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Show i , I THE SALT LAKE TIMES FRIDAY, JANUARY 22, 1960 Page Three Outlook Good for Better Health Top Insurance Experts Predict Americans have enjoyed favor-able health in 1959, as measured by prevailing mortality and the prospects for continued high standards of national health in 1960 are excellent, the statist-cian- s of the Metropolitan Life Insurance Co. report. At the same time the statisti-cians point out that improvement in mortality in the U. S. during the decade of the 1950's has been slight. Considerably greater gains were recorded during the decade of the 1940s and the de-cade of the 1930's. The national death rate for 1959 is estimated to be about 9.4 per 1.000 population, or a shade below that for the year before. This year's rate is 2 per cent below the rate in 1950 and 2 per cent above the all time low of 9.2 per 1,000 recorded in 1954. "The limited reduction in the recorded death rate during the 1950's has been due, in part, to the increased numbers in the population of infants and very old persons, the two groups that have the highest mortality. But even if alowance is made for the changing age composition of the population, the relative decrease in mortality during the 1950's has been less than a third during the 1940s and only about half the reduction during the 1930's. These features of the year's health record are set forth by the statisticians. Although influenza has not been epidemic in the U.S. during 1959, the death rate from pneu-monia and influenza, surprising-ly, is not much below that in the preceding two years, both of which had widespread outbreaks of influenza. In fact, the death rate from pneumonia and flu has fluctuate widely around 31 per, 100,000 all during the 1950's without showing anv downward condtioins of recent years have contributed to the long-ter- m de-crease in tuberculosis mortality. The four principal communi-cable diseases of childhood measles, scarlet fever, whooping cough and diphtheria continue to record an extremely low death rate, about 0.5 per 100,000, in 1959. Cases of measles totaled little more than half the number reported the year before. Infant mortality in 1959 had a slight improvement over the experience in 1958, and was only fractionally above the all time low of 26.1 per 1000 live births recorded in 1956. Maternal mor-tality, too, continued to be very favorable in 1959 with a rate of about 4 per 100,000 live births. "Both maternal and infant mortality rates are appreciably below those recorded a decade earlier and because of the record number of births in recent years, the saving of lives in infancy and maternity has been especially large." Preliminary estimates indicate that motor vehicle accidents took a somewhat greater number of lives this year than last, when the victims totaled about 37,000 in the U. S. In 1950, the toll was less than 35,000. "The new decade is faced with (many health and medical prob-lems," the statisticians contend. "Major attention will undoubt-edly be focused on the chronic disorders of middle and late life which are the major causes of sicknessa nd death in our coun-try. With the great amount of re-search now in progress on heart and related diseases and cancer, it is expected that some break throughs will be achieved in the I fields in the coming years. The outlook is also encouraging for advances in knowledge and new methods of treating rheumatic diseases and mental disorders." trend. This is in marked contrast to the experience during the 1940's when the death rate from these causes was cut in half. The death rate from diseases of the heart, arteries and kidneys apears to be slightly lower in 1959 than in the two prior years, according to the statisticians. In 1957 and 1958 the mortality from these chronic diseases had been adversely affected by the flu outbreaks. For the decade as a whole, the age adjusted death rate from diseases of the heart, arteries and kidneys has changed only little for males but has de-creased among women. These diseases now account for some-what over half the total mor-tality of each sex. Cancer mortality is slightly higher this year than last. Dur-ing the 1950's the age adjusted death rate from cancer has had contrasting trends for the two sexes an increase for males and a decrease for females. The incidence of poliomyelitis particularly of the paralytic type increased sharply this year. By the end of 1959 there will prob-ably be nearly 8,500 cases of the disease reported in the U. S., compared with about 5800 the year before and with 38,000 in 1954, before the general use of the Salk vaccine. Almost 3 out of every 4 polio cases in 1959 have been of the naralytic