Perth Amboy evening news., 1916-02-14
SIDE OF
PREPAREDNESS
All Discussion Seems to be
With Mechanical Side, Says
Public Health News.
Special to tne EVENING NEWS

Trenton, Feb. 14:-That all discus
sions of preparedness are concerned
with the mechanical side and not with
the human side of the question is MAIN
tanned in an article in the February
number of Public Health News, out
this week. Public Health News is the
monthly bulletin of the State Depart
ment of Health. The articles in ques-
tion, entitled, "One-Sided Prepared
ness" points out that the supply of
men Is just as important for defensive
purposes as the supply of battleships,
and munitions. With reference to the
human element in plans for defense
the article says:
"A glance at the mortality statistics
of any state will suffice to show a great
wastage of human material For ex-
ample, out of the total of 39,967 deaths
which occurred in New Jersey in 1914,
1886 were of persons under 20 years
of age. Assuming an approximately
oven division of the sexes, these figures
mean that nearly one-third of the raw
material, out of which an efficient
lighting force is made, Is wasted be-
fore reaching the age of usefulness.
If a manufacturer should find that in
the process Of manufacture one-third
of his raw material were wasted, the
Question of preventing this waste would
be one of tremendous Importance.
Between the ages of 20 and As the
human machine, with ordinary care,
which includes proper food and air,
and properly regulated rest and ex-
ercise, should run without needing re-
pairs, yet for the year 1914, 5000 of the
deaths in New Jersey were of per-
sons over 20 and under As years of
age. This means that nearly one-third
~ IL
die during the active productive period
of life, when they are of most value to
| themselves and to the community. A
manufacturer who has nearly one-third
OF his machines break down compile. ely
before they should ordinarily begin to
show wear and tear would soon go in
| to bankruptcy.
During the period of life between
45 and 70 years of age the human ma
chine should ordinarily give fairly good
| service with reasonable care and oc-
casional repairs, yet in 1914, 1,849 of
the deaths in New Jersey occurred be-
tween these ages. Thus, nearly three
| fifths of those who survive earlier
waste die before reaching the age of
| 10. During the same year only 7,490
| people died after reaching the age of
10 years or over.
| The age period under 20 is time of
| military usefulness later on. The per-
iod between 20 and As is usually re-
garded as the period of greatest uSe-
| fulness in the pursuits of either peace
or war, while the period between As
and 20 is the period during which great
service may still be rendered. 1t IL
| during this age period that men should
be able to perform the work at home
| While the younger men go to war.
| II the National Government expends
| $100,000.000 a year for the next few
years in increasing the navy, this
alone, aside from other preparedness
measures, will mean more than one
dollar per capita foS all the inhabi
tants of the country while the Stat
tcents per capita In iblic health wori
To pfodGce III men a. nsmir>r65s guns
In. most communities of/the state the
local board of health expends only
cents per capita for health work, ma.
ing total of less than 10 cents per
capita expended for the protection OF
health and the promotion of efficiency
of individuals. Thus, for these COM
munities, the expenditure per capita on
the mechanical side of preparedness
will amount to much more than ten
times the expenditure on the human
side of preparedness.
If the country wishes to carry out
a well planned and balanced program
of preparation for defense, 1t should
be remembered that the human side
of preparedness is just as important
as the mechanical side, and that 'u-
man beings do not escape disease and
grow to perfection under present con-
ditions of living without proper atten-
ton. If the National Government is
to take care of the mechanical side of
preparations for defense and leave to
1.-THE states and local communities largely
the care of the human side of such
preparations, it is incumbent upon each
| state and local community in this coun-
| try TO assume full responsibility for
the human element by providing ample
funds for health-protective measures.
SO long as one-third of the raw hu-
man material is wasted before reach
| ing the age of usefulness, one-third of
the useful material is wasted during
the period of greatest usefulness, anu
fthree-fifths OF the remainder is wasted
before it's usefulness ceases. satisfac-
tory preparedness on the human side
cannot be fully accomplished. This
side of preparedness has the great
merit that it is just as important for
pursuits of peace as for war