Nov., '05] ENTOMOLOGICAL NEWS. 307 



to be acting as Secretary, etc., procured the introduction of a 

 bill to establish a commission to do exactly the work that had 

 just been completed and reported upon, and, though my name 

 appeared on the Advisory Board of Entomologists and Mr. 

 Weeks had been kept advised of my work, no notice whatever 

 was sent to me of the intent or introduction of the bill. It was 

 a manifest attempt to sneak through a bit of legislation which 

 the promoter was unwilling to bring to the notice of the official 

 most concerned. Fortunately the ignorance behind the bill 

 was equal to its dishonesty, and of the officials named as mem- 

 bers of the Commission, the majority had no existence in New 

 Jersey. The bill died the day I learned of its introduction. 



In the report already referred to, I showed in detail that the 

 Hackensack Meadows were not breeding places for mosquitoes 

 except to a verj- insignificant extent ; yet the investigation of 

 the Hackensack Meadows formed a feature of the attempted 

 investigation, either an intended reflection upon the work done 

 under my direction or ignorance of its accomplishment. 



In the reprinted circular the New Jersey-Staten Island prob- 

 lem is referred to as if it were a serious matter and msLtiy inter- 

 ests were to be considered ; as a matter of fact the whole 

 problem is solved and all the interests involved have been 

 reconciled. Neither Mr. Weeks nor the Society for which he 

 speaks has been consulted, and, therefore, may not know that 

 so far as New Jersey is concerned more than half of the work 

 involved in the New Jersey-Staten Island problem is already 

 done ; that so far as Staten Island is concerned a survey of the 

 territory was made under my direction and a report made that 

 $17,000 would do all the necessary work ; that this sum was 

 asked for by the New York Board of Health, duly appropria- 

 ted by the Board of Estimate and Apportionment, and that a 

 contract was actually made to mosquito-drain the salt marsh 

 area of the entire Staten Island area for less than $16,000 ; 

 proof that my judgment as to the cost of work to be done does 

 not err in the direction of an underestimate. 



It is always unpleasant to introduce a personal element into 

 a matter of public concern, but in this case the publication of 

 the circular in the News leaves me no option. As at present 



