AMERICAN WAR ON FLIES. OFFICIAL CAMPAIGN.

Evening Post, Volume LXXXII, Issue 63, 12 September 1911, Page 8

AMERICAN WAR ON FLIES. OFFICIAL CAMPAIGN.

The Public Health authorities afc Washington- have formally planned a campaign against the domestic housefly, a-nd it is now being waged throughout the United States (writes an American correspondent; "Americans," said Di Wiley, of the Health Department, "have swatted the mosquito and other pests, and it ia high time we swatted tt« hou«e-fly, one o fthe greatest distributors of disease in modenn times." It is surprising to see repceserttative citizens wearing badges, inscribed "Swat the fly, ".and illustrations in the big newspapers of a, houseiiy magnified 100 times wiping his feet, laden with disease germs, upon articles of food. In scores of towns prizes have been offered by the newspapers for the greatest succttss iiv the war of extermination, and there ie a competition on her© now, which has enlisted the services of thousands of fly* fighters throughout the city. Dr. Murray, of tile Ilealth Department, report' ed, for the week ending a recent Satufday, that- the twenty-five leaders in the | contest killed 644, ib0 flies, and the roll of honour included twelve girls and thirteen boys, their ages ranging between 10 and 15. Dr. Murray cays : "We are within reach of a flyless »ge,'' and ho calls attention to the number of traps which have now been devised for exterminating the pest. The most successful' is a fan-shaped wire "swatter," which does not, crush the insect out, but kills and retains tho victims until they are removed. Children find that using the swatter affortls inoie sport than sticky paper aild arsenical poisons, Pouring boiling water 6li flies attracted by sugar is also very successful. Layton Bitrdotte, i'ged 15, who heads the list of competitors this week, has alone swatted 82,600, being 20,000 more than his nearest competitor, fiome children 1 are working as a syndicate- ; but Burdefcte, with scores of trape, is working alone^ to- earn a prize of £SO. After the flies are killed they are de-Jj livered to the Health Department and officially counted by Dr. Murray's assistants, who use gill measures holding 1600 flies. One result of educating the public regarding the danger of the housefly I ie that Americans are now avoiding restaurant* and shops where the housefly is seen. With the adveflt of spring there has been a great activity in- dressmaking and millinery workshops, and apprentices are sought after, says the current issue of the Labour journal. Shirt <• making continues busy, and the unsatisfied demand for extra hands still obtains. The clotliing factories' trade is reported a-s fair, but as there is still a demand for hands it can only be implied that work on forward orders is being continued in some of the factories. The orders plated by the Defence Department for uniforms, etc., will keep this trade active for some considerable time. Under the new military scheme oidevf. have also been placed here (woollen mills), and with trade so busy before this, factoryoccupiers will be seriously handicapped by the shortness of boys and girls. la order tailoring trade throughout the winter has been good, and with the bright weather conditions coming in so early tailors are anticipating a good | season, with a more equable distribution of the work than, is usual, as it generally happens that orders coflte- ill- late^aaa ha.ye-.ij> b& refuge^