Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1914-03-10
STELzE'S CRITICISM
ST|RS MORR|STOWN
Health Board Denies Minister'S
Figures on Death Rate and
He Replies.

IndL the LOWI1 lldu I1OL OCSh lpAA -
treated by the Social Survey mana
gers, who made their report in a mass
meeting of the churches Sunday
night, in announcing that the dealt
rate here was higher than that Of
New York city without explaining tht
reasons, the Board of Health at Its
regular meeting yesterday Afternoon
asked the secretary. DR.. Francis II
Glazebrook, to be present at the din
ner to those managers in the Y. M
C. A last night and make such ex-
plantations in defense of the. town and
also of the board.
DIR. Glazebrook called up the two
hospitals and secured the number of
deaths in each for the year and then
announced with the non-residents
who had died there and the babies
who are sent out here from the city
to board that also die here, hun
dred of the city's deaths could be
stricken off, which would bring the
death rate down to about 10 per cent.
per thousand, as against p per cent.
otherwise. Another cause pointed out
was that a number suffering from
pulmonary troubles who come here to
seek cure also helps to increase the
death rate of the city.
the full quota of members OF the
board was present and passed on the
various reports brought up in the reg
uiar routine. An ordinance which had
been up for two meetings relating to
the delivery of milk in sealed bottles
and forbidding any dealer to sell from
the can to the retailer was put on
third reading and passed. A report
on measles in the Flagler street Sec
ton was brought up, and DR.. Samuel
Haven said he had instructed DR..
James Douglass to investigate the
matter, and the latter reported that
out of three he had examined one
had slight attack. President of the
Board John r. Burr asked that the
doctors all make a report of any dis
eases and also the public. Such no
tice, he said could be made at the Of
flee in the Farrelly building. An or
dinance making it compulsory for
plumbers to obtain a license was re-
ferred to the sanitary committee.
In answer to DR.. Francis H. Glaze
brook, secretary of the Board of
the Board of Health, and W. Burton
Wiley, superintendent of the schools.
who spoke in defense of the respec-
tive organizations, Rev. Charles Stel-
zle, of the Central Bureau of Social
Service, which has been investigat-
ing Morristown, said the figures he
had presented were not disputed,
simply the Interpretation of them
was changed. A crowd of about 500
people filled the gymnasium of the
Young Mems Christian Association,
where the meeting was held Monday
evening, after a dinner to the men
in the auditorium, served by the La
dies Auxiliary of the Y. M. c. A.
Mr.. Stelzle first met the arguments
of DIR. Glazebrook and Superintend-
ent Wiley, both of whom preceded
him. He said the figures he had pre-
scented at the mass meeting the pre-
ceding night did not include the num-
Der of out-of-town persons who died
here and, if wrong, had been given
the investigator at the Health
Boards office. Furthermore, he said,
nothing was said about the people
who went away to die Regarding
the babies, he said he had informa-
ton that out of all the ones who
came here last year only two or three
had died. This, he said, left the
death rate still 80 per cent. greater
than that of New York, which also
was the dumping ground" for the
dying. Mr.. Stelzle then took up the
churches, which he did not touch on
Sunday night The statistics, he
said, showed that the men and boys
were not being reached in the white
churches, and much less so In the
colored churches, while comparison
with other American cities showed q
less percentage of boys and girls at
tending the local churches After
reading some of the causes for this,
he explained some recommendations
he would make for remedying the
same. Being friendly with the for
eign part of the city would help,
building a library which would also
be meeting place for thes working
class would be fine chance to do
social service, making the Y. NJ.
c. a. a place for everybody and pro-
viding a school for those 12 per cent.
who now only go part time were some
of the things he touched upon. He
also recommended a visiting nurse
to care for foreign babies, together
with the forming of social service
group in each of the churches and
starting a publicity campaign to
build up the work.
G. B. st. John, who has conducted
the investigation. was the first
speaker. He told of the work and
showed a number of charts compar-
ing the various departments
DIR. Glazebrook defended the Board
of Health, saying the hospitals and
the number of out of town people who
came here for health and deid boosted
the death rate, and superintendent
Wiley explained that the estimate of
three out of ten graduating from the
eighth grade was based on his figures
but there were more pupils in the first
grade now than there were In the
eighth when 1t was first.
Frank T.. Stulle commended Mr..
Stelzle and said the problems would
be worked out. The Y. M. c. A., he
said, was going to be ready to help
the boys on Flagler street, twenty
boys are now working their way
through the association.
Rev. r. b. Urmy, pastor of the
Methodist Church. also thanked the
esrvice bureau and said he was glad
the work had started in the church.
He said there were per cent. of the
Y. M. G.. A. members Jews and per
cent Italians now. He spoke of a
high school with a gymnasium and a
large auditorium as q means of help
ing out the working class.
Rev w. r. Bennett, pastor of the
First Presbyterian Church, said there
was always dividing line in any new
movement on the sides being interest
and indifference, but the meat of
matter was not to disgrace Morris
town, but to help it. He expressed
a desire that 1t might lead to a better
Morristown.
AS the night before all the minis
tiers of the city were present. Rev,
Merle Anderson opened the banquet
with prayer and Rev. Barrett p. Tyler
4 La, Ahr,