Report of the Executive Committee 



Read by Thomas J. Headlee, Ph. D., Secretary 



Following the close of the Sixth Annual Convention, the new Executive 

 Committee held a meeting at Atlantic City on February 8, 1919, and decided 

 that it would be highly desirable to formulate the arguments in favor of the 

 completion of the drainage of the state's salt marshes and to see to it that a 

 satisfactory medium of publication was secured for the same. 



This duty was delegated to a committee consisting of Mr. Alfred Gaskill, 

 of the Department of Conservation and Development, Mr. David I. Kelley, of 

 the Department of Charities and Corrections, Mr. Robert F. Engle, past- 

 president of the association, and Dr. Thomas J. Headlee, secretary of the 

 association. 



In accordance with the directions of the Executive Committee the argu- 

 ments were drawn up in the form of a series of four articles ; the first of 

 which dealt with the conversion of liabilities to assets and showed how the 

 complete suppression of the salt-marsh mosquito in New Jersey means an in- 

 crease, within a period of twenty years, of more than $500,000,000 dollars in 

 the taxable values of the state. 



The second dealt with the use of state prisoners as the most practicable 

 method for accomplishing the work and showed that the solution of the 

 problem in this way would have the double benefit of solving the problem of 

 unemployed at the state prison and, at the same time, of accomplishing work 

 of a large public benefit. 



The third article was devoted to the seashore industry and showed very 

 conclusively that the control of the salt-marsh mosquito would, without ques- 

 tion, open the way for the conversion of 140,000 acres of waste ocean-front 

 lands into at least $200,000,000 of taxables within the next twenty years. 



The fourth article was concerned with the effect of the mosquito pest upon 

 the development of the metropolitan meadows of Northern New Jersey, and 

 showed that following the initiation of active mosquito work upon these 

 meadows industrial development becomes rapid and that at the present time, 

 although only 5 per cent or less of the 28,000 acres have been improved, rata- 

 bles of $16,000,000 or more have been developed. In this article it was further 

 shown that an increase of $200,000,000 in ratables following the complete sup- 

 pression of the salt-marsh mosquito would represent a very conservative esti- 

 mate. 



This series of four articles was placed in the "Legislative Index," copies 

 of which were furnished to every member of the Legislature and served to 

 disseminate among our legislators, more effectively perhaps than ever before, 

 a better knowledge of the results of mosquito control. 



The Executive Committee held a meeting in Trenton on December 4, 1919, 

 authorized the present annual meeting, selected the place and outlined the 

 program. 



President Hudson : The report of the Executive Committee 

 also will be received. If there is no new or unfinished business we 



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