The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1919-09-17


use of habitforminK narcotics.
Mayor &. n. fitzgerald win hold
conference with officers Of the
Neterans' Welfare association
next "Wednesday. for the purpose
of drafting legislation 10 stamp
out tho traffic.
According to report filed Wed.
nesday with Mayor Fitzgerald by
pr. IT. NJ. Read. commissioner OF
health, there are three times as
many narcotic addIcts In Seattle to-
day as In 1917
The increase In the use Of nareot.
les L. attributed To the natural In.
crease ~ population, the influx OF
criminals attracted by Scattlc'h pros
rerity, and the reported large mum.
her OF young men who formed drug
habits 10 evade the seleetiyc draft
law. Dr. Read does not believe that
prohibition accounts for a material
number of narcotic addicts.
War Responsible
In hi. report TO Mayor Fitzgerald.
Or. Read said:
Il believe that the war IL
responsible for a good deal OF this
Increase In the use OF narcotics
There seems Co be little or no indi.
cation that the reduction OF the
liquor traffic has been responsible"
mo records In former years nor
AT the present time have been kept
BY the police SO that an exact re
port OF those coming under police
surveillance cannot be given.
1T was noted a few days ago
that In 1917 10 cases OF drug
hAbltues a month were taken up
by the police Theae were ar
rested for all manner OF crime. but
chiefly as Migrants. Many OF them
were known To tho police as addicts
while others became known while
held in custody. At the present
time there would seem 20 be 40 or
more arrests OF dope users per
month. or az ono officer said.
easily three times a. many AZ in
isiT' A. as another policeman
stated. that from one 20 four were
brought In almost every day
Few Nouthfui Users
"on inquiry as 20 ;he prevalence
Iof drug'uslug among children.
found that there had been con.
siderable few years ago. but vir-
tuaily none among boys az the pre-.
ent time. one case reported was %
a boy who began at II years He
had been given q months supply by
man and has since obtained II.
when he had money. from the Chi
nes~. This Il the only recent case
reported under Is years Of age
This lad was n newsboy.
There seems 10 BE- a prevalence
among those from 20 90 u years
Old and Il IL thought that about
half Of those committed to JAIL are
users II appears that ali drug.
store hurglarics are committed b.
this class OF men.
In n group Of ~ men sent 20
tho stockadc. Is were fisnds. One
officer having charge OF many OF
these prisoners beiievcs that OF all
the hundreds he had known during
n period OF years. none has stopped
its use.
Criminal Class Grows.
The Increase Of population might
account for some OF the Increase.
Greater Prominence of Seattle ne
city OF opportunities with better
chances for criminals also Ia aug.
gested as accounting for a portion
of Il. The criminal class Is now
largely made up Of boys and young
men who are ready 10 try any.
thing.
"oue formidable reason II suggest.
ed that opium users were rot
passed by draft boards and many
became addicted In order 90 evade
the draft law. The fact that. az
observed here. the average age OF
these men IL % years. will compile
ment the suggestion regarding the
draft"