Proceedings of Seventh Annual Meeting 67 



Administration — Salaries 



Salt-marsh drainage, including both new work 



16.44 per cent 



and maintenance of old. 



Fresh-water work 



Miscellaneous expenses 



58.35 per cent 

 18.25 per cent 

 6.95 per cent 



The appropriation for 1920 has been increased to $30,000. It is 

 hoped that with this additional money we shall soon finish ditching 

 west of the Great Egg Harbor River, as it is from this section that 

 Absecon Island and the Shore Road receive visitations of the salt- 

 marsh mosquito in more or less considerable numbers at least once 

 each season. 



The Cape May County Mosquito Extermination Commission is 

 now starting on the fifth year of a determined fight to rid the county 

 of the salt-marsh mosquito. Ten thousand dollars has been ap- 

 propriated each year until last year when it was reduced to $8,000. 

 This year it has been raised to $15,000, which should enable the 

 commission to go on with the work as planned and a greater show- 

 ing will be made this year than ever before. 



The average property owner and tax payer of the county does not 

 realize that the annual appropriation for mosquito control in this 

 county is applied only to the elimination of salt-marsh mosquitoes, 

 nor does he concern himself as to whether he is being annoyed by 

 a salt-marsh or an upland mosquito, but he knows he is being an- 

 noyed and naturally comes to the conclusion that the commission is 

 neglecting its work. If a small leaflet could be prepared and cir- 

 culated by the state association, making the matter of mosquito con- 

 trol clear to the general public, it would make more friends for the 

 cause than any other method that could be used. 



The situation in Cape May County is practically the same as in 

 other counties of the state, in so far as the Sounds meadows along 

 the Atlantic Coast are concerned, but when you consider the ex- 

 tensive acreage of marsh-lands along the Delaware Bay shore, one 

 is confronted by a far more serious problem. There being no natural 

 outlets in this section it becomes necessary to place large culverts, 

 with tide-gates at the outlets of each meadow before drainage can be 

 accompHshed. This on the surface, outside of the expense, would 

 appear to be a very simple matter but when we take into consdiera- 



Cape May County 



William Porter, Cape May, Secretary 



