Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1925-12-11
PUBLIC HEALTH
TAX ON COSMETICS
Proposed Bill In Virginia Legislature
For Crippled Children


A stamp tax of 10 per cent upon
cosmetics, lip stick, rouge, face
paints, toilet waters and lotions, per-
fumery, hair oils, hair tonics, POM
AIDES and hair dyes would supply
funds to put public health nurses
and clinics in every county and city
in the State, to treat crippled chill
dren, invalid mothers and other sick
people too poor to secure medical
or surgical treatment In 1920
the date of the last available statis-
tics-Virginia women spent S12, 800
600 on cosmetics. Therefore, a con-
servative estimate of the yield of
10 per cent tax is over a million dol
lars.
An examination of conditions re-
veals at once the urgency of the
need OF the hundred counties in
Virginia, but forty-fiye have public
health nurses and because of the
limited facilities for making clinics
effective and the too small staff of
specialists, the department of health
is able to conduct only a small pro-
portion of the clinics that are need
ed.
For every crippled child in the
State it is estimated that there are
at least fifty crippled mothers
crippled at child birth-who could
be cured by a few weeks in hos
pital for about one-eight the cost of
curing one club footed child. To
these women are entrusted the bear
ing and upbringing of future citi-
zens. Therefore to permit them to
do their work with lowered eff
cheney is for the State not only a
cruel but a false economy.
Figures available during the
World War revealed health con-
dition that will exist until funds are
secured for its remedy. Forty-eight
per cent of the drafted men were
unfit for active service because of
health disabilities and 80 per cent
were unfit for any sort of military
duty Physicians studying the situa-
ton believe that so per cent of the
ills were entirely preventable. II
health is the basis for efficiency in
a soldier, it is not also the basis for
the highest type of civilian efficiency
and should not means be sought for
making sound the bodies of our citi-
zens?
The money raised by the proposed
tax will be amended as follows:
2-3 to be used for nurses and elm
les
1-3 to be used for free hospital
beds at the University of Virginia,
Medical College of Virginia and State
tuberculosis Sanatoria.
All money to be divided among
counties and cities of the State ae-
cording to population and spent
under the direction of the Commits
sioner of Health in cooperation with
the local boards of health
This fund will provide 800 nurses,
a school dentist for each county and
city and Is full-time diagnosticians
who are specialists in infant or child
welfare, women's diseases, eye di-
seases, throat diseases and tubercu-
losis. In addition the fund will pro-
vide $50 free hospital beds.
The tax on cosmetics is not only
simple way of raising money. but
also taxes moderately those who are
both able to pay the additional sum
for the luxury and are interested in
better health conditions. There is
something peculiarly fitting in wo-
men defraying the expenses of health
work which will bring relief to less
fortunate women and children.
AS a public-spirited citizen will
you not express to your Representa-
tiyes in the State Senate and House
your desire regarding this Bill be-
fore the Legislature convenes Jan
uary 18th?
CEInS az. ENnurN nDICUN