ii7 



this area of exactly the same character and undrained. Now, 

 those citizens have been public spirited enough to raise twenty- 

 five thousand dollars for draining that area of Nassau County 

 without any certainty that the city will drain the parts within 

 its own limits. It is expected that the Board of Estimate will 

 approve of the appropriation asked by the Department of Health 

 and the Board of Aldermen. 1 



As soon as you have the city demonstrating its willingness to 

 help relieve local property of a burdensome cost, and put the 

 cost on the city as a whole, you have a situation which is a valu- 

 able example to other communities. I know other communities 

 have done that, but heretofore in the City of New York the 

 burden has been almost entirely on offending property. 



And so we feel quite conscienceless when it comes to issuing 

 these orders. We know it is going to improve real estate. We 

 know it is going to improve this property, and in no instance has 

 it interfered with property values or become a serious burden 

 on anybody. 



Now, for instance, let me give you an example. Here is an 

 individual within the city limits who owns more actual acreage 

 than anybody does, I believe. His property is in outlying sec- 

 tions. It is not in the center of the city, of course. He is a 

 man pretty nearly eighty years of age and he owns $450,000 

 worth of property. We have had to issue dozens of orders 

 against him. The total cost in doing that is something under 

 $4,000. We consider that it is not an unreasonable thing for 

 him to do for the sake of the rest of the community. He is a 

 considerable taxpayer in his community, and yet we consider that 

 is a burden that he should properly bear, and it will come back to 

 him in the immediate increase in the value of his property. 



There are strips of land which were absolutely uninhabitable 

 which have returned large taxes to the city since the marshes 

 adjacent have been drained. These are truisms to you. The 

 object of having this new mosquito committee is to get over one 

 of the main difficulties under which health officers labor in this 



1 $150,000 has been appropriated. 



