The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1921-03-15
A MENACE TO HEALTH.

VIII the people or Kansas STAND Tor:
Cd The elimination of a laboratory
for the state board of health?
(2) The cessation OF the fight on
venereaI diseases?
(3) The return to the Pullman
company of the public health car that
has distributed millions in information
ON child hygiene and tuberculosis?
"a The loss of the effect of the
pure food law?
CD The knitting of the division of
vital statistics?
CD The general Gripping of the
state board of health?
The answer is NO. emphatically no!
Kansas CAN exist without huge col
lege appropriations. The state CAN
struggle along without additional
buildings and boards and commits
sions. But there should be no dis
position on the part of the legisla-
ture to create a health menace by
Gripping the board of health.
The house ways and means commit
tee, after creating increases in sal
aries and appropriations to nearly
every state department and institu-
ton, has used a cruel knife on the
state board of health.
An appropriation for $4,000 was
asked for a state laboratory. Who
without laboratory? Yet the house
committee has eliminated all funds
for this purpose. An appropriation
of $685. 900 was asked for the venereal
disease war. Since the war the nation
and state has taken an active hand
in this great work. The house COM
mittee would stop it in it's tracks in
Kansas. The public health car has
been operated in Kansas for the
last seven years, and was given to DR..
s. J. Crumbine in memory of his son,
Warren. Child hygiene and tuber-
culosis instruction has been spread in
every section of Kansas thru the use
of this car. Under the house recon-
mendations the car would remain idle
and, of course, would be returned to
the Pullman company. The house
committee cut two inspectors from the
pure food list. This would leave only
one man to carry on this campaign in
the state, thereby practically multi
flying the Kansas pure food law. One
inspector could do nothing of general
value. The division of vital statistics
is maintained, to a great extent, by
fees. The house committees cuts
would leave this fee money in the
treasury and give the state board of
health no right to spend 1t for the
purposes designated. The committee
cut $4,000 from the sanitary work,
dealing with city sewerage and water
supply.
Then, to make the work of destruc-
ton complete, the house ways and
means committee slashed salaries and
wages and expense necessities in the
board of health until it would be i'm
possible to maintain clerical and pro-
fessional hire.
In other words, the house recon-
mendations have taken health out
of the state board of health. The
board only would remain.
Three months ago thousands of
Kansans volunteered In their home
towns to raise money for the fight on
tuberculosis. A large part of this
money, raised at considerable expense.
went to the state for the purpose of
| combating this disease that costs 80
many lives in Kansas each year. It
was purely a task undertaken by pri-
vate citizens at a great loss of time
and effort that by all means should
have been cared for by state appro-
priation.
The legislature has not been asked
to appropriate funds for this work.
1t should be. But 1t hasn't. Yet, de-
spite this demonstration on the part
of the citizens for q Healthier and
happier" condition in the homes of
the unfortunate, the house ways and
means committee insists upon push
ing Kansas back SO years by discour-
aging small appropriations for the
maintenance of body and soul.
1t is hoped that the senate will re-
store these items-these petty ex-
penditures that mean so much to
| every man. woman and child in the
state.