Norwich bulletin., 1920-08-23
PROPOSE TO GET RID OF
 MOSQUITOES IN CONNEGTICUF

War on the ms quito and similar dis ease breeding insects has been declared by- group of 135 Connecticut leaders in business and professional life who met last week at Pine Orchard declared that crisis had been reached. in loss of health and life through the ravages of the pests, and formed permanent as sociation for their externiinaton.
 Experts from the Connecticut Agrieul- tural Experiment Station, who appeared before the association, testified that danger from the insects can be removed and that the health of the state will be vastly improved by immediate and ener- getic action in getting rid of the present ansanitary conditions which they assert ed, exist not alone among the seashore. ] and the sheltered inland river coves which protect the disease spreading in- sects, but which extend to the ponds lakes and swamps of the interior of the state
 Cases of the children who have died 1 the past few weeks because of the eff fects of the bite of mosquito or similar insect were quoted as creating the need for instant action. Doctors Edward H l Jenkins, W E. Britton and Samuel S. Sealy of the experiment station bore evil dence to the danger of life and health l because of the poisonous insects which have been allowed to breed and spread 1 their contagion in all parts of the state, | starting from the undrained land. | The association voted to appoint an executive committee to outline the most 1 effective means for reducing the evil and | thus greatly bettering the health of the
 state by reducing, if not exterminating. the insect evil as we'll as by such other
 means as expert advice indicates. The | association will issue an appeal to the
 entire state to realize the gravity of the 1 situation and join the crusade. Every
 community will be asked to consider
 both it's interest in the disease breeding
 areas infested by the insects and to grapple with the problems which are pe- culiar to itself Local auxiliaries will 1 be formed in many places to supplement | the state activities of the general asso- 1 ciatien. Meantime. such organizations
 as the state department of health and | experiment stations, local health off, cers and the grange will be urged to CO., l operate in an attempt to solve the spe-
 cific problems which have already arisen.
 | Of these the most immediate are the | drainage of marshy and swampy land The present season, which has witnessed the most excessive rainfall in years, has caused the insects to swarm on both the seashore and in the interior has occa- stoned epidemics of sickness and caused several deaths which have been direct ] ly due to mosquito or other insect
 bites.
 Business and professional men who
 have been impressed by the acute situa- l tion has determined to subdue the insect evil and have been told by the experts
 they have consulted that this can best
 be done by beginning the crusade by | draining the swampy land both of the
 fresh and salt areas where the insects
 spring into swarnaing activity.
 l The meeting was called to order by 1 William H. Wilson, formerly controller l-of Chicago, who has a summer place at Westbrook, but who has been active in | organizing the movement in this state. | William O. Goodman of Westbrook was | elected temporary secretary. MT Will
 son pointed out that while the state of l Connecticut appropriated S3,300,000 for
 good roads and $3000 900 for the admin
 istration or overhead ex SC of the
 highway commission, onl4 one-tenth as much as the administration item would l be necessary for the annual expense of
 draining the swamp lands of Connecti- l cut and thereby eliminating the mosqui-
 to and insect evil, by reducing it to i negligible proportions. 4 report was 1 read of similar efforts in New Jersey
 which, considered merely from the fnan- cial side, showed that an increase of
  l city and industrial centers is expected
 within twenty years to follow the sup pression of the salt marsh mosquito. 1 With not over 5 per cert. of the total l possible area occupied, the taxable val ues of salt meadow land have risen from s1 900, 000 or less to S16,000,00O.
 Estimates prepared by MT Sealey,
 deputy in charge of the mosquito exter- | imitation work in this state, showed l that the cost of ditching 5O0.OO0 feet in 1921, including such details as state inspection, would be $165,OoO and for
 the same amount in 1922 slightly
 smaller sum, ridding the state of it's
 worst disease breeding areas.
 The annual cost of maintainance af- ter the ditching is done will be $35, ,00O
 according to the estimates.
 I Malcolm R. Pitt of Stamford was
 elected permanent president of the as-
 sociation and John Moran of Pine Or chard treasurer. Pledges of financial
 support were given by several mem bers and an executive committee was ap-
 pointed.