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V PUNTA GORDA In Tropical Southwest Florida, a Seaport on the Famous Charlotte Harbor a Town that is Known for its Natural Attractions and the Hospitality of a Cosmopolitan Citizenship VOLUME XXIV NUMBER 41 PUNTA GORDA, FLORIDA, THURSDAY, OCT. 12, 1916 5c. A COPY; $1.60 A YEAR ill THE IMPORTANCE OF PROPER SANI TARY ENGINEERING Given Consideration by the State Board of Health ADDS TO ITS EQUIPMENT Department Under the Manage ment of an Experienced Scien tific Man Advisory Service Free to Citizens of Florida When the erection of a great bridge spanning deep waters or building of a sky scraper for the housing of millions of dollars of business interests is contemplated, the first thing is to prepare plans to the minutest details. The character of the foundations, the strength of the materials and number-less other minutiae are considered, and the work of the engineer is the first and most im portant of all. It hasn't occurred to business men, until within very recent years, that the services of the en gineer are quite as necessary in the even more important work of building up and conserving health Uie physical welfare, the per manent well-being of the commun ity which is the foundation of all its chances for prosperity. Taking the lead and establish ing precedents in its work for the lasting betterment of the public health in Florida, the State Board of Health has quite recently added to its equipment a Department of Sanitary Engineering. Hardly 1hree months go this work was inaugurated, under the manage ment of an experienced scientific man who has made special study for years of the problems that af fect the purity of the water sup- i ply and the disposal of sewage in Florida communities, whether they be cities or rural districts. Usually the body of citizens who award contracts for the con struction of municipal waterworks and sewers know as much about the elements of the problems, a- , bout the dangers of improper construction and maintainance as they know about their abiding place in the hereafter. Thel call for advice from engineers who are quite competent to estimate the flow of water from given sources, the cost of laying pipe and other generalities, but they don't know, or are indifferent as to whether that water is fit to drink or wheth er it may be contamiuated now or hereafter from known or suspect ed sources. Too often, unscrupulous engin l eis-and contractors will persuade gullible municipal authorities into unwise investments of public mon ey in public improvements. Tak ing advantage of incompetent in spection of construction and ma terials, a city may be rebbed of large sums by imperfect and un scientific workmanship and low grade materials. It is to remedy such possibilities in Florida citios and sections, that this new department has been cre ated: it is for the benefit of cities and towns and individuals. Like a large share of the work of the State Board of Health, the func tions of the department are advi sory and free to the citizense of Florida. The water supply of the eom munit yis like the blood of the in dividual if it isn't pure and wholesome it becomes a poison. The problem in each city and town is a subject for special study for it is not exactly alike in any two places. The natural suorce of water supply, whether that water is wholesome chemically and pure bacteriologieally,, whether and how it may be contaminated and how it may be kept perpetually uncontaminated , are some of the dements to be settled by scientific investigation before construction may be begun wisely or nafely. The artesian water supply thru the state is much the same as to chemical content. Yet although it comes from varying depths in different sections, there is the pos sibility in numerous places that it may be polluted by drainage from inhabited territory, to insure clean water and keep it clean is the province of the sanitary ex pert. The construction and loca tion of sewers and drains and the disposal of garbage , and refuse are subjects that call for most ser ious study by scientific engineers, and through this department the State Board of Health offers ex pert advice on these matters af fecting public health. - ' Already the engineer in charge is having made chemical examina tions of water supplies. With the establishment of its own labora tory the department will soon be prepared to make- bacteriological examinations also. While the services of this de partment are advisory, it has al ready surveyed without being called especially into consultation, the water supply and drainage of several cities and reports are be ing prepared on these investiga tions. The department has and will exercise the function of independent sleuthing, and some Florida communities may be sur prised and shocked when they are informed that they are drinking and bathing in water that far be low the surface is mixed in the same cesspool with their sewage, or that of some neighboring town, miles away. State Board of Health. Program for Citrus Seminar About Completed The Seventh Annual Citrus Seminar which will be held at the Universiry of Florida, Octtober 17 to 20, promises to be the largest meeting that has been held. The program is about completed and it is more comprehensive and con tains a greater number of authori ties find exhibits than that of any previous