Newspaper Page Text
FRir A.Y
iRN INO. rXD. 18, 1921..
THE MILLEDGEVILLE NEWS
['ALARMING increase
IN FIREARM HOMICIDES
LABORRULESCOST
Bureau of Vital Static,
r state Board of Health
„ vou will man a passenger train
■V coach-'s with a full crew and
|j, every seat, permitting seventeen
,1 on the platformo and In the
Z vou will have the homicide spe-
I .'Gear-la. Such a train may be
rLd "ml filled With those murdered
T?_, the first nine months of 1920.
■ The State has a record of 384 homi-
l de , during that period, not includ
1. t)ie infants murdered, either ln-
KtJonftllv nr through carelessness,
Id lu-' 1 without a death certificate
L„ d and a bural permit being
iciired, as is required by the state
latum.
fh. four roar coachea must be re-
• ve d for those murdered by fire-
5,5 far in addition to the 240 seats
, will be found in the aisles, 48 wo-
L 221 men, a total of *269 persons
Iplercd by such weapons during the
Lt nine months of 1920. As a mo-
L power for this special train, you
Li. t imagine a huge pistol, since
|t r, i a pun was used in more than
87 wore suicides, 1,061 accidental
deaths, and 384 were homicides, shew
ing a proportion of one suicide to 4
homicides and 17 accidental deaths.
All these deaths arc said to be pro
ventablo, yet Bulclde3 are ascribed
to conditions over which apparently
nothing _ less than the Almighty lias
control. All accidental deaths can
not be prevented no long as floods and
storms are no better understood than
at present. All homicides will never
be stppped so long as a man’s nature
partakes of the human. But the condi
tions leading to and the Instruments
used In producing such deaths may
be taken from the people and In this
way the number reduced.
Of the 25,253 deaths recorded by the
State Bureau of Vital Statistics dur
ing the first three quarters of 1920, one
out of every 16 was due to some cause
other than disease, one in 23 due to
some accident, one in 65 was a homi
cide, and one in 290 a suicide. This
waste of human life is realized when
it is remembered that In every 160,000
people In Georgia there were 4 hu!
gla at full tide. Unfortunately a great
deal of attention is given to $mtty
crimes, theft of property and the prac
tice of fraud In securing possession
of another’s goods. Less attention is
paid to the capital crime, murder.
While a few judges have scon fit
to charge the grand Juries with special
reference to the Investigation of
homicides, (he standard of court effic-
ency In many cases seems to reach,
no deeper Into crime than the prose
cution of the bootlegger, gambler or
thief, in an effort to safeguard the
rights of the criminal, the rights of
the people to live are Ignored; in an ef
fort to give the criminal the benefit of
the doubt, the security of life for the
citizen is made more doubtful. Pleas
of self-defense and that the murdered
person "had his hand on his pisiol
poccket” have snfely guided many a
cold-blooded assassin from the gallows
into the privileges of the complete lib
erty to commit the same crime the
second time.
Homicides are classified under three
titles, according to the method used,
SUICIDES
jer cent of the cases to usher the
lidual Into eternity,
fl:' report of a suicide causes a
■r to pass over the community,
prd'r of a prominent citizen
kr-s tlie anger of all who knew
I but the feeling that spreads like
1 over the neighborhood wher. the
: ome Innocent child Is snuffed
a pistol which was “not load-
Is beyond description.
Jli < editions are local and In re
vive little consideration, for
.ng after the burial the eom-
(.vepting tho home which lias
|tobh(d, ussumes a normal Inter-
| busim S8 affairs and nothing Is
Ito prevent the repetition of such
fcl> 3.
person unthoughtedly asks
Bf the question, “What is one
| is three million people?” and
it, “Nothing,” and drives ahead
>•- personal affairs. This senti-
|w. 1 change when it is realized
ine months, 1,532 persons in
si their lives from some cause
I * 1 an disease. Of this number,
FOR THE ASKING.
Hoard of Health Issues
intervals and they are
an- at ati interested and
portal card to Georgia
uf Health, 131 Capitol
; a, the literature will he
re, »rn mail. At present
"Keeping Fit” for boys
" Ostrich,” for the gen-
"On Guard" for girls,
"Georgia Baby
'"1 Child," "Sex Ed
for parents
' for Rural Homes
""iet Lists for Childrer
• Years of Ago,’ I
‘hiruu, literature cn
i health work it
i'n Us Cause
information.
i Child Hygiene oi
' Health has as its
! ' ' al care of the
t partem care
child, f3) registra
• birth, (4) propel
' pro-school ago
examination ant
v, ’ry school chile
■ 1 * * anlzation inter
1 accomplish these
' ice, literature anc
addressing the State
Atlanta, Ga.
