The Richmond Virginian. (Richmond, Va.) 1910-1920, 1913-08-29
CLEVELAND SOLVES
THE FLY PROBLEM
"swATTING. PESTS IN SPRING AND
CLEANING Ut AFTER
WARD DOES 1T

When city has attained to such a
standard of cleanliness that 1t hasn't
enough flies to feed it's pechameleons
it has made long strides toward the
ideal of flylessness preached by modern
sanitnrians. That as Cleveland'a case,
according to an article in the Survey
describing the antk-fly campaign which
has been waged in that city this season.
A man who has six of the curious little
reptiles has written the fiy-fghting
headquarters this plaintive letter
You have brought about n famine
in flies. My pets are starving. There
are no fies TO be had about my house.
and my neighbors can't seem to help
me out. III pay and pay well for
every live fly your children can bring
me" And he did.
But thousands Of householders have
/ found it possible this summer to dis
pense entirely with screens at doors
and windows, and lone fly creates
more excitement now than swarm a
few years ago. In recent inspection
of the city markets, where quantities
of meat and provisions are exposed.
only two flies We're found. Two years
ago there were myriads.
! The head en- off" campaign was
tried Last year with such good effect
that this year. with improved methods
and notable marshalling of forces,
the war was still a greater success.
| The present attitude of the community
lis pretty we'll expressed in this SEN
tence from a letter by Mayor Baker to
the city council: THE anti-fy cam
paign is movement OF more far
reaching Importance and more prom
/ Using of prolonged life and freedom
from disease than perhaps any other
single activity going forward in the
community" From the beginning the
movement has been under the leader
ship OF DR.. Jean Dawson. professor of
civic biology at the normal school.
Emphasis has been laid upon the
elimination OF breeding places. To be
sure. hundreds of thousands of flies
have been "swatted": but countless mil
lions have been prevented. which is
better. Acting on the theory that 80 per
cent. of house-fies breed in stables,
the authorities forced owners through
out the city to clean up their stables
and keep them clean. Public opinion
| focused sentiment. the board of health
passed rules, and the Junior sanitary
police" are the boys recruited from
The sixth seventh and eighth grades
OF the city schools. In each school
district the force is offlcered by a chief,
an assistant chief, and four inspectors.
The principal of the school appoints the
entire force. The official badge Is
priced highly The girls have a part,
too. some OF them being made san
itary aids.
The school district is divided into
sections, and each member OF the force
is made responsible for one section.
He must make regular Inspections.
When he finds stable from which ma
nure is not removed at short intervals.
rubbish filled back yard, a heap Of
fermenting lawn clippings, or a leaking
garbage receptacle he has. Of course. no
power to compel the owners to clean
up; but in nine cases out OF ten he can
persuade them to do SO. Now and then
persuasion fails, and the abuse Is I'M
corrected. Then the case Is referred
to boy Inspector and later to the boy
chTer. III the CONTIGUOUS efforts OF these
high officials proves unavailfng. the re-
port goes to the board Of health. and
threat OF suit brings the offender
sharply to time. He discovers that the
alert consciousness Of a whole city is
back of these children,
The schools early in the season were
utilized as distributing stations for fly
pamphlets and circulars. Each bit Of
educational literature ~ II came out
was placed in the hands of every child
in the schools of Cleveland and thence
carried into the homes.