Evening star., 1915-05-16

I enough, IN fact, to tide over any tenn
porary interference with imports.
The bureau also finds that thousands
| OF tons of kaolin. ball clay and other
raw materials for the manufacture of
ceramic wares are mined in our Allan
TIC coast states every month. While all
English clay in quality. according to
| the bureaus Investigators, much OF 1t
can be used successfully as q substi-
| tute for the imported material, and the
output OF some beds. particularly those
| IN Florida, compares favorably with
! the best grades brought across the At
lantic.
The United States public health serv-
leo Is doing Its best to furnish a solid
l. foundation for the
Healthfulhess Of popular opinio
Countv TIE. that country life is
more healthful than
city life. As 1t Is. In the matter of some
OF the most vital factors affecting
| health, such as water supply, sewage
ana garbage disposal. housing arrange
ments and the maintenance Of oversight
by organised health departments, the
city dwellers of the United States have
q marked advantage over their fellow
countrymen of the rural districts; and
IN some instances at least. the public
health service has found. this advan-
| tage Is reflected in strikingly lower
disease and death rates in the cities.
10 determine just what the health
and sanitation conditions and needs
are In country districts the service has
| nature Of tests. in several counties in
widely separated states during the la st
| two years. and is just now extending
s;e, enese rural sanitation Investigations to
aoof.ional M f communities. The surveys
80 far made disclosed SO great a need
Tor Improvement, and have been such
important factors in actually betterine
conditions. that the service officials
nope to extend the work systematically
throughout the country
The survey which started the puh-
lie health service into the field Of ru-
raj sanitation was made in Yakima
county, Wash, in 1911, and led to work
Dy tne local authorities which resulted
ditions and a large decrease in the
death rate. Late in 1913 the work
was taken up in Berkeley county, W.
Va. and toward the middle Of 1914
county, Miss. were added. The investi-
cations just being taken up, and which
represent the largest single step SO far
taken in rural sanitation work, are in
Wilson county, Kan; Walker county.
Ala: Orange county, N. c., and Ammo
Arundel county, Nd.
The rural sanitation work is largely
devoted to a study of the prevalence
OF typhoid and its causes, and to for
mutation of plans for lettering con-
ditions. Through some of it's surveys
the service has found rural communi-
ties in which the typhoid fever preva-
lence was more than forty times as
great as that Of the whole "registration
rate vital and disease statistics are
regularly gathered. The prevalence of
typhoid in rural communities is found
to be due primarily to contamination Of
tary systems Of sewage disposal
Through the surveys information is
gathered in regard to these matters
and also as to the character and
screening Of residences. presence of
rats and mice. drainage, handling Of
manure and the presence OF domestic
animals.
Though the rural sanitation work OF
the service is relatively new. the re-
suits that may be expected to accrue
from It are indicated by conditions in
Yakima county, Wash. following the
activities there. Before the work was
begun the typhoid death rate was close
to 200 annually for each 100000 OF
work the typhoid death rate was re-
duced by over 80 per cent. The people
of the community had been stimulated
to an interest in sanitation and the
officer and a well organised health de-
partment. This organization has been
able progressively to better health con-
ditions until now 1t is estimated that
in the little town Of North Yakima
alone there IL an annual saving of 100
lives that would have been lost under
health conditions existing before the
public health service began it's work.
Residents Of Alaska will not have
to await the completion of the gov
ernment railway
Telegraph System now under con-
;r A1..l.. struction in the
--- >>A'''" territory in order
to have their first experience with gov
ernment-owned utilities For many
years every message they have sent
or received by telegraph has been over
land lines and cables owned and op-
Grated by the United States, and in
recent years the telegraphic plant has
been supplemented by wireless stations
also owned and operated by the fed
eral government.
The Alaskan telegraph system is now
in charge Of the War Department, but
1t is not improbable that it may be
taken over in the near future by the
Post Office Department, the transfer
having been recommended recently by
the former department on the ground
that there is no need for the system
for military purposes. If this transfer
Is effected Alaska will be the only
portion Of the United States in which
the people will have postal facilities
for communication by both mail and
wire. such as is furnished by most OF
the important foreign governments. .
The government-ownedt telegraph sys-
tenn in Alaska consists of nearly 2,700
miles of submarine cable extending
from Seattle. Wash. by way OF
Sitka and other coast points to Valdez
miles Of land lines from Valdez into
the interior, down the Yukon valley
and near Nome. There are also ten
radio stations throughout the territory,
forming q system that parallels the
land lines and also reaches points not
served by them. During several inter-
ruptions in wire lines last year the
all messages without difnculty or de-
lay.
The system is used extensively for
commercial purposes. and shows q
steadily increasing volume Of business
During the fiscal year 1914 receipts
on account Of commercial messages
amounted to nearly $4,000. an in
ceding year. In addition, official mes
saees Of the government to the value
of $4,000 were handled, and more
than $67, 900 was sent by telegraphic
transfers.
other experience with government
ownership has been had by residents of
Alaska in their overland transporta-
tion system. Most of the roads and
many of the trails in the territory have
f,,,1t hv hn fodA Mt