EN ' S * * bU^M-TH CENTERS.
Inc’h' ‘ loiure-n' 8 health cen
1 ;:;>; r Eia. The moth
la v.-i. t" : ' U to l,leso cen
| ' once every twe
-’'nation (the first time
for general lnspec
> l . at the subsequent
tn 'barge has t
k. mol hor as t<
" !1 ot her childrei
r E ;ts ,0 feeding
I an 'i lf necessary
, family physl
lll8t - Ml 'ch good ii
s and the prohahtt
W U1 be at leas'
ho U f*,f. ,0l ° re the much
a h ’ ultlx stand
ml o 8 ?° me - Wril t
fUtlr* n , , ’ u th for infor
' ue-aUh centers.
eides, that 17 nre murdered, and that
48 meet an accidental death during tha
year.
State statutes and city ordinances
have been enacted controlling the au
tomobile on the streets and public
highways but, the utter disregard forj
such laws, both by the drivers of au-i
tomobiles and by officials whose duty!
It Is to enforce them, Is shown plain
ly by tho rapid Increase In the num
ber of deaths duo to automobile acci
dents. This Increase has kept pace
with the increase In the number of
deaths duo to the careless handling of
firearms. July, August and September
of this year shows 42 deaths due to the
careless handling of firearms as com
pared with only 79 during the previous
six months, an increase of 34 per cent
every six months and at the present
rate of Increase, unless some check is
placed on such criminal carelessness,
there will bo approximately 325 deaths
in 1921 from this cause.
The wave' of crime sweeping over
this nation has at lakt reached Gcor-
thoso produced by firearms, those by
Public Directly Interested in
Effort to Stop Drain on
^Carriers’ Income.
H0MIC IDES
cutting and piercing Instruments and
those produced by all other methods,
and even with this restricted classifi
cation more than 77 per cent of al)
homicides are ascribed to one cause—
firearms.
And In place of tho 165 homicides com
mitted by the use of firearms during
the first half of 1920, at the presenl
rate of increase, 204 will be recorded
during the last half, a total of 370 foi
the entire year. And the records oi
1921, to the chagrin of the law abkl
ing citizens and to the everlasting dis
grace to tho criminal courts of Geor
gla, will carry a record of 592 homl
cldcs, due to the use of firearms.
To the Homicide Special of Georgia,
composed of six coaches during th<
first half of 1920, must be added foui
additional cars so as to accommodate
this increase. Eight carloads of peo
pie ushered into eternity by the use ol
firearms, a sufficiently large, numbei
to attract the attention not only of ev
ery peace officer in the state but alse
of the Incoming Legislature.
DIPHTHERIA ANTITOXIN.
Not so very many years ago the
mention of the disease of diphtheria
struck terror into the hearts of both
parents and physicians. Twenty-five
years ago from 35 to 75 per cent ol
diphtheria cn3e3 were fatal. The
•averago death rate during the past
ten years in the larger cities varied
from live to fifteen per cent. This
marvelous decrease iu death rato is
usidoutbedly due to DIPHTHERIA
! ANTITOXIN.
Tho Bureau of Vital Statistics has
found tiiat during the past six years
,for every death due to diphtheria,
there wi re three deaths duo to typhoid
fever, two deaths due to malaria, two
deaths duo to measles, two deaths
due to whooping cough, twelve deaths
due to tuberculosis, seven deaths due
to infantile diarrhoea and two deaths
duo .to dysentery. So there is no rea
bon to become panic-stricken over a
case of diphtheria, provided the pa
tient is under the care of an intelli
gent physician who knows just when
and huw to use diphtheria antitoxin.
Perhaps you know that the State
Board of Health furnishes antitoxin
at a very low cost to the people of
Georgia. It is furnished free of charge
to anyone who is unable to pay for it.
In other words, any person who is
unable to pay for medical services is
entitled to free antitoxin. There is
very little red tape necessary to ob
tain it. The physician attending the
ease is usually in a position to know
the financial circumstances of his pa
tient and all the State Board of
Health asks Is that its patrons be
honest in declaring their status.
