Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-06-28
CONFER IN FLY WAR
District Inspection Officers
Discuss Crusade Tonight.
BREEDING CENTERS DOOMED
VIII Be Eliminated Through Health
Departments Activities.
DIR. WOOD LAUDS CRUSADE
In Magazine Article He Urges
Other Cities to Follow Ex-
ample Of Washington.
B. WOOD LAUDs CRUSADE

ample Of Washington.
The entire inspection force of the Dis
trict health department will hold con-
ference tonight to consider ways and
means Of eliminating Washington's fly
breeding centers.
Anticipating that a large number Of
reports Of nuisances Of this character
will be made to the department by Boy
Scouts and others participating in The
Stars July antd-fiy crusade. DR.. William
c. Woodward, health oficer, has deter
mined that the department shall be ready
to act on the complaints as fast as they
are received He has designated DR.. Ar
thur L. Murray. supervisor Of the cam
paign, to lead the conference.
It Is not unlikely that the meeting will
result in the formulation Of a plan for
taking a fly census. The health officer is
DESTROYS Of ascertaining the rate Of de-
crease in the ny population since the in
auguration Of The Stars campaign OF
last summer. He is convinced that there
are much fewer insects this season than
n last. Several methods OF conducting
census have been suggested, but, as all
Of them present difficult problems, no de-
cision In the matter has been reached.
Reports to Be Asked For.
Not only will methods Of destroying
ny-breeding centers be discussed, but the
inspectors attending the conference will
be asked to report the locations OF all
such places that have come to their
/ To-
ment Will at once begin to eliminate these
nuisances
The beginning OF The Stars July cam
paign, say health officials, may mean the
beginning Of the end Of the fly in Wash
| ington. The largest army ever employed
against the tribe Of disease-spreaders in
the capital will be in the field next month.
| Boy Scouts and children OF the play
grounds will constitute the additional
| forces.
Woodward that not only will more flies
be destroyed next month than ever be-
fore in the same length Of time. but that
q larger number OF fy-breeding places
will be reported by the contestants and,
for this reason. tonight's conference has
been called SO that the health authorities
will be ready to extend every co-opera-
ton to the youthful combatants.
Trice in Third Place.
With but three days remaining before
the close Of the June campaign, the stand
ing of the four leaders today was altered
to the extent that William Steiner and
Mark Trice. who yesterday were in third
and fourth places, respectively. have
changed positions. Steiner delivered
4e OcO flies. while Trice turned in $4,000.
This puts Trice in third position with q
| total of 356.OO0, while Steiner has but
32s,6OO.
The total number Of flies delivered to
the campaign headquarters in the NUM-
| cipal building yesterday was 1A. 400. |
| which makes the slaughter since June 1. |
2.5S6,5O0 The record for the month
should be Increased by several hundred
thousand before noon, Monday, when con-
testants will be required to make final
deliveries Of insects destroyed
Commends the Crusade.
In an article in q current issue Of a
| well known magazine in which he points
out that the fly to a large extent is
| responsible for the spreading of epidem-
| les Of fnfantile paralysis, DR.. Thomas
D. Wood, professor Of physical education
! in the teachers collegs OF Columbia Uni
versity, highly commends the anti-fy
campaign being conducted by The Star
safeguards to health other cities follow
1.-The example of Washington in extermi-
mating the fly. Not only does the writer
| attribute in many cases the carrying or
| the germs of infantile paralysis to the
insect, but he also asserts that flies take
an important part In the development OF
typhoid fever, tuberculosis and other
| communicable diseases.
! 1.-The really important thing is to teach
| the children that a fly Is just as danger
Gus as a rattlesnake-even more so. for it
leaves q poisoned trail wherever it
walks" says the physician.
| Methods Of Slaughter.
1T is not difficult, only troublesome"
he continues, Ito get flies out of a house,
even after several generations have devel-
oped since the beginning Of the season.
And you can keep them out. Twenty
drops Of carbolc acid poured on a hot
shovel in a tightly closed room will kill
all Of the flies in the room. Sticky fly
paper and poisons are useful, but the
most effective way Of getting flies out Of
the house is to kill them with swattsrs
made Of wire on the end Of q stick.
"'Swat the fly was the slogan Of i'm
portant campaigns carried on In dozen
| large American cities last summer and is
! the battle cry of a larger and more elab-
orately planned warfare this summer.
These campaigns have been Of great value
along educational lines. The crusade in
Washington D. c., attracts especial at
tention because It Is in. the nations capi-
tai and it has the sanction and support OF
the health department.
Refers to Fight Here.
"A contest with prizes for the largest
numbers of files killed was conducted in