Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1919-02-05
FORM SERVICE;
WILSON HEADS
New Organization for Cfty's Inter-
est Discusses Formation OF
Health District

z. H. Wilson was named presi-
dent OF the community service COM
mittee, an organization formed yes
terday noon at the Moline Com
merciaI club. The committee is
composed of 80 men who will take
interest in and discuss problems of
public interest. The meeting yes
terday was presided over by n. A.
Peterson, president of the CONNER
cial club.
K. S. WOODBURY. was chosen vice
president and William Carstens
was elected secretary. The officers
represent the manufacturers, the
realty and business men of the city.
The organization will meet at y
o'clock each Tuesday noon. Lunch
con will precede the business meet
ing.
Need for the creation of a health
district here was outlined by Paul
L. Skoog, sent to Moline by the
state board of health, and Presi-
dent Wilson was instructed to Sc
lect a committee to give thought
to sanitary needs of the community
and to report back at the next
meeting
Recently the state enacted a law
giving townships the right to or
ganize into health districts, tax
ing themselves not to exceed four
mills, on favorable vote of the peO-
pie. In speaking of the need of a
health district, Mr.. SkOOg said:
TOO many communities fail to
realize the Importance OF Commun-
3
phoid epidemics within the last
year, has had more bad advertis-
ing throughout the state than any
other Illinois city. 1t isn't enough
to placard houses when contagious
disease breaks out, and then to FUN
igate after the disease has been
| checked Real health work is edu-
cational in nature. The people
must be educated; causes of dis
ease must be made known; then
those causes must be removed.
Rockford has one of the best
health departments outside the
city of Chicago. Yet Rockford
spends about 10 cents per capita
on public health, $1.70 per capita
on fire protection and about $1.20
on police protection. Surely health
should be as carefully safeguarded
as property and as much money
spent on health as for crime pre-
YentiOn."
The speaker explained that the
people can secure the services of
a health official and a health dis
triCt could be formed here. The
district could embrace the town
3 chine of MOI;po South Moline orJ
Rock Island, or could take in Mo-
line, South Moline and Hampton
townships.
The health board would be made
up of the supervisors of the three
townships together with the chair
man of the county board. The state
would send the health officer to
devote his time to care of the sani-
tary and health problems of the
district. This man would be select
ed by competitive examination. He
could, however, if he does not prove
competent, be removed by the To-
cal board.
If such a district would be Gre
ated it would yield sufficient rev.
enues to permit the employment
Of an expert during the lifetime of
the district and also to maintain
tuberculosis sanitorium.
To put the question of creating
such a board to vote before the
people a petition must be signed
by five per cent of the voters and
the petition must be filed with the
county clerk 80 days prior to the
election at which the proposition is
to be submitted.