Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1915-08-23
MOSQUITO NUISANCE
CAUSING A DECLINE
IN PROPERTY VALUES
Real Estate in South and West
Philadelphia Deprecated by
Pest Which Afiicts
Those Sections
PROMPT ACTION NEEDED
Filling Up Of Swamps, Instead Oh
Spraying, Proper Means OF
Elimination

The MOSQUITO pest that affllcts South
and West Philadelphia is costing inhsoi-
tants OF those sections more than ply
sical and mental discomfort-it is a aues-
! tion Of cold dollars and cents figured In
I deprecated realty values and unrented
houses. according to real estate agents
! and property owners OF the suffering dis
/ trlcts.
! In some sections the conditions are so
| bad that the work OF spraying swamps
and filling in ponds has been undertaken
| by private enterprise-notably the land
owned and surrounding the Girard Bs-
tate tract I'm South Philadelphia, upon
which hundreds OF dollars have been
spent this summer in treating the
marshes with kerosene and in other at
! tempts to abate the nuisance.
In speaking OF the matter l. Hazleton
Mirkil, secretary of the Glrard Estate,
asserted emphatically that the conditions
resulting from the mosquito blight are
such that no excuse should be accepted
by the people of this city next year II
the proper authorities are not provided
with sufficient funds to combat and eradi-
cate the evil.
81 think that property values have been
affected by the nuisance" he said. The
desirability of houses is influenced de-
cidedly III the community In which they
are situated Is subject to a pest. Prop
erty values depend on demand, and the
demand for houses in such a community
is bound to wane IL the conditions are
not remedied"
"A scientific and thorough campaign
should be conducted against the mosqui-
toes. In my opinion all the money spent
In spraying these ponds with oil is
wasted for continued applications are
necessary, and In the end the pond still
exists. There is no limit to the amount
OF money that could be expended in this
way. What is needed is to fill the swamps
and ponds and eradicate them perma-
nently."
Mr., Mirkil explained that the work Of
filling and grading to improve the land
is being carried out on a large scale at
the Girard estate in conjunction with the
Point Breeze Park Association, and that
although mosquito determination is not
the immediate object 1t is, nevertheless,
being attained. He also characterized
the $3SS2 mosquito fighting equipment of
the division of sanitation as ''rdicu-
lous," and asserted that the $500 appro-
priated by Councils for the Highway Bu-
reau to fight the insects was but a drop
In the bucket"
Some real estate dealers Of West and
South Philadelphia assert that the mos
quito nuisance does not altogether ac-
count for unrented properties in those
sections, but assert that the Gray's Ferry
Abattoir nuisance is the greater of the
two evils Be that as 1t may. the mos
quitoes are still thriving on the blood OF
residents of these sections of the city.
Among the more thoughtful suggestions
that have come to light from West Phila-
delphia as to how the mosquito fight may
be conducted is one which calls atten-
tion to the fact that thousands of tons of
dirt are eXcavated In this city every year,
and that II this were carted to the mos
quito-breeding swamps instead of to pub
lie or private dumps the nuisance would
be speedily and permanently remedied.
1t is further pointed out that this year
alone sufficient earth has been excavated
and carted from the League Island Boule-
ward to fill the majority of the ponds in
that section, and that had the contract
for the work contained a clause calling for
the disposal of the earth in this manner
the city would have abated the MOSQUITO
nuisance in that district at possible cost
of one cent for each load of earth. II
earth for this purpose is to be purchased
outright and carted TO the swamps It ia
said that It will cost more than so cents a
load.