9 8 MALARIA 



to levy a special sanitary tax of one half mill on the 

 dollar, but this would put part of the burden on people 

 not directly benefited. The State Sanitary Districts 

 Act * makes it possible to control infectious diseases 

 endemic in a definite locality by throwing the expense 

 on the people directly benefited and by taxation assures 

 that sufficient money will be raised. 



The State Sanitary Districts Act provides for the 

 formation of a sanitary district for the control of 

 infectious diseases, and other measures of sanitation 

 as follows. A petition signed by twenty-five residents 

 and freeholders within the district to be formed is 

 presented to the Board of Supervisors ; the petition 

 states the name and boundaries of the proposed dis- 

 trict, and asks that an election be called to establish 

 the district. The Board of Supervisors within thirty 

 days from the presenting of the petition must order 

 that an election be held, the date of the election to be 

 within sixty days from the date of the order. At 

 the election, besides voting for or against the district, 

 a Sanitary Assessor and five members of the Sanitary 

 Board are voted for. The members of the Sanitary 



1 Later investigations by Mr. Gray in regard to the "Sanitary Districts 

 Act" have shown that bonds can be voted by the district only for sewer 

 construction, and with the present tax limit of 1 5 cents on $100, aside from the 

 tax to meet payments of principal and interest on bonds, not enough money 

 could be raised for the purpose For instance, in the Penryn district the 

 assessment is $450,000, which at a tax limit of 15 cents on $100 would yield 

 only $675 a year. It is desirable that a special enabling act be passed by 

 the next legislature. 



