Proceedings of Sixth Annual Meeting 91 



Plans for Protecting War Workers at the Atlantic Loading 

 Company's Plant at Elwood and the Bethlehemj Loading 

 Company's Plant at Mays Landing. 



BY FRED. A. REILEY, SUPERINTENDENT ATLANTIC COUNTY 

 MOSQUITO EXTERMINATION COMMISSION. 



Tlie entrance of the United States into the World War neces- 

 sitated the immediate erection of many munition plants. These 

 plants require large areas close to tide water or trunk lines and 

 not too close to thickly settled parts of the country. The pine 

 covered lands of South Jersey possessed these two esential fea- 

 tures, also one other feature that appealed to the powers that be 

 located at Washington, that was, the land was cheap. 



The U. S. Ordnance Department decided to locate two im- 

 mense shell loading plants in Atlantic County, one to be erected 

 at Elwood by the Atlantic Loading Co., and the other at Mays 

 Landing by the Bethlehem Loading Co. Work was started in 

 March on plants and townsites. 



On the arrival of the Atlantic Loading Company's Sanitary En- 

 gineer it was evident to him that the plant was in what appeared 

 to be a bad mosquitO' territory, located as it was on the edge of 

 several fresh water swamps. He made inquiry among the natives 

 and was assured that his inference was correct, and at the same 

 tirae was informed of the existence of a mosquito commission in 

 the county. His next mbve was to find this commission and ar- 

 range with the writer for a meeting at Elwood. The managers and 

 engineers-in-chief were present and were anxious to know just what 

 to expect during the coming summer. These engineers knew 

 little of mosquitoes, and nothing of the yearly army of invasion of 

 pests from the salt marsh, that heed not the present day working 

 hours, but keep busy day and night, with apparently nO' rest. 



A history of 1917 was recited, to the consternation of all pres- 

 ent. They admitted that they had come prepared for mosquitoes, 

 equipped with screening for windows and doors, which would give 

 comfort to men during the night but not during the day. Immed- 

 iate action was demanded and cooperation promised with all in- 

 terested parties. 



Nothing had been heard from the Bethlehem Loading Co., who 

 were located in a much worse place than was the Atlantic Loading 



