The Virginia enterprise. [volume] (Virginia, St. Louis County, Minn.) 1893-19??, 1914-11-13
MAKE SANITARY
SURVEY OF THE
MESABA RANGE
Washington Doctors Look Over
Iron Country for Industrial
Relations Committee.
PLEASED WITH WHAT
THEY SAW IN VIRGINIA
Home Environment of Workers
and Welfare Work of Employ
ers Here Is Commended.

DR.. Robert Oleson and Dr.. Joseph
Bolton, connected with United States
Public Health service and making a
sanitary survey of the iron ranges at
the direction of the industrial rela-
tions committee of congress. spent
yesterday in Virginia. They visited
number of the mines, the city schools
the homes of miners and laborers at
the nearby locations and at the Or
monde hotel last night DR.. Oleson con-
fessed himself as pleasantly surpris-
ed at the conditions as he found them
here, the general excellent sanitary
condition Of this section, the volume,
extent and success of the welfare
work here conducted and particularly
with the fine results that are attend
ing the work Of Virginia's school ply
sician Dr.. C. H. Nicholson.
The survey in which Drs. Oleson and
Bolton are engaged is intended to
cover the representative industries
Of the United States. Dr.. Oleson was
careful to indicate that the survey is
in no sense an investigation under
taken in a critical mood, but is made
for the purpose of determining the
home environment of the workers in
shops and mines and to ascertain what
is being done in the way Of welfare
work for the good and general uplift
of men employed in industrial occu-
pations. Drs. Oleson and Bolton have
just completed a similar survey in
the Michigan copper country and the
Marquette iron range, where they for
some time had their headquarters at
Ishpeming.
Conditions Favorable Here.
"While we do not care to anticipate
our formal report, "said DR.. Oleson last
night we find conditions in Virginia
very favorable. We find that both the
steel corporation and the independent
mining companies are doing a good
deal Of welfare work which has for it's
purpose the good health and general
happiness and contentment of their
employees. The housing conditions
are generally excellent and good
deal Of effort is being made to educate
and broaden the men who toll.
81 am particularly impressed with
the system Of medical inspection
which prevails in your city schools.
DR.. Nicholson, who is in charge, seems
to be intensely interested and has al
ready shown excellent results here.
The benefit of such a system is of
inestimable value. The greatest re-
suits of Dr. Michelson's work will be
apparent in the oncoming generation,
while it's immediate results are i'm
pressive. The corrective influence of
intelligent medical supervision on
physically defective children is one of
the finest forms of all welfare work
and l am glad to note that it is at
tanning such fine result in the schools
Of Virginia.
81 find that al the mining concerns
are adopting a broad and liberal poll
cy on welfare work and that they are
doing a good many fine things for
their employees. The first aid to the
injured courses are an admirable idea
ard it is admirably carried out here"
Drs. Oleson and Bolton went from
Virginia to Hibbing today. They will
visit underground and open pit mines
there, number of the locations, in
cluding the Mahoning, which is one
of the finest on the Mesaba range, and
will spend some few days on the Me-
saba yet before their survey Of this
section is concluded.
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