meeting. Fertilizers, standardizations of varieties and nursery problems will be discuss ed the first day. An attempt is be ing made to obtain a noted speak er to address the meeting on stan dardization that day. . The following morning, Wed nesday, has been given over to the discussion of marketing of citrus fruits. Senator Duncan U. Fletch er will address the growers that morning on how citrus growers can maks use of the Federal Farm Loan Act. Citrus canker and e- radication work will receive con siderable attention during the af ternoon and evening. Lvery grow er should attend the session Wed nesday since it will be one of great importance to the industry. Thursday and Friday will be devoted to diseases and pests and methods of control, especially by spraying. M. B. Waite of the Bu reau of Plant Industry will dis cuss spraying machinery and e- quipment Thursday afternoon During his lecture-and following it demonstrations will be made. J. II. Watson, entomologist 'fo ho TSvncrimont Station, will dis- cusr, ihursday, a new whittly parasite, which he has succmsful- v imported. Talking of Town Politics The near.aproach of the town election has set some citizens to talking about the offices soon to become vacant. The officials to be chosen are a mayor, three coun cilmen, marshal, treasurer, clerk and assessor.. - Thus far the street talk favors the reelection of Ed. Smith for mayor, J. II. Lipscomb for mar shal, L. E. Robinson for clerk and E. W. Rountree for treasurer. The terms of Aldermen Silcox, Trabuo. and Fries are expiring. Walt mire and Whitten hold over. As successors to the three men who retire, the following are spoken of: R. C. Blount, T. C. Crosland, Harry Botts and R. E. Doty. , The colunms of The Horald are open for announcements at .t'2.50 each. The President's simple porch campaign and Mr. Hughes elabor ate itineraries throughout the country appear to form a combi nation that will prove the undoing of the Republicans. Austrian arch-dukes are being rapidly separated from their high commands in the army, it having been discovered that the titles of those eminent ones fail to over awe the enemy. SUPREME COURT DECISION WAS END OF THE CONTEST For Democratic Nomination as as Governor of Florida KNOTTISPEOPLES NOMINEE Is Endorsed by the State Execu tive Committee in Resolutions - Adopted at the Late Meeting Held in Jacksonville The long, bitter "contest to de cide who was nominated for gov ernor in the June primary was fi nally decided on Saturday last in favor of Win. V. Knott. In fact, it was decided by the Democratic voters on June 6th; but owing to many errors in counting and tabu latig the votes in the various coun ties, it took a long, acrimonious and expensive contest to deter mine definitely who had received a majority of both first and second choice votes. The final hearing in the supreme court last Saturday resulted in that" tribunal refusing to order the state canvasing board to make a third canvass that would include the sixty-nine votes cast for Mr. Catts in precinct No. 3 of Alachua county and the corrected returns from Hilsborough and other coun ties, these returns being in favor of Mr. Knott. Thus the renuest of the attorneys for each contes tant was denied; otherwise, if both had been granted, Mr, Knott would have been shown to be the nominee by thirty-six to forty eight majority. As it was and is, the second re-canvass by the state ty-op" majority and the certificate board which gave Mr. Knott twen of nomination, holds good, and he is the de jure as well as the de fac to nominee of the Democratic par ty, for governor of Florida. At the same time that the su preme court was delivering its final decision, the Democratic state executive committee in ses sion at Jacksonville, by a vote of 31 to 10, adopted the following resolutions: "Whereas, the rule and provi sions of the primary election law particularly with respect to the counting of the second choice votes were not generally under stood by the inspectors of elec tions in the recent .primary in which candidates of the Democra tic party were nominated; and "Whereas, many errors were unintentionally made by the in spectors in several of the counties of this.State in tabulating and tal lying such votes; and "'Whereas, it has been judicial ly determined by the courts of this State, after full and impartial in vestigation of the contest for the Democratic nomination lor gov ernor that the Honorable V. V. Knott is justly entitled to such nomination; and "Whereas, the high character and ability and integrity of the judges of the Supreme Court and the other courts of the State of Florida is such as to commend the confidence and respect of every fair minded citizen of this state, "Now, therefore, be it "Resolved, by the Democratic Executive Committee of the State of Florida, that the action of the Honorable W. V. Knott in insti tuting and carrying to a conclu sion the recount contest in the courts for the purpose of judicial ly determining the true Democrat ic nominee for governor, was nec esary in order to properly protect and secure the rights of the indi vidual Democratic voters of Flor ida. Be it further "Resolved, that the State Dem ocratic Executive Committee heartily endorses all of the' Dem ocratic nominees, national, State and county, and does hereby nledtre to lovally support the said nominees in the ensuing elec tion. "Be it further resolved, that