Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1916-10-22
u. S. Public Health Service Working for the

a FTER the threatened strike of
h\ 100000 workers of the rail-
~ road brotherhoods and with q
* q car strike tying up the local
passenger service in New York
city, one turns with relief to another
phase of the labor question-how tho
public health service has improved hy-
gienic conditions for 100000 indus
trial workers of the United States.
This bureau of the Treasury Depart
ment, which, among many other things.
has the oversight of health conditions
among those who labor for their daily
bread, has large knowledge derived
from its Investigations, little authority
by law to enforce. but powerful infiu-
ence to bring about reforms.
Improved conditions have increased
labor efficiency by bringing up the av-
erage of health and by reducing the
death rate to such an extent that dur
ing the past year 177.t00 lives of work
ing people have been preserved
enough to equal the population of
large city.
Nearly a third of the entire popula-
ton, including women and children, or
the United States is engaged in indus
trial work. Each individual loses from
sickness annually an average OF nine
working days. making a total OF H.
100000 days for the entire one-third.
On the basis of earnings at 81 day, this
represents an annual loss through sick
ness of $5s7, 1000. 900. besides an outlay
of half as much more for doctors bills
and medicines
Many cities. Washington included. are
straining every nerve to secure the
new naval armor plant. which vii! pro.
vide labor for an industrial regiment
of 500 men. For it or any other great
n1ant erected in these times 1t is GER
tain that the utmost care will be taken
to provide frst-class working condi-
tons for the operatives
There will be good floors to stand
upon, as much window space as posi-
BILE to admit air and sunlight for COM
fort and health and an abundance OF
drinking water. Exhaust pumps will
carry off foul air, Ga-cs and dust; the
rooms will be kept comfortably warm
in winter and as fresh as possible In
summer; there will be showers and am
pie sanitary Accommodations; luncn-
room, where warm food can be bought
at cost. to supplement the lunch PAIL
. physician win have tho supervision
of the men and there will be rest rooms
and trained nurses in an emergency
hospital.
The health service works upon the
theory that the only way to remedy
en- evil is by investigation on a suf-
fciently large scale and covering
sufficiently long time to ascertain the
facts and conditions which cause the
evil. Without such scientihc study
there can be no cure. Anything else
is palliative. and the federal service
is the only one with sufficiently wide
field to conduct such work. however
much it may be aided by local tnvestt-
cations and the splendid work OF hos
pitfalls and, research institutions.
One of the evils which the service
undertook to relieve was found in the
diseases and accidents peculiar to steel
workers, and DIR. J. A. Watkins was
detailed by the service to ind out ex-
actly how things were and how to
make them better.
The service soon learned that the
saving of life and limb from accidents
has been remarkable. but this merely
leads the way into the broader field Of
smothering those factors that In the