United States Public Health and Marine Hospital Service present as representatives of that Bureau.

As the Report of Dr. Mayer, which appears elsewhere in this volume, treats fully of his observations at Brownsville, it will suffice to state here that by concurrence of all the physicians present, it was decided that the fever was really dengue, with nothing pointing to yellow fever.

In the meantime, while no actual quarantine was put in force, passenger travel from Brownsville was kept under very strict control, persons leaving that locality being closely watched and kept under observation at points of arrival for six days. In carrying out this sanitary espionage, the co-operation of the railroad officials, State, city and Federal authorities, made it possible to follow up the movements of travelers with precision, as was done with several who came to Louisiana.

OIL INSPECTION SERVICE.

For the protection of the people against the sale of inferior and dangerous oils for illuminating and burning purposes, the State Board of Health is charged under the laws of Louisiana with the duty of inspecting, gauging, branding and labeling such oils before. same may be legally offered for sale in the State.

From this service the Board derives a certain revenue, and to facilitate the business of those buying and selling oils, maintains an inspection service all over the State, having a full force of men on regular duty at the oil plants in New Orleans and local inspectors at convenient interior points.

During the prevalence of yellow fever in 1905 the oil inspection service at interior points was almost completely demoralized, owing to suspension of traffic and local quarantines, not only depriving the public of the benefit of that service, but greatly diminishing the revenue of the Board.

An important feature of the work done by the present Board has been the reorganization of the oil service, especially in the parishes, where an entire change of system has been introduced.

Under former methods there were thirty-six local Oil Inspectors in as many interior towns. Each of those Inspectors collected the total inspection fee of one quarter of a cent per gallon and at the end of the month made a remittance to the State Board of Health,

Under the present

after deducting his commission of 25 per cent. improved system the oil companies are required to remit directly to the central office, where all the accounts are accurately kept, and each Inspector receives a monthly salary.

The points in the State where oil is received for distribution are divided into eight groups, and one Inspector is in charge of each group, receiving in addition to his regular salary the amount of his legitimate traveling expenses in going from his headquarters to the various points in his territory upon receiving notification of oil to be inspected.

All the oil companies are duly informed of the names and residences of the district Inspectors, and in this way any shipment of oil received in the State can be inspected within forty-eight hours. The State is divided as follows:

Group No. 1: I. L. Haas, Inspector; Headquarters, Monroe; Territory, Monroe, Ruston, Minden and Homer.

Group No. 2: J. E. Dupuy, Inspector; Headquarters, New Iberia; Territory, New Iberia, Abbeville, St. Martinville, Franklin, Morgan City, Berwick, Patterson, Jeanerette, Lafayette and Opelousas.

Group No. 3: T. F. Hunter, Inspector; Headquarters, Alexandria; Territory, Alexandria, Cheneyville and Natchitoches.

Group No. 4: Alfred B. Irion, Inspector; Headquarters, Baton Rouge; Territory, Baton Rouge.

Group No. 5: James Spillar, Inspector; Headquarters, Lake Charles; Territory, Lake Charles, Lake Arthur, Jennings, Crowley, De Quincy, Fisher, De Ridder, Leesville, Cravens, Houston, Texas and Beaumont, Texas.

Group No. 6: R. P. Gaines, Inspector; Headquarters, Tallulah; Territory, Vidalia, Lake Providence, Natchez, Miss., and Vicksburg, Miss.

Group No. 7: J. H. Marshall, Inspector; Headquarters, Shreveport; Territory, Shreveport, Mansfield, Logansport, Cheneyville and Zwolle.

Group No. 8: W. C. Thomas, Inspector; Headquarters, Main Office, New Orleans; Territory, Hammond, Roseland, Covington, Vacherie, Donaldsonville, White Castle, Plaquemine, New Roads, Houma, Thibodaux, Napoleonville, Lutcher, Wilson and Bayou Sara.

In addition to duties performed by Mr. Max Blanchard in the

Central Office, he has been assigned by the Board as Supervisor of the Oil Inspection Service, both country and city. He makes occasional trips over the State to see that the instructions of the Board are properly complied with, and instructs new oil inspectors when

necessary.

The change of system has been very profitable financially to the Board, while protecting the State from the introduction of any inferior oil and guaranteeing the inspection of all oil containers received in Louisiana.

For the facility of the various Oil Companies in regulating exports from the State, the Board has consented to allow them to erect tanks especially for such exports; the said oil is inspected previous to the pumping of same into these tanks, but no fee is charged, the fee of one-fourth cent per gallon being charged only for oil to be consumed in the State.

The Board has consented to allow its Inspectors (with the permission of the adjoining States ) to inspect oil received in bulk out of the State, but intended to be consumed in Louisiana, the regular inspection fee and expenses being paid by the Oil Company taking advantage of such inspection.

