Devils Lake weekly world. (Devils Lake, N.D.) 1911-1914, 1913-09-26
VITAL STATISTICS IN NORTH
DAKOTA A REPLY.


letter from Dr. F. R. smyth, city health
officer of Bismarck, North Dakota,
headed Vital Statistics in North Da.
kota.' The genial doctor has apparent
ly been "nursing his wrath to keep it
warm these many moons, for we find
that he has been supplying the lay
press with matter Of a similar nature
for some time. Now that he has cast
his net in the water of professional
journalism, aiming thereby to catch tho
membership Of our state association,
who regularly receive and read your
valuable and interesting paper, his
ply.
An analysis brings out prominently
the following contentious:
I. The legislature of 1907 passed q
model vital-statistics law.
H.. The state board Of health has
been negligent in enforcing it, and, as
consequence the public health has
suffered thereby.
IF the reader had no furthr data than
that furnished by DR.. Smyth he might
be justified in drawing similar conclu-
sions. But, like the cowboy who was
tried and cleared of the crime of horse
stealing of which he was accused, when
asked by his lawyer afterwards, con-
fidentially, if he didn't really steal the
horse, replied: "Well pard, must own
up I always thought 1 took that horse
but after hearing you talk, Til <be
BANKED if I think did, In other
words, wait until you have heard the
other side of the question. A half truth
is a very fimsy fabric on which to
place reliance.
The bill, as stated by the doctor,
passed the legislature in 1907, but he
failed to mention that the original
draft carried with it an appropriation
Of $4,000 for putting it into effect.
Further, that this appropriation was
cut out by, DR.. j. D. Taylor, senator
from Grand Forks, who had the bill in
charge after conference with DR.. F.
r. Smyth, at that time member of
the legislative committee of the North
Dakota Medical association, the idea
being that it would be better to get
the model law without an appropria
tion that no law at. all, and trust to
future legislatures for remedy. If any
thing further is necessary to freshen
hazy memory, / would respectfully re-
fer you to the minutes of the North d.
kota Medical association for the year
1908, one year after the law went into
effect. The Committee on Public po-
Icy and legislation, composed of DR..
F.. R. Smyth, chairman, DR.. Chas. Mac
lachlan, and DIR. ]. D. Taylor, reported
as follows:
Mr.. President and members of tho
House Of Delegates Of the North Da-
kota Medical association. Your Com
mittee on Public Policy and Legislation
begs to report that the only legislation
recommended by the committee during
the past two years was vital-statis-
tics bill on the lines advised by the U.
S. bureau. This bill was passed by the
legislative assembly and became law,
but without the necessary appropria-
tion to make it effective. We would
recommend that an effort be made to
secure a sufficient appropriation at the
coming session of the legislature.
Tho report, with the recommendation
was approved.
| Sec. 2, of the Vital Statistic Act
reads as follows: "The State Registrar
may employ such clerical and other
assistants as are necessary for the pro
! per performance of the duties Of the
Office and fix their compensation with
in the amount appropriated therefor by
the legislatore."
| Every one conversant with the facts
knows that there has been no appro-
priation made for this purpose since
that time and that the law still lacks
"the necessary appropriation to make
it effective, '-just as much as when the
above report was made. The matter
was referred to the attorney general
who ruled, in accordance with court de-
cisions, that the law was inoperable
for lack of appropriation. The State
Board of Health however, decided after
mature consideration to carry on an
educative campaign and in the mean
time to collect as full statistics as was
consistent with the limited amount at
their disposal, trusting to future legis-
! latures to remedy the deficiency. They
have succeeded so well that. with a
reasonable appropriation foq executive
and clerical help, North Dakota could
be made eligible for the Registration
Area,'' within six months.
He states that Minnesota and Mon.
tana have the same law, but the author-
tiles enforce it," Of course they do,
| oAO why. "OuAuh GAOJ WhCu NAAuACoO
ia appropriates $4,000 a year for that
specific purpose and Montana nearly as
muchs These states have "the neces-
sary appropriation to make it ERECT
ive,' and when North Dakota follows
suit we can have as full and complete
vital statistics as any state in~the un-
ion-and not until then. opinions to
the contrary notwithstanding.
Then follows table Of comparative
deathrates of six cities in each Of these
states from which the conclusion is
drawn that public health conditions in
North Dakota are very far from being
ideal. There is nothing SO misleading
as vital statistics unless they are care
fully analysed. It would be an easy
matter to make another list Of half a
dozen cities showing higher average
death rate than those in North Dakota
but this would be only meeting one
argument by another equally fallacious
and would prove nothing. North Da-
kota, being a rural states, has few med
ical centers. These are, roughly speak