143 



the season to make a detailed analysis of the work done, with 

 the cost of the various operations. Without such records it is 

 difficult to locate the weak spots in the methods used, and it is 

 impossible to compare intelligently the work of one season with 

 another or the work of one county with another. 



President Darnai.Iv — It seems too bad to limit the time on 

 three such excellent papers. I do not know when we have 

 listened to three better papers or more practical ones, and they 

 are now open for discussion. The dicussion will be limited to 

 three minutes. Is there any discussion on these papers ? 



President DarnaIvIv — The next paper on the program is 

 ''The Place of Contract Work in Mosquito Control," by Jesse 

 B. Leslie, of Hackensack. 



The Place of Contract Work in Mosquito Control. 



BY JESSE B. I^ESIvIE, B.SC, CHIEE INSPECTOR THE BERGEN 



COUNTY MOSQUITO EXTERMINATION COMMISSION. 



When the subject of mosquito extermination was first intro- 

 duced it seemed so absolutely impossible and ridiculous that but 

 few people took the matter seriously. With the press it attained 

 a certain amount of popularity, for the idea of waging warfare 

 against the poor little mosquito afforded a seemingly Hmitless 

 field to the cartoonist and self-confessed humorist, and gave the 

 editorial writers an opportunity to protest in resonant hyperboles 

 against the latest attempt to exploit the money of the taxpayer, in 

 fostering the vague theoretical schemes of some deluded sciemtist, 

 and they decried it as dangerous, profitless experimentation. 

 But the men who were interested in the adoption of mosquito 

 extermination fought on with the hardihood of the true pioneer. 

 They knew what work of this nature meant to the development 

 and resources of the community. They insisted on the sound- 

 ness of their ideas. Being men with a purpose, they refused 

 to be laughed out of existence, and, despite opposition, insisted 

 on advancing their arguments with a determination which was 