Prior to the introduction of this system, it was almost impossible to inspect all the oil received in this State for various reasons, Oil Companies often failing to notify the Board or its Inspectors, whether by oversight or with deliberate intention to evade inspection.

The following Oil Companies are doing business in this State: Standard, Record, Independent, Marine, Gulf Refining, New Orleans Refinery and Petroleum, Consumers, the Texas Company, Waters Pierce, Richardson & Gay, Bonner, Muskogee, Climax.

INCREASE IN FIRST HELP FUND.

Under Section 3 of Act 192 of 1898, it is made the duty of the State Board of Health to "keep in readiness one or more medical inspectors and nurses, medicines, clothing, bedding, appliances, tents and other necessary paraphernalia, so as to repair to any locality in the State that applies to it for assistance upon the outbreak of an infectious or contagious disease, with the view of stamping out the same"; and it is further provided that "An annual appropriation of five thousand dollars shall be made to start this first help fund."

For the first few years after the passage of that Act, there was

no call for any large expenditure for first help, so that the General Assembly of 1904, under pressure for appropriations in excess of the revenues of the State, reduced the First Help appropriation to $5,000 for two years, allowing the whole sum to be available in either year if required.

When the yellow fever outbreak of 1905 occurred the entire fund was quickly consumed, and if the Governor had not supplied additional sums as needed, the Board would have been without means to afford the assistance required of it under the law. The General Assembly of 1906, with due appreciation of the necessity for properly providing for such emergencies, increased the First Help Fund to $10,000 per annum for the year ending June 30, 1907, but for which appropriation the State Board of Health, crippled by the loss of all revenues from maritime quarantine, would have been embarrassed for means to carry on its important work.

In view of the changed conditions, there would appear to be no longer any reason for providing separately for a First Help Fund as originally provided, since all the resources of the Board have been drawn upon in the serious emergencies that have occurred, and because the same thing would occur again under similar circumstances. Whatever money the Board has, or can command, it will be obliged to use in time of need.

SUCCESSFUL FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT.

The present State Board of Health entered into office just at the close of the long and costly yellow fever campaign of 1905, which had drained the treasury of the preceding Board, while its revenues had been seriously crippled by the demoralization of the Oil Inspection Service in the parishes, as well as by the arbitrary decree of the Federal Government which had diverted the bulk of the fruit steamers to other ports. The balance sheet for 1905 showed but $3,214.55 available on December 31st of that year. This constituted the entire capital of the new Board.

When it is remembered that the new Board found itself confronted with the problem of beginning at once the most extensive work of sanitation ever dreamed of in the State, with only this insignificant sum of money in sight, it will be realized how urgent was the necessity for prompt and energetic financing.

The Board was told by the Governor on the very first day it

assembled to go ahead and do whatever might be necessary, and that he would see that the money would be forthcoming. With this encouraging promise and the credit the Board enjoyed, work in every department was carried forward without delay, while in the meantime no effort was spared to improve revenues and otherwise place the finances of the Board in the best possible shape.

Mention has been made of the very considerable increase in earnings effected by reforms in the Oil Inspection Service and of the liberality of the General Assembly of 1906, by which the appropriation for the First Help Fund, formerly only $2,500 a year, was increased to $10,000 for each of the years 1906 and 1907. With these helps, and in particular with careful financial management, the Board was enabled in September, 1906, to make a reduction in quarantine fees amounting to 33 1-3 per cent. on inspection charges and 14 per cent. on disinfection fees, acting in accordance with the spirit and letter of the law under which such reduction was in order when the revenue from quarantine charges should be found. notably greater than required to support the service.

It is felt that the present Board can point with pride to the fact that, beginning work January, 1906, with only $3,214.55 in its treasury, it closed the business of that year with, a cash balance of $26,7 934.08 on hand. During that year it had swept the State with a thorough campaign of education and sanitation; had instantly responded to every call for assistance from the Parishes; had handled the situation at New Iberia, where a real case of yellow fever occurred, with celerity and success without a single quarantine being imposed; had completely reorganized the Oil Inspection Service, making it real and effective all over the State; had diminished the quarantine expenses of the shipping over one-third, and had finished with more than eight times as much money in its treasury as when it took charge.

With the transfer of maritime quarantine to the Federal Government and the loss of all revenue from that source, the Board felt the necessity for making such retrenchment as might be practicable under the changed conditions. Accordingly, at the meeting of March 14, 1907, the offices of Attorney, Shipping Inspector and one Medical Inspector were abolished, by which a saving of $5,100 per annum on salaries was effected, with the understanding that such other economies would be practised as the general good of the service would permit. Even with the best management it has been necessary to