type, whereas in 1958 the proportion was only 2 in every 3. Some further progress was made during 1959 in reducing the mortality from tuberculosis, which now is less than 7 per 100.000 population. Antibiotic therapy and favorable economic Petroleum Official Hits Proposal to Hike Gasoline Tax "Congress should live up to its pledge of allowing the recent one cent gas tax increase to expire in mid 1961 instead of thinking about further increases in the tax," John H. Klas, executive director of the Utah Petroleum Council stated this week. In commenting on the admin-istration's request for a Vzc in-crease in the federal gasoline tax from 4 to 41&c, the petro-leum industry executive pointed out that gasoline is taxed more heavily than many luxury items. "Gasoline in Utah is now bear-ing the equivalent of over a 45 per cent tax," he said. "When many luxury items are taxed at a rate of only 10 per cent, it is patently unfair to low I I and moderate income families i who depend upon automobiles I for transportation to work to tax (gasoline at a still higher level," Klas stated. "If the $1.5 billion in highway uses taxes which are presently being diverted into the general fund were placed in the highway trust fund there would be no problem at all," the petroleum industry executive declared. Murray Jaycees To Make DSA Award President Neal Pluphf of the Murray City Junior Chamber of Commerce has announced the search by local Jaycees for the 1959 Distinguished Service Award nominees. President Cluphf said the DSA has been conducted since 1938 with two major objectives: (1) to publicly honor young men between the ages of 21 and 36 for the outstanding service to the community, state and nation and (2) to call attention to the . vital and important role of all young men in improving their, communities. The DSA is presented annually by the Murray Jaycees to an outstanding young man of the community for leadership and service to the community during the calendar year. The nominees not be members of the Jaycees. Any young man, 21 through 36 years of age, is eligible for nomination. If the nominee reaches his 36th birth-day before December 31 of the year for which the award is given, he becomes eligible if the activities for which he is judged were performed when he was 35. President Cluphf announced the appointment of judges for the DSA. They are Mayor Ray P. Greenwood of Murray; Supt J. Easton Parratt of the Murray School District; and Dr. Don Challis, President of the Murray South Stake. Moss Plan Would Put Little Dell Dam on Flood Control Bill A resolution authorizing the addition of Little Dell Reservoir in Parleys Canyon to the omni-bus flood control bill pending before the Senate Committee on Public Works was introduced in the U. S. Senate Wednesday by Senator Frank E. Moss. Building of a reservoir would be the major step in the elimina-tion of floods in Salt Lake City such as the maximum flood of record which occurred in April and May of 1952 and covered some 75 city blocks. The project would add some 4000 acre feet annually to Salt Lake City's water supply. j The Senator also wrote the chairman of the Subcommittee on Flood Control, Rivers and Harbors of the Senate Commit-- 1 tee on Public sWorks, Senator Robert S. Kerr of Oklahoma, informing him of the action. Senator Moss is a member of the committee and the subcom-mittee. "When further hearings are held on H. R. 7634 by your sub-committee I request an oppor-tunity to present testimony on the Little Dell Dam and Reser-voir project, with a view to in-clusion to my amendment in the bill," Sen. Moss wrote. "Early authorization of the Little Dell project is vital to the future pro-jection of Salt Lake City." He pointed out that the Chief of Engineers recommends con-struction of the dam, which is planned for a height of 170 feet, and a length of 1400 feet. "The reservoir would have a capacity of 8000 acre feet, con-trolling the run-of- f from a 16 square mile area, and would be operated in conjunction with the 3200 acre foot Mountain Dell Reservoir for flood control and water supply. These reservoirs would prevent flood damages on Parleys Creek and project the 13th So. Street area from major floods. "The Chief of Engineers esti-mates the total cost of the Little Dell Dam and Reservoir at $6,-400,0- 00 with annual charges of $258,000. He estimates the aver-age annual "benefits at $341,000, consisting of $201,000 for pre-vention of flood damages and $131,000 for water supply. The benefit cost ratio is 1:3. Because the flood control benefits are entirely local in nature, he con-siders that local interests should provide land, easements and rights of way, repay that part of the project allocated to water supply, and