Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1915-08-21
STUNG TO FURIOUS
ACTION, so MEN WAGE
WAR ON MOSQUITOES
Employees of Bureau of High
ways at Work Clearing Pest
breeding Swamps Near
League Island
FUNDS FOR FIGHT SMALL

Fifty employees OF the Bureau of High
ways went to work today clearing the
| mountaineering swamps near League
| Island of the rushes and reeds i'm which
the pests have thrived all summer. The
| men are working at a furious pace
stung to ever-increasing effort by q
cloud Of marsh mosquitoes of such magni-
tude that they cast shadows on the
| ground.
The work of clearing the marsh land
| which Is owned by the city, was begun
| yesterday following an investigation by
an energetic body of West Philadelphians,
| who claimed that the use OF Chinese
| incense and punk was necessitated in that
| section to such an extent that the odor
of the protecting fumes could be detected
at City Hall.
II is also said that the discovery of
the fact that the Division of Sanitation
had total equipment for fghting the
pests valued at s3s.32 had something to
do with the increased activity of the
Bureau of Highways
The land now being cleared Is east OF
Broad street at Government avenue. A
second force OF men Is at work clearing
the Curtin street canal. and although
residents OF South and West Philadel-
phia are thankfully admitting that the
work will better conditions In those Sec
tions they assert that it will prove only
drop in the bucket and that there are
other tracts, notably that in the neigh
borhood of Cobb's Creek at Baltimore
avenue. which also should be attended
to Immediately.
Some of the sufferers from the poison
Gus sting of the mosquitoes pessimis-
tically say that there is little hope of
having the nuisance materially abated
this year. In view OF the limited equip
ment of the Division of Sanitation and
the fact that the funds appropriated for
exterminating mosquitoes at the disposal
Of the Bureau of Highways aggregate
only $500 this year.
This sum is made up of an appropria-
tion Of $500 in the annual budget and a
second appropriation of $1,000 made by
Councils In June for mosquito extermina-
tion on private property. II is said that
these sums are nearly exhausted at the
present time.
Among those who have taken an active
interest in investigating the matter IL Is
said that every effort must be made by
residents of South and West PHILADELPHIA
next December to have Councils appro-
pirate $4,000 in the annual budget with
which to wage the mosquito warfare next
year. II is pointed out that experts agree
work should be begun In January, when
the marsh lands are frozen and may he
cleared and trenched with little difficulty.
Already efforts are being made to gain
the active cooperation Of influential men
to see that an adequate appropriation be
placed at the disposal of the Division of
Sanitation next year in order that the
painful experiences OF this year NAV not
be experienced again.
In speaking of the matter today, Senator
Edwin II. Ware said
This mosquito business is a miserable
nuisance all right and l will do my part
to see that 1t Is wiped out. | will do my
best In the movement to have Councils
appropriate as much money as can be
spared for the purpose"
Such an attitude is what the residents
or the afflicted sections are endeavoring
TO engender throughout the city, and they
confidently expect that their efforts will
be effective.