The Sentinel=record., 1914-05-13
CLEANING UP
 AT VERA CRUZ
AMERICAN OFFICERS EQUINE MUCH DIFFICULTY IN COOPER
 ATlNG WITH MEXICANS.
Latter Feard to Assist Americans Be cause Former Officials Had Been Hanged for so Doing

Vera Cruz, via Galveston, Tex. May l2-Thc United States public health service the same advance agent oD
 modern civilization which rec aimed Havana, Panama and the Philippines from the scouraes of yellow fever and plague, already Is at work in Vera Cruz fighting the deadlier cnemiea than Mexican shippers or hostile troops.
 Vera Cruz, however, presents few of the problems met and mastered by American scientists in other tropical cities For a torrid zone city it is reasonably c'ean with paved streets fairly well kept, a good sewage sys tenn practically new and a fair water supply
 The first difficulty the American or Gcials encountered was to get the lo- cal authorities to cooperate, that the work of sanitation and inspection which ready had been begun under the Mexican government mi sht he carried forward and improved under American supervision.
 More than fifty olHclals Fl the To- cal health organization at first de clined to perform any service what soever under the American occupa
 ton. Surgeon General Guiteras of the public health service who had been identified with the sanitation ot Havana. Panama and the Philippines and Surgeon R. II. VonEzdorf, who has had wide experience with plague conditions in the tropics, appealed to the local health officers to continue their work-if not as officials, as in- diyiduals for the good of the city. All at first demurrod.
 "I should not dare to do so,' was the reply of the head of the local health bureau. When MeNicans served the government of MaNimii liam Binito Juarez hanged them in the plaza when his revolution car ried him to power. l do not care to court the same fate
 It was only after Surgeon Genera Blue, Of the public health service. had conferred by cable with Brigadiei General Funston and the latter ha l assured all they would he protected and that no protoco for the surrender of Vera Cruz to Mexican officials would be signed by the Americans which did not include protection to the fullest extent for those natives who had served the occupation, that the local men put aside their fears and consented to serve Only two de murrcd and the work is going oH without them,
 The American officials found the lo cal heath service fairly well organic ed The local corps was conducting the work at a cost of approximately S25,000 year American money For a city of some forty thousand inhaol- tants. American officials think the To- cal men did as well as could be eX- pected with the facilities at their command. In recent years q system of drainage ditches was built on the outskirts of the town to drain low lands and the Mexican officials did much work in the eXtermiuatiol oI mosqmtos by the use of oil. There has been no yellow fever since l9Oy when there was one case and for the four years prior to that there were very few cases. Officials suspected many of these were imported from other tropical places. There is some malaria during the summer session but in that respect Vera Cruz in no way approaches Tampico which is de. scrihod as a pest hole,
 One phase oi the work of the au thorities here, new to the hea tn service. is the regulation Of the social evil. A system of inspection, model. led after the European plan has been in use in the segregated district. Funds for the health service will ~bo provided out of tue receipts of the new local government Previously the Federal government at Mexico City contributed half the money and the state of Vera Cruz contributed the remainder Two principal hospitals of the town not under the jurisdiction of the board of health drew their maintenance from the city itself
 A department of marine sanitation also supported by ythe Federal gov ernment, performed the duties oi quarantine of the port and such worh as is done by the health officer at any principal American seaport. Under the re-organized health service, how. ever, all features of the work will be co-ordiaated in one efficient system working with local officials and regu lations so far as is possible and di. rected by Americans.