145 



ing out of the work to some one else who had such an organiza- 

 tion and the proper equipment. The adoption of the first alterna- 

 tive meant a very high initial cost for machinery and compartively 

 high cost for administration. Taking into consideration the 

 fact that the appropriations granted at that time were decidedly 

 small, this meant that at the end of the year the percentage shown 

 for permanent work accomplished would, of necessity, be very 

 low. Now, the granting of future appropriations was directly 

 contingent on the successful showing of the first few years. If 

 the results attained did not show possibilities of future develop'- 

 ment the entire task was threatened with failure. On such a 

 state of facts it was far more important to get actual ditching 

 cut than to save a little money on the actual work and saddle 

 themselves with expensive equipment which would be a dead loss 

 if the work were abandoned. O'n the other hand, to a firm with 

 resources the undertaking ofifered great attraction. In New 

 Jersey alone there were over 250,000 acres of salt marsh to be 

 ditched. If the work succeeded in New Jersey it would doubtless 

 be continued in New York, Connecticut and Massachusetts. With 

 such a field open the high initial cost would soon be counteracted. 

 It was a good investment from the standipoint of the capitalist 

 and those in charge found no trouble in finding companies who' 

 were willing to incur the heavy initial expense, banking on 

 future work for eventual profit. For these reasons letting work 

 out under contract was the natural solution of the problem and, 

 without doubt, the most expedient way of gaining the desired 

 end, so that almost from the very start we find the contract tak- 

 ing an important place in mosquito control. 



As the work grew and its possibilities became manifest there 

 gradually arose a demand for increased efficiency. The people 

 were no longer satisfied with merely cutting ditches, but they 

 demanded that the situation be thoroughly studied ; that steps be 

 taken to follow up the work done and that plans be laid to elimi- 

 nate not only salt-miarsh mosquitoes, but all species of mosquitoes. 

 This demand meant the building up o f permanent mosquito fight- 

 ing units which attracted competent men who were willing to 



10 MO 



