The daily star-mirror. (Moscow, Idaho) 1911-1939, 1923-04-17
AMERICANS AID
HAITI PROGRESS
Navy Officers Report on Work
Accomplished in 1922 as
Showing Success.

! Port-au-Prince, Haiti.-The techni
cal skill, the energy, the intelligence
and the hard work of certain officers
of the American navy, all are being
expended in the interests of the island
Of Haiti and its people. And the year
1922 was one of peace and progress
Much was accomplished, and the work
is still going on under American lead
ership. The Americans are teaching
the Haitians to help themselves; they
i are endeavOring to train the Haitian
personnel so that they may eventually
displace all foreigners in Island admin
istration. Cooperation between the
two elements, to this end, undoubtedly
is making Roadway.
Early this year the American heads
of departments made reports on the
results of their labors in 1922 to John
/ H. Russell, the American high COM
missioner for Haiti, covering activities
! in the sanitary service, in fire protec-
ton, in police work, in public works,
such as irrigation, road building, and
| communications in the better lighting
| of the coasts of Haiti, and in increased
shipping.
Epidemics Checked.
The so-called prison disease, which
| In the old regime claimed 1900 out
of an average Of 1000 prisoners has
| been reduced to the vanishing point
In 1922 the percentage Of deaths in the
prisons was OF. The death rate of
the gendarmes numbering 2,414 Hal
tians, fell to the rate Of 511 per
thousand
The completion Of the Intensive
campaign against smallpox assures
| the prevention of it's spread for sew
eral years, and the recent severe cpl
demic Of cholerine, a form of bacilla
dysentery, has been largely wiped out.
That the Haitians are responding
In greatly increased number to the
free opportunities of American sur
gical and medical treatment Is evinced
by the fact that In the year 23,316
applied for treatment. Es compared to
1905 for the preceding year. Five free
dispensaries were opened in Interior
sections where medical facilities were
nonexistent for a radius of several
miles.
The gendarmes have been encour-
aged in field and track sports, basket
ball, baseball, soccer and boxing, to
their physical improvement.
Rifle Practice Taught.
All gendarmes, in addition to their
military training, are receiving free
grammar school course that has en-
couraged enlistment and caused favor
able comment among the Haitians. For
the first time In its history every man
in the gendarmerie has been thor
oughly instructed in rife practice, and
the contests held have developed
craftsmanship Of surprisingly high
quality. The regulation of all vehicle
traffic and the registration Of foreign
ers were assumed by the gendar
merle in the closing months of the
year.
Port-au-Prince is now protected
against disastrous fires through the
recent completion Of salt water high
pressure system. The equipment of
the capitals fire fighting forces now
comprises two modern chemical end
equipment motor trucks and recently
acquired American horse-drawn engine
in which the fremen, respondent In
crimson shirts and shining, brass hel.
NETS, race to the fires.
The department OF public works has
operated irrigation service in three OF
the lea ding plains where agriculture Il
almost wholly dependent upon irriga
ton. made preliminary Investigations
OF other needed irrigation projects, and
determined that fully 100000 acres OF
at present unproductive land In the
great plain Of the Artlbonlte gre capa-
BILE of irrigation. -.
Road Construetion Sprsada,
Work has begun on a 15-miie stretch
OF read that, when completed, viii
cut the present time of travel BY auto
mobile between the capitals OF Haiti
and Ssnto Domingo from three days
to one. The new road will run from
Las Cahobas to Commentator on the
Santo Domingo border
There are today $50 kilometers OF
road in operation throughout the re
public. Forty bridges will be erected
at inland points where traffic has been
inSthe rainy seasons. A
two-year program for new road con
ptrlction has reel approved.
I .Peft-spS Prince now has new au
Eonadtfc Telephone system which viii
be extended to. care tor, 500 subscrib-
ers POLE lines for Q istanceg Of SOC
we're maintained In 1922
torg haitian telegraph service.
nThs figures for last sear'shsw that
straffit. Increased = per cent
md the Telephone srafisc doubled. The
owsrede cost OF operation and main i
se4sPes swst97 PEI. Gent o.:, ~.
Eones ReYi aatomst!c feshiEg acsty I
4hes tyHasof lighthouses with 4 ytsi- =
nflltys 81 rs snssess have been places n II
In TIE .past year. Tkeee
ldditionsq L the lighting OF sHsfti'f L
mile coastilne, formerly ssrel
tafdsd ~ 91afaFtaEs men - the most