170 



already progressed sufficiently so as to prevent mosquito breeding 

 within a large area. 



All local breeding was taken care of by the Sanitary Bureau 

 in each borough during the past year, and when it is taken into 

 consideration that this work was entirely new to the majority 

 of the inspection force, and was additional to the regular work 

 of the Department, too much credit cannot be given for the lively 

 and intelligent interest they manifested in this work. Wherever 

 stagnant water was found on the inspector's route he saw to it 

 that it was removed. 



The Department was most fortunate in having a fund with 

 which to complete the work in the Bronx Borough. For years 

 several large tracts of marsh lands remained undrained because 

 the owners of same could not be located, thus nullifying the 

 work already done in 1908 and 1909. 



On September 25th, 191 6, work was commenced on a contract 

 to dig one hundred thousand (100,000) feet of ditches at .0233 

 per foot. So far fifty thousand one hundred and fifty-three 

 (50,153) feet have been dug. 



In addition to the drainage work being done in the Bronx, 

 large filling operations are in progress. Notable among them is 

 the work in the Hunt's Point section and on the west sid«e in the 

 Spuyten Duyvil section. The large swamp in Van Cortlandt 

 Park will be filled in the early spring and made into an athletic 

 field. Eighty-five thousand two hundred and sixty-seven dollars 

 have been appropriated for this purpose. 



During the Mosquito Week thousands of bottles of mosquito 

 larvae were delivered to the public and parochial schools of the 

 city. Exhibits were placed in the windows of stores on promi- 

 nent thoroughfares, and the moving pictures, depicting the life 

 history, the breeding places and the methods used to destroy 

 them, were shown oni the screens of the theatres of the city. In 

 addition, thousands of pamphlets were distributed to the school 

 children and the general public, and the co-operation of all 

 classes enlisted in the campaign. There is no doubt about the 

 good results obtained. The interest of the public was aroused 

 as never before, and to- thousands the fact that mosquitoes are 