In 1920 it cost the State of \Geor
gia about $7,000 to render this service
to her people. 2S,96O,p0l) units of anti
toxin were distributed. This repre
sents a total cost of $17,476 which the
public would have had to pay without
the aid of the Stale Board of Heatlli.
This does not take into account the
number of lives saved by rendering
antitoxin easily available to the pub
lic. Tho distribution of diphtheria
antitoxin is only ono of many services
equally important rendered tho pub
lic by the State Board of Health.
NEWS NOTES.
Pre-Natal Work For Georgia.
Dr. John Osborn Polak, in an ad
dress before the clinical section oi
the American College of Surgeons, re
cently quoted tho following facts:
68% of al! tho deaths occurring it
women from 45 tn 44 years are due
to conditions connected with child
bearing. 25% of all blindnes 1;;
the United States is duo to infection
of the child at the time of birth. Ont
womart out of 280 dies in childbirth
In Georgia as many as 15 to It
deaths caused by paerpural septicemia
arc reported each month. These facts
are api ailing. Proper prenatal care he
fore biiHh and proper caro at time ol
the birth of the child would eliminate
these conditions. In a prenatal clinic
conducted by Dr. Polak and his dsso
ciato3 at the L ug Island College 11ns
piiul the percentage of still births
were reduced from 11% to 2%, and
tho maternal d aths from 1 in 280 tc
1 in 1,250. Facts like these prove
the value to the community of pre
natal work and show the absolute no
cessity of such work for Georgia. As
yet, very little has been done, but
plans are under way to supply the
doctors and midwives with the propet
prophylactic medication against opthal
mia neonatorium (babies’ sore eyes)
this medication to be obtained eithei
free or at a minimum cost. Also undet
advisement are a series of lessons tc
midwives and methods for organizing
prenatal clinics. It is hoped that even
at the beginning, the fight agalnsl
these conditions will be successful
Those interested in getting further
information along this lino should
write to the Division cf Child Hygi
eno, State Beard of Health, Atlanta
Georgia.
A statement has recently been mad(-
that *>f all our federal tax 93% oi
it has gono to war expeditors.
if the United States Public Health
Service and on down through the lint
ct public health work could get this
amount of money for a short while
we feel quite sure that 20 years could
bo added to the average life of out
people.
Which expenditure would you pro
fer, the ono designed to kill off th<
people or one to prolong life? It is
yotrr money; why don’t you say some
thing?
BIG SUMS FOR WORK NOT DONE
RsLv.eya Askirg Labar Co.-rd to
Abrogate Wasteful Agreements
Made Under Federal Control.
"The entire country, Its consumers.
Its farmers, its workmen, and even the
railway employees themselves, nre di
rectly Interested with the railroads in
cutting down railway operating ex
penses.”
This Is the keynote of the ease pre
sented by the railroads to the United
States Ilnllrond Labor Board, now In
session in Chicago.
The railroads have submitted evi
dence to the board to show why the
National Agreements affecting railway
shop labor should be abrogated, be
llevlng that this is a vitally Important
step In the process of reducing op
erating expenses.
This step is not only necessary tc
Insure adequate earning power to the
rnilronds, but will make possible an
ultimate reduction in rates.
The agreemenls wore made by the
Railroad Administration just before
the end of Federal control. The sum
total of tho rules and working condi
tions provided by the National Agree
ments have Increased the operating
expenses of the railroads by hundreds
of millions, and have decreased the
efficiency and output of the employees
In other ways resulting In lossc
which cannot be calculated in dollars
and cents.
For several weeks the rnilronds
have been multiplying Instances of th
absurd nnd extravagant results of the
labor rules fastened upon them by the
National Agreements.
In one case cited before the board a
machinist was paid 10% hours’ wages
for work all performed within eight
hours. This case illustrated the effect
of the rule that for each "call" the
worker Is to be paid five hours' wages
even if he works only ten minutes.
The euse of a car repairer on the
Virginian Railway, who was recently
paid over $1,000 for services which
were never rendered, nnd In addition
the same amount of overtime ns was
mnde by bis gang, was unotlier exam
ple.
In connection with the rule that
none but tnechnnles or apprentices
shall do mechanics’ work, the follow
ing was cited to Indicate its unfair
ness:
Five Hours’ Pay for 30 Minutes’ Work
"The El Paso & Southwestern Ilnll
rond recently had an engine set out nt
Douglas, and about the time it was
ready to go to its train It developed
that n window light was broken In the
enb. It wns necessary for the foreman
to cull a carpenter to do the work that
he could lmve performed himself In a
few minutes. The train was delayed
one hour nnd 30 minutes, and the em
ployee called to do the work was paid
five hours for work requiring 30 min
utes.”
