians of the city
whom he accused of being patriotic
citizens and experts in the matter of
trailing disease to its fountain head.
He thought that before taking action
these physicians should be invited to
come before the board and give the
benefit of their superior knowledge
concerning health conditions in the
city, and as a result of Col. Hilburn's
talk a motion was finally carried
that special meeting of the board
be called for Tuesday night and that
the physicians of the city be respect
fully invited to be present and give
their views on the subject. Messrs.
HiIhurn, Russell and B. |. Gay were
appointed a committee to invite the
doctors.
On Tuesday evening the attendance
was good, though not as large as on
the previous evening and which led
Secretary Royster to pronounce it the
best attended, most interesting meet
ing of the season.
Drs. Welch, Warren and Johnson
were present and all made sensible
talks calculated to allay any fear of
an impending scourge.
Dr. Welch stated that he had been
absent from the city couple of
weeks and had only recently return
ed. He said there was some mild cas-
es of dengue fever in the city and
that epidemics of this fever were re-
ported at Green Cove Springs, Jack
sonvile, Ocala and other places in the
state. That it was an acute epidemic
disease peculiar to warm climates and
was not due to local conditions. 1t
did not amount to much in Palatka:
that Palatka was not more unhealthy
than other cities of the state. No
doubt some cases OF malaria could
be traced to local conditions-lack Of
drainage, etc, which the city should
correct.
DR.. Warren pointed out certain sec
tions of the city where stagnant wa
ter was allowed to stand and which
undoubtedly bred mosquitoes. Mala-
ria was fostered by these mosquitoes
and the properties should be drained
or filled up so that the water would
not remain for breeding purposes.
Dr. johnson spoke much in the
same vein; he saw nothing alarming
in the situation though he also ad-
vocated city sanitary supervision.
The result of the conference was
the passage of a resolution urging the
mayor to appoint and the council to
confirm the appointment Of city
health officer who would do his full
duty without fear or favor, and
committee was appointed to recon-
mend such a man to the mayor at
that officials request.