The Alaska daily empire., 1918-06-26

tified the efforts by lessening the labor turnover, decreasing the loss of time due to sickness and hasten ing the output of the ships needed to win the war.
 Some striking instances of the De partment's work were made public today by the Shipping Board.
 Some weeks ago, at a little ship yard recently set down in rather sleepy Atlantic coast town, an out. break of dysentery was reported among shipyard workers The Ship ping Boards sanitary engineer found that, while the drinking water sup ply used in the yards was entirely pure, being chlorinated, there was temporary water supply for con crete mixing, in which polluted river water was used. oWrkmen had drank from the concrete water SUD. ply, despite warning signs. As the best way of eliminating all chances in the matter, the sanitary engin. eers arranged for purifying the con. crete water too, using chloride of lime to make it safe to drink.
 One of the old communities in New England, place of considerable pop- ulation, was found to be without a health officer, to have dangerous op, en seewrs and slack garbage collec. tion. When an old shipyard in that town was rehabilitated, Uncle Sam said Clean up!" And the town has responded
 The Pacific coast threw it's en. ergy into shipbnilding to such good purpose that it launched the first merchant ships and made the first ship-building records. Likewise. in its eagerness to build ships, the Pacific coast occasionally overlooked good sanitation.
 One yard in that locality was han dicapped by sickness. Workmen were hired only to quit, and during a single week the superintendent of steel construction, the foreman rivet. CT and the foreman of the plate shop were all laid up in hospitals and their places were being filled by as- sistants just recovering from attacks of disease.
 Inspection showed that the yard lacked sanitary toilets and equip ment for serving the men warm meals. It had too small a number of drinking fountains. Moreover, a large city sewer which run over the tide flats near the shipyard was broken open, making easy the spread Of disease through flies. The ship yard company had called the atten- tion of the nearby city to the bad condition of it's swer, only to be told that no city funds would be available for repairing the break un. til July. When the Government stepped in through the Shipping Board, backed by the military au. thorities, who refused to detail sol diers to guard that yard until the sewer was repaired, there was hur. ried meeting of the City Council and a special appropriation of $6,OOO to make repairs. It took a special ordinance but it was done five days after Uncle Sam got on the job.
 In another ship building center there was a mysterious outbreak of disease. Fifty ship workers came down with it at the same time. with temperatures running up to 1O3 or more. There were rumors of pos oning by German spies. When Ship ping Board health officers investigat ed. however, they found that mos quitoes were to blame, and took steps to drain nearby swamp land in cooperation with the local author ities.
 Mosquito work will probably pla, as important part in ship build ing this Summer. the country over as it did in the building of the Pan anna Canal. In several dozen locali ties active drainage campaigns are being carried. out by communities working with the Shipping Board One of the notable projects in tha' line is the work at the big How Island yard, near Philadelphia. where $250000 is being spent in perma nent ditching which is intended to rid tbat locality of mosquitoes fo, all time The State of Pennsylvania has contributed $75.OO0. the city ol Philadelphia $45(oOO and manufac turing interests have also appropriat ed money.
 The work of the Department of Health and Sanitation covers much more than the cleaning up of un healthy conditions. The comfort and convenience of workers is also ap. parent. Every shipyard is required to have medical and hospital facili. ties. and these are inspected, and information gathered about disease, epidemics and accidents. The living quarters of shipyard workers are investigated, and recommendations made for their convenience and com fort fin bunk houses. hmcs. transpor-