The inefficiency created in indexible
application of the rules contained Ih
the agreements in question was illus
trated in tlie following actual ease
which recently occurred on the Balti
more & Ohio Railroad:
“An engine was placed in the
shops for certain repairs. Because
of the provisions of the National
Agreement, it was necessary that
members of five crafts perform
parts of this work; formerly, the
entire operation was performed by
tho members of but two crafts.”'
$6,500,000 for Work Not Performed
How the railroads of tho country
were compelled to pay almost $d,r>iH),.
000 in the first six months of 1020 for
service not rendered because of the
effects of but one of the 1S2 rules in
cluded in the. Simp Crafts National
Agreement was shown In the testi
mony.
This punitive payment for work nev
er performed was required by a clause
in I he National Agreement, which pro
vides that when employees are re
quired to cheek In mid out on their
own time they will he paid ene hour
extra at the close of each week.
The rigid classifications of labor,
when taken In connection with the
rule that requires that a man must
have four years' experience before be
ing employed to perform any of the
work listed in them, result In paying
rates applicable to men who are sup
posed to be fully qualified for work
which does not require men of four
years' experience.
To Illustrate how the inflexibilities
of many of tho rules now enforced op
orate to mulct tho railroads of large-
sums for services which in the ah
sence of these rules could be obtained
for relatively moderate sums, evidence
was laid before the Labor Board show
ing that three men who were cm
ployed nt a small pumping station In
Michigan, performing unskilled work,
would, when classified under the rules,
receive an excess of pay amounting
to more than tho value of all the wa
ter pumped and current generated al
this station.
Tho Chicago testimony contains lit
erally hundreds of Instances such ns
these, nil supporting the contention of
the railroads that the labor rules un
der which they have been forced to
work nre such ns to prevent the "hon
est, efficient nnd economical manage
ment" demanded by tlie Transporta
tion Act.
MILLEDGEVILLE, G.v
i
Arrival of New
Spring Goods
Back to old time saving of years gone by.
The new spring suits are things of beauty, made
^ of fine tricotine, some elaborately braided, the pre*
vailing color is navy.
*i Suits that you paid $ 100.00 for last year specially
M priced $59.00
A wonderful showing of suits at $29.00, $39.75
and $45.00.
New wool dresses made of fine tncotine elaborate*
!? ly trimmed made to sell at $25.00 our price is $19.75
The new Spring styles in si k dresses, for afternoon
and evening wear, in all the popular shades, satines
and taffeta, combination****
$17.95, $19.75 and $22.50.
2000 yards fine dress ginghams, specially priced
19c
1000 yards apron gingham specially priced 12 1-2
Colored suitings linen finish, in all the new shades
at 49c
1000 yards fine madras in white and fancy stripes,
very suitable or shuts and house drsses, worth 65c
to 75c, specially priced 39c
French linene, 36 in. wide specially priced —29c
WONDERFUL SALE OF FINE SILKS
Luisine checks, chiffon, taffetas, Dutchess Satin,
Baronet Satin and heavy Canton crepe, in all the
leading shades at 1*2 their former prices.
SPRING SLIPPERS
First showing of new spring slippers, Selby and
Cousin’s blacks, browns and greys, dull kid and
patents, See our Show window.
$8.00, $10.00 and $12.00
50 dozen ladies’ fine silk hose, blacks, cordovans,
and greys, Special sale price 98c
1000 yards of fine siik shirting, worth up to $1.50
per yard, Specially priced for quick selling 73c
If You Want the Best Shop at
6
.An Advertisement in The ’'lews \7i! be Profitable.
WHAT IS A IT
AA b ank Is much more than merely a safe place for !:o ping funds, for
handling checks, for collecting drafts, etc
A bank s hould be regarded us the intimate helper, advi >r and frieud
of the customer; ever ready to co-operate In every proper way,
To extend necessary accomodntie n m required, and to
protect his interest In every way that lies
within its power.
This Is the kind of service that we enweavor to render and we invito
you to make your connection with us with such set vice
la view.
The Milledgeviile BanLfci] Co.
MILLER S. BELL, President.
1>. S. SANFORD, Vico President.
CHAS. M. DAVIS, Asst. Cashier.