24 N. J. Mosquito Extermination Association 



able to find. We have very few anopheles, so far as I am able 

 to discover. 



President Brinkerhop^f — The next report in our symposium 

 is from Ocean County, by George J. H. Gushing, secretary of 

 the Ocean Gounty Gommission. 



Progress in Mosquito Work in Ocean County 



BY GEORGE J. H. GUSHING, BEACH HAVEN, N. J. 



The Ocean Gounty Gommission feels that the work during 

 191 7 was successful in every way. 



Our board of freeholders, with very little opposition, appro- 

 priated $10,000 for the work last year, and good use was made 

 of the money. 



We have cut with the use of the patent spade 131,377 lineal 

 feet of 10 by 25-inch ditches and 33,961 feet of 7 by 18-inch 

 ditches. More than half of these larger ditches cost only one 

 cent per foot to cut. 



The state, out of money appropriated by the 19 16 legislature, 

 cut 125,000 lineal feet, and contractors secured by our commis- 

 sion 400,000 more, making the total gain for the year of 655,377 

 lineal feet of the 10 by 25-inch ditching and 33,961 lineal feet 

 of 7 by 18-inch ditching. 



Within the boundaries of Ocean Gounty there are 40,400 acres 

 of the salt marshes of New Jersey, of which 16,000 remain to 

 be drained. The drained area is traversed by approximately 420 

 miles of trenches. 



We started the annual cleaning work early, and by May 15 

 the old ditches were all cleaned and many of them improved. 



We then attacked an area at the south end of the county. The 

 work done was divided into contracts of 200,000 lineal feet each. 

 The first was awarded to Mr. Jesse P. Manahan for $0.0189 per 

 foot. This contractor failed utterly to fulfill his contract either 

 as to quality and quantity of the work, even after a liberal ex- 

 tension of time had been granted. His contract, therefore, with 

 the consent of his bondsmen, was cancelled and was finished by 

 Eaton, Brown & Simpson, Inc., who had a contract with the com- 

 mission for the other 200,000 lineal feet at a price of $0.0218 

 per foot, for the same amount per foot. 



