Harrisburg telegraph. [volume] (Harrisburg, Pa.) 1879-1948, 1919-04-15
CLEAN HOUSING
is SAID NECESSARY
[Continued from First Page.1

the city to the State authorities who
have picked Harrisburg, from all
cities of the State, as the one place
to try out the proposed system for
making model city. Colonel Martin
is an impressive figure and he
looks the man of authority. For
many years personal friend of Gov
ernor Sproul, he won distinction dur
ing the war as chief of the Walter
Reed Hospital at Washington where
$500 oversee cases were handled.
Here we are" was his attitude. The
State Department of Health is ready
to help Harrisburg. We pick you be-
cause you are just a little ahead,
something above the average in all
branches of progress. What are you
going to do?"
Notorious Examples
1--WE seem to have a regular ace
of a city," was the consensus of
opinion as heard from one promi-
nent citizen who had listened close
ly to the gamut of praise showing
what progress had been made here
in the last fifteen years and how
keen the citizens are to continue the
progress, and yet DR.. John Molitor.
chief of the Bureau of Housing,
pointed out that housing evils here
were notorious. For example he en-
phasized that at Twelfth and Mon
roe streets, a house was occupied by
twenty-six families, with two outside
hydrants and filthy toilets. Dr.
Hamilton street four overcrowded
families moved out of one house,
but seven moved in; he identified as
squalid living spots Cowden street,
North Seventh, Monroe, North
Tenth, Indian alley and South Ninth.
"The State" he promised. will
shortly make a survey of the entire
city and put the situation up to your
Chamber of Commerce. Fifteen
years ago you saw great activity
start here; you secured paving,
water front and parks. You must
not stop now"
The hardest rap for Harrisburg
came from DR.. Karl Schaffle, medi-
cal inspector of the tuberculosis dis
pensary He gave the city credit for
lessening the death rate from this
disease only II in 1000 now, which
he aScribed to better wages, sun
light and air in factories, fresh
air schools, etc. But he charged the
Harrisburg physicians with not re-
porting living tuberculosis cases to
the board, and he said the campaign
cannot go on without this co-opera-
ton. Splitting in public places" he
said, lis not enforced, especially
in street cars and market houses.
He maced the trolley cars for over
crowding, and deplored that there
was not hospital here so that con-
sumption victims might die near
their own home.
Following along this line DR.. Dor
othy Child, chief of the Division of
Child Hygiene, demanded that a
municipal nurse be appointed at a
salary of $1,000 per year, with 5000
for expenses. She was gratitied to
admit however that infant mortality
is decreasing here, due greatly to
Improvement in milk.
Stcelton in Danger
Another emphatic warning came
from Charles A. Emerson, chief en-
gineer of the Department of Health
in the matter of sewers, raw sewage
discharged below the dam being a
great injustice to Steelton. The sew
age plan, he says, should be COM
pleted Immediately even, if necessary
to issue bonds.
He predicted typhoid for the whole
of Steelton if the filter plant should
become inactive. He pointed out the
lack of any sewage system in Pleas
ant View, the cesspools of which
pour down their filth on the city and
must be renovated or cause an cpl
demic. He declared that all open
places such as this should be elimi-
mated and if necessary that Pleasant
View be Joined to the municipality
so her hygiene can be controlled.