White Pine news weekly mining review. [volume] (East Ely, Nev.) 1910-1920, 1918-05-19
DEFENSE COUNCIL AND
BOARD Of HEALTH WILL
ACT ON SOCIAL PROBLEM
DRASTIC MEASURES PROBABLE
IN COOPERATION WITH WAR
DEPARTMENT TO INSURE BET
TER LOCAL CONDITIONS.

hhc " uAtc fiic couhtS boaEu ch
health, consisting of the county COM
missioners, Messrs. Richard C. North,
John Weber and J. Fl. Gallagher.
Sheriff David Mclean and County
Physician r. H. Richardson, is In re-
ceipt of the following letter from
Charles s. Chandler, acting secretary
of the White Pine County Council of
Defense
The prosecution of the war Is
bringing to light many things-some
of them OF a nature not pleasant
One of these revelations that the or
binary individual in the daily pur-
suits of life has not given much
thought to. Is the widespread prevail
ence of yenereal disease. The pres
enc of this social cancer Is becoming
known through the physical require
ments of men called for army ser
vice. 1t Is not new condition nor
one that can be attributed to the war.
as the examination of conscripts and
recruits has shown that thousands OF
soldiers have been kept from the fir-
ing line because of venereal disease
contracted In civil life and before they
entered the training camps. To keep
the training camps clean is one Of
the great aims of the war depart
ment, and the council of defense, an
Organization of many functions and OF
high authority, will do its part in I'm
proving conditions. Any measure OF
success will be public boon. not
only from the standpoint of improv-
/ ing the physical and moral status OF
the army. but from the standpoint Of
social decency and welfare.
II A member of the county board of
health stated to the News yesterday
that while the letter from the coun-
Gil of defense was In the hands Of
the county board of health, no action
had as yet been taken. owing to minor
delays of unavoidable nature How
ever, action is to be taken and 1t II
a certainty that the county board OF
health will not only cooperate fully
with the council of defense. but will
adopt even stronger methods In q
systematic and intelligent campaign
against this widespread evil The
letter follows.
May 13, 1918.
To the County Board of Health of
White Pine County, Ely, Nevada.
Gentlemen AT a meeting of the
White Pine County Council of De-
fense. held May 9th, 1918. a com
munication from the War Depart
ment on the subject of venereal dis
eases was called to the attention of
the council and discussed. The
urgency of stamping out these dis
eases as a war measure, IL for no 9TH
er reason, Is being extensively called
by the War Department to the atten-
ton OF the country. The War De-
partment Commission on Training
Camp Activities states that literally
hundreds of thousands OF soldiers
have been kept from the firing line by
these evils and on the mere matter
of cost that the amount OF money re-
Quired to care for the new cases re-
ported in the United States Army
between September fifteenth and De-
cember seventh was greater than the
cost of maintaining the entire organ
ization at Camp Dix. New Jersey, OF
twenty-one thousand men. The evil
OF course is a very serious one as II
affects civil life as well as the mil
itary.
In order that White Pine county
shall do its part In fighting this evil
the County Council of Defense. by
motion unanimously passed. instruct
ed the Acting Secretary as the act Of
the County Council TO write your hon.
orable body recommending that the
proper steps be taken to eliminate 30
far as practicable venereal diseases
In this county. The actual steps nec-
essary or advisable in this connection
and the details OF the plans to be
adopted we're deemed by the Council
more proper for your determination
than for that of The Council 1t was
the opinion OF the Council, however.
that the plan adopted hy you should
include at least a weekly medical ex-
animation of all prostitutes and
proper isolation OF actual causes or
disease. The Council also recon-
mends that you consider the advis-
ability of requiring all physicians To
report cases of yenereal disease whlcA