The Mount Holly news., 1916-09-19

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The Board of Health of Northan
Die ton township held special meeti
Wednesday evening in connection wi
IN the Board of Education for the purpC
of considering the subject of openi
the public schools. 1t was decid
- that the Sunday schools could open
October and the public schools mig
begin their sessions the next da
VI October 9.
~ After setting the school problem Il
Board of Health took up the gener
is subject ofquarantine. With particul
is reference to the attendance of childre
Y at the Mount Holly fair it was decide
that the regulations which have bee
l. published res-cting children under
n years of age from congregating in pu
v lie places would be continued but whi
steps have been taken to see that tn
o rules will be enforced have not bee
made known. One member of tn
Board Of Health said that if it could nc
be accomplished in any other wa
policemen would be stationed at tn
gates of the Fair Association and pre-
; vent the admission OF children. Thi
may be all right but it would seen
to be the proper thing to have tn
greatest publicity given to this decision
in order that children will not leav,
their homes and then be stopped at thu
gates.
The restrictions on children entering
Mount Holly have not been very rigid
ly enforced. The Board of Health put
up notices stating that children under
Is years of age must not be admitted
to the opera house or to Sunday
schools. The officials of the churches
took steps to see that this rule was en-
forced, and the manager of the opera
house did the same. The township au-
thorities placed an officer at the door
OF the opera house and children were
sent away, hut they congregated in
groups of IL to Is and played together,
roaming the streets, running through
private property sometimes staying out
as late as IL o'clock. Nothing was
done to prevent this until one of the
policemen was spoken to and he put a
stop to it on one-street but the practice
was transferred to another locality.
If anything was done to prevent chill
dren, from other places coming into
Mount Holly it was not noticeable.
The policeman whose station is at the
corner of Washington and High streets
was told to ask for certificates from oc-
cupants of foreign cars if they stopped,
but if they were simply passing
through not to disturb them. This is
entirely different from the practice fol-
lowed in other places. Lakewood
would not let a car containing children
pass through without exhibiting GER
tificate and Trenton stopped cars con-
tanning only adults. They realized the
danger from carriers of infantile parly-
sis.
ampton township placed officers at the
entrance to the towns but did not con-
tinue the practice. A member of the
Lumberton township Board of Health
said they kept an officer on for quite
period but when it was found that
Mount Holly was not doing anything
to protect itself there did not seem to
be any reason why Lumberton should |
pay the bill for the benefit OF Mount
Holly. There has been fatal case of
infantile paralysis just over the line in
Westa mpton and another near Rance |
cos yet there has not been any precau-
ton taken to keep any one from those |
coming into this town.
When the precautionary rules were
first adopted it was understood that |
the trolley company would not carry
children without certificates, but the |
company took the ground that it was
a common carrier and could not make |
any such regulation, but the railroad
company compelled it's station agents |
to inquire of every purchaser of tick |
ct whether there were any children
under 16 years Of age in the party. |
Allowing that the trolley company
was right there was nothing to prevent
Mount Holly officers boarding the cars
and asking for certificates and in their
absence to send the children back to
their homes. Carriages and automo-
biles have gone through Mount Holly
at their pleasure without any attempt
being made to see whether the child
rem in them were provided with the
proper certificate.
1t is well known fact that this
dreaded disease may be carried. In
one instance it is related that parent
carried sick child several blocks in
street car to a hospital
Union Fire company was holding a
fair. On Thursday evening there was
a great gathering of children at the
doors. OF course they were refused ad-
mission but they stayed around and
only left when neighbor called a
policeman to have them sent away.
The opera house has been fumigated
weekly but it has been done by the
manager at his own instigation and
expense The Board of Health excuses
its action on the ground that it would
be too expensive to go into the matter
thoroughly. So it appears to be mat
ter of save money at the risk of life. The
Board of Health has almost unlimited
powers and may spend money to meet
any extraordinary expenses, and call
upon the taxpayers to reimburse the
treasury
With the dreaded disease all around
us, one case within a mile, Mount
Holly may be considered as very fortu.
ate in not having it break out in the
town, but it cannot be said that ex-
traordinary precautions on the part of
the local Board of Health has had any
thing to do with the present satisfacto-
ry condition.
Senator Edge in this County.
Senator Walter E. Edge, candidate
! for the Republican nomination fol
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