Perth Amboy evening news., 1918-11-18
MERELY HEALTH INSURANCE

One dollar apiece a year is mighty small health insurance.
1t has taken the most severe epidemic that the city has ever
: oerieneed to teach us what health means.
With our schools closed, industries crippled, business at a stand
still; with doctors working night and day until they ae utterly ex.
hausted and even then with many calls unattended to; with temporary
hospitals opened and all crowded; nurses absolutely unobtainable;
with the undertakers unable to bury the dead, the morgues filed with
dead bodies, and with the cemeteries congested with collins, the grave
diggers not being able to dig graves fast enough-after such an ex
perience. we say, how can we continue to hagge over a n adequate
appropriation for the care of tho public health in the futuref
Who would not give his dollar willingly and gladly every year
if he could be assured that he would be doing everything within his
power to prevent a recurrence OF such an experience a ms city hs
SO recently passed through
But it is estimated that this city now has about 10000 popua-
ton. One dollar per capita would mean 100000 to be spent ON public
health. 1t seems like an enormous sum-. But Is IL S o large AFTER ~
"Ae Pnt the BOARD Of Health is not asking for M dollar per capita
to carry o adequate health supervision In this city next year. Ihelr
How many times forty thousand dollars did the city lose in the
recent epdemicG Would not the people of the city gladly have given
$4,000 to have escaped the scourgei Would not the business men
willingly have raised the amount among themselves rather than to
have gone through the ordealY The industries alone would have foot
ed the bill if they could have been assured that their employees would
have kept well so as to be on the job.
Of course. no one can absolutely guarantee that there will be no
more epidemics. But we can do everything within our power to pre-
vent them and to make them as light as possible when they do occur:
Perth Amboy alone cannot keep the country clear of the rayages OF
disease, and when an epidemic does start it is bound to run its course.
But if the vitality of the people of any community is kept up through
proper health regulations the effect of the epidemic in that COM
munity will be hardly appreciable.
For a city of the size and character of Perth Amboy it is abso-
lutely essential that the utmost consideration be given the health de-
1t is all well enough to argue that certain classes will live in
NTH ana amid unSanltary surroundings no matter where they are put
or what is done for them. 1t is the duty of the city to see that it is
impossible for this element to show such indifference and neglect.
Such an element in a city endangers everybody living in that city
The children from the homes of filth and disease mingle with other
children in the schools Men living under such horrible conditions
work side by side with men from decent surroundings. Disease thus
bred cannot be confined to any one section. The whole city is af
fected. By proper supervision through the health department these
unsanitary conditions can be abolished. But the city must provide
means for the proper supervision
Give us a clean. healthful city and all the other improvements
viii take care of themselves for the city will become s prosperous
that nothing will be too great for it to undertake. But first it must
have health. Without health nothing can be done.
When We realize the fact that the very foundation of a prosper
Gus community rests with the health of the people of that community
we are getting started en- the road to do things. If we do nothing
else for the next tko or three years besides clean up the CITY and
build up an aoequs z terfh department we win have accomplished
. great work. On Terfy viii be assured.