HEALTH A CREDITABLE ASSET 67 



such towns will tolerate it for long. If the State 

 refuses to do its duty to the public it will soon become 

 unpopular ; an unpopular Administration does not 

 last. These are points to be remembered, and efforts 

 should be made, if necessary, to impress their im- 

 portance on backward corporations, Government 

 departments, etc. 



There is rarely necessity for such hints, however, 

 and the money will be forthcoming if the demand is 

 reasonable, persistent, and sensibly made* If the 

 estimate is carefully drawn up, and the desire to do 

 the work sincere, the necessary means will soon appear. 

 Financiers are, perforce, sensible people, and they 

 like to be assured of some return for their money. 

 Suppose a corporation of a town is invited to vote 

 1,000 a year in order to reduce mosquitos, it will 

 naturally ask what the return will be. The long- 

 vexed question of municipal trading has been settled 

 in its favour, and local governing bodies like to be 

 able to report that such-and-such a public work has 

 brought in such-and-such a percentage on the capital 

 expended. 1,000 per year represents a capital of 

 over 30,000 which must be set aside for this mosquito 

 work. Where is the dividend ? How much per cent 

 is it, and when will it be paid ? What is the return ? 

 These are the questions that will at onc.e arise. 



The same financiers will say that credit is almost 

 as good as an actual asset by some it is considered 

 more useful. A town with a bad name for being 

 unhealthy has no asset, and it has no credit. It has 

 no trade, there is no business going on people who 