all Dpmnri-ats in the State of Florida should irivn their active aid and support towards the election of all said Democratic nominees and thereby continue the supremacy of the Democratic party. ie u further Resolved, that all nominees of the Democratic party in the recent primary election are particularly called upon to lend their aid and NO LULL IN THE FIGHTING IN THE EASTERN SECTORS Teutons Slowly Overcoming Rou manians m Transylvania SERBIANS GAINING GROUND Force Bulgars Out of Shochivir Artillery Duel on Sonune With Infantry Attacks Taking Place But No Gains Reported Newport, R. I. Eyewitness stories of the torpoeding of pas senger and freight steamers by German submarines off Nantucket were told here Monday. According to a report brought by officers of a flotilla of United States destroyers , which picked up passengers and crews of sever al of the vessels destroyed, nine merchant sips were sunk. One of the submarines is sup posed to have been the U-53 which visited this harbor Satur day and another was declared to be the U-61. " Six vissels are known to have been sunk and the report that the total was nine was based on statement of the captain of the Nantucket Shoals lightship. The captain said three . submarines were engaged. The list of subma rine victims included four Brit ish, one Norwegian and one Dutch vessel. The identity of the other three reported to have been lost, had not been learned early today The crews of all the vessels with the exception of one were brought hero together with the eighty- passengers, and were cared for by the officers of the Narragansett Bay Naval Station and prominent members of the Newport summer colony. It was believed that no lives had been lost and although the men of one freighter were reported adrift m open boats the fact that the weainer was mua and the sea calm, made it seem probable that they would bo rescued. Of the passengers, thirty were American tourists returning from A'cwloundland and the Canadian maritime provinces. Lieutenant Commander Miller of the Ericsson, jvhich picked up some of the boats, said that no at tack was made on the vessels un til all on board had left. active support and assist in the candidacy of Woodrow Wilson for president, W. V. Knott for trover nor and R. F. Taylor for justice of the Supreme Court, and Hon. Frank Clark for Congress, for the reason that the Democratic candi dates last above named are being subjected to violent attacks by in dependents, Republicans, Social lists and other enemies, of the Democratic party, and it is the sense of this committee, speaking for the organized Democracy for the State of Florida, that alf such nominees should properly respond to all requests hereafter made up on them by the Campaign Com mittee, to give active aid and, sup port in the present campaign." It may safely be claimed that, if there had.becn a correct recount of the vote of the entire state, it would have shown Mr. Knott to be several hundred votes in the lead. It should be remembered in his favor that, when evidence presented caused him to doubt the integrity of the recount in Madison county, he declined to re ceive a large number of votes to which that recount showed him t be entitled. . j It now behooves cverj' resil Democrat to fall in line and do all that he can to carry out the will of a majority of Hie people by c iecting Mr. Knott governor of Florida. Moan time. Mr. CatH k running as an independent and a prohibi tionist, thus having bolted the Democratic party. Newspapers to Advanse Rates t "" A special meting of the State Press Association was held in Jacksonville last Saturday and Friday to consider the problem of mectin the increased cost of pub lication caused by the great ad vance in the price of print paner and all other printing material. After considerable discussion, it was decidely that is was absolute ly necessary for all standard weekly papers (such as The Her ald 8 pages, 6 columns; to, ad vance their subscription rates to $2.00 a year, all others of smaller size to $1.50 a ,year the increased rate to go into effect ,Jany. 1st, 1917. The minimum price of adver tising space in all weeklies,, re gardless of size or circulation was fixed at 20c. per single-coumn inch . no reduction to be made in favor of plate or stereotyped mat ter. No rates were prescribed for dailies, which was a serious over sight, and nothing was said or done about the establishment of a paper mill in Jacksonville. The .inevitable banquet and the meet ing on Saturday of the Democratic state eommittee appears to have caused the association' to neglect these matters, but the Souths Flor ida Association, which is a real business concern can be depended on to give them some attention at the semi-annual meeting in Lake- and in January. The DeSoto Couty Association will take action at an early date. Burning Trash From Fields Makes Poor Land The" easiest way to get rid of trash and crop remains is by fire. This is also the easiest means of destroying the fertility of the and. Florida soils need the or ganic matter wrucn tins ruDDisn will supply. In most cases this material will not increase the fer tility when it is returned to the soil on which it grew. ' It will merely tend to maintain that fer tility. If it is burned, most of the plant food will be lost and the farmer will have nothing but poor and to show for the crop which produced tho material. S. S. Walker, associate chemist to the University of Florida Ex periment Station, cites another important office of - the organic matter. This material furnishes food upon which the beneficial organisms live. Ihey not only break down the organic matter in their feeding processes, but they aid materially in liberating other plant foods from the mineral con stituents of the soil. Organic mat- tor is necessary to these reducing processes. Democrat Gilchrist Editor The Punta Gorda Her ald : Much has been said and written of the Catts-Knott contro versy for the Democratic nomina tion for governor of Florida. The aws of Florida provide for the settlement of elections and for the settlement of nominations. In the case of elections, every one must, of necessity abide the result. n the settlement of nominations, every one should, of necessity, abide the result. Whether Catts or Knott is the nominee,I will, not of necessity, but gladly support tho nominee. It seems to me that all Demo crats, who do not do so gladly. must, of necesity, abide the result by supporting the nominee. I am ere temporarily on business. I will sure vote in the election vot ing for all nominees of the Dem ocratic party. Very truly, Albert W. Gilchrist, Waycross, Ga., Oct. 5lh, 1916. Confederate Veterans' Re-Union Tampa, Oct. 9. Tampans are making elaborate preparations for the entertainment of Confederate veterans of Florida, who will hold heir annual re-union in the citv Octoberl7 to 19, inclusive, and a arge attendance of veterans and isitors generally is expected. The railroad rate offered for the round trip from all sections of the state is one fare plus 25 cents, with a liberal time limit. This will be one of the last re unions held by the veterans, many of whom have grown too old to attend, by reason of which Tampa invites all lovers of the "old cause" to join in paying them tri bute. Union veterans also will participate in the re-union, a fea- ure of which will bo a "Blue and Gray " barbecue. SURVIVORS OF , ILL-FATED SHIPS AT NEWPORT, R. I. Tell About the Attacks by the German Submarines DUE WARNING WAS GIVEN Ample Time Was Allowed For All Who Were Aboard to Leave the Vessels Before They Were Sent Down London, Eng. On the battle- fronts in Europe.Transylvania and Macedonia continue for the mo ment the centers of the greatest interest. According to Berlin, the Rumanians in Transylvania, are retreating along the whole line. The Teutonic Allies have recaptured the town of Torezburg, fifteen miles southeast of Kron stadt, and within seven miles of the Rumanian border. In the Danube, north of- Sistova, the Germans have occupied an island, taking six guns and making pris oners of the Rumanian troops there. 1 , Serbians in considerable force have crossed the Cerna River in Serbia and captured the town of Skochivir, southeast of Monastir, and also have occupied positions along the north bank of the river. Considerable hard fighting has again taken place in the region west of Lutsk and farther south in Galicia, but the results are somewhat beclouded by reason of the contradictory reports of the Petrograd and Berlin war office statements. Petrograd says the Russians at some points in the Volhynia succeeded in entering Austro-German posit ions east of Vladmir-Volynski, but Berlin re ports that these atacks failed with sanguinary losses to the Russians. Near Brczanzy, 1 southeast, of Lembcrg, in;Galici, both Petro grad and Berlin rocori repulse- of attacks. In the Carpathians the Germans have made an advance at Babaludowa. Violent reciprocal bombard ments arc in progress in the Som me front. Infantry attacks also have taken place, but no impor tant gains for either side have been . chronicled. Carrying 2,000 Serbian and French soldiers, tho. auxiliary crusier Gallia has been sunk in the Mediterranean with a loss of 638 men. As Viewed from Havana Tho Daily News a live newspa per published in Havana, Cuba, gives its readers the following re port of the gubernatorial contest: "They are having a hard time to decide on the gubernatorial nominee over in Florida. A min ister of the gospel who'had not lived in the state very long had announced his candidacy and ran on an anti-Catholic ticket. He went about through the country and preached the terrors of -the Catholic religion and made manv believe that the Pope was coming ngnt here to Florida and estab lish the Vatican there and take control of the state as he control ed Italy and some of the other Eu ropean countries. lie received an apparent plurality, but through the technicalities of the primary law ho has been declared defeated by the state supreme court. The cunono part of it is, his opponent is not a Catholic, there has been no effort on the part of the church to foist a candidate on the people or to control state politics." Fishermen cominc in to tM port last Friday, report that they saw millions of dead pig-fish float ing in Irom the Gulf all the wav from Carlos Bay to Cape Haze. A few dead grouper were observed. but no mullet or other kind of fish. The fishermen are at a loss to ac count for the phenomenon.but some of them have an idea that the fish were killed bv the sudden out-burst of a submarine volcano. 'Southern domination in poli tics" is the cry of the' republi cans against .Woodrow ' Wilson and his party. He is hard up for an issue. There is a good deal of hot air - in Zepplin warfare.