cooperate in other respects," the letter said. Federal outlay for the project would be $3,851,000, and the lo-cal portion of the total cost may run about 40 per cent, Senator Moss said. CONSTIPATED? Medical reports show how folks over 35 can establish regularity After 35, irregularity often be-comes a problem. What you need is something that aids nature and helps establish regularity. Such an aid to regularity is the daily use of serutan. Here's medical evidence: A group of men and women took serutan daily under medical supervision. In case after case serutan, taken daily, helped establish regularity. So, lor real relief from constipation after 35. try serutan, powder or granular. XsJ "Read It Backwards" i Good Reading for the Whole Family News Facts Family Features The Christian Science Monitor One Norway St., Boston 15, Mass. Send your newspaper for the timt checked. Enclosed find my check or money order. 1 year $20 6 months $10 3 months $5 Name Address City" Zone State PB-1- 6 Utah Guard Charts Summer Road Job Two of Utah's most scenic can-yons will be linked by a road being undertaken by Engineer units of the Utah National Guard according to Maj. Gen. Maxwell E. Rich, Utaht Adjutant General this week. The road construction project will connect colorful Provo Can-yon with Hobble Creek Canyon by way of Rock Creek Canyon between ' Provo and Springville. The road will run from Provo Peak to Kolob Basin. Unlike previous road projects built up the Utah Guard this one will later be blacktopped as a main road by the Utah County Commission. Guardsmen will build 5 miles of completely new road and re-align, gravel and widen 22 ad-ditional existing miles. Road construction work will begin in June, 1960, while the Guard Engineers are undergo-ing their annual 15 days in sum-mer training, General Rich said. It will be a five year Guard proj-ect. The work will be done by some 400 troops of the 1457th Engi-neer Battalion, which has units in American Fork, Lehi, Price, Provo, plus elements of the 16th Engineer Light Equipment Co. of Springville. Gen. Rich said that the project will be supervised by Colonel Herbert L. Price, Commanding Officer, 115th Engineer Group in Salt Lake City. Lt. Col. Wm. M. Alleman, Commander of the 1457th Engineer Battalion, will be in charge of construction. King Reports Victory For Small Business In what Rep. David S. King (D-Uta- h) termed an "Important victory for small business," the Department of Defense last week restored the rotation principle to its policy on selecting truck lines to move servicemen and other defense personnel. Congressman King said the department under heavy fire of Congressional forces and from members of the trucking indus-try, had suspended the policy which had abandoned the prac-tice of rotating the selections among the eligible carriers in the area of each defense instal-lation. "This decision will leave the old policy and the rotation prac-tice in effect until July 1," Mr. King reported. "Meantime, de-partment officials have given us firm assurances that they will work closely with representa-tives of the trucking industry in framing a new policy, by which the government can continue to distribute the busines fairly and at the same time achieve its de-sired objective of a uniformly high standard of service." Mr. King participated in a public discussion of the contro-versial new policy Monday at the Pentagon and lodged a for-mal protest to it. Meantime, he had secured assurances from Rep. Abraham J. Multer of New York, a House Small Business Subcommittee chairman, that Congressional hearings would be held on the policy unless the department suspended it. "Since most Utahns fail to have their TB diagnosed in its early stage, before it can be spread to others, it is apparent that we are not controlling the disease but perpetuating it," Mr. Zenger said. "Much of the prevention of tuberculosis is an individual matter. Organizations carrying out TB control programs need the support of everyone. In ad-dition every individual should take such action as will detect TB, if they have it, in its earliest stage." It is recommended that every child and youth adult receive a tuberculin test once a year. If the test is positive, periodic x-ra- ys should be taken. Older adults are advised to obtain a chest x-r- ay at least once ach year. Tuberculosis Increase Reported in County An increase in the number of new tuberculosis cases in Salt Lake County was recorded in 1959, it was announced by John H. Zenger, president of the Utah Tuberculosis and Health Assn. The local increase contributed to the 13 per cent increase of new resident TB cases in Utah during 1959, he said. Fifty eight Salt Lake County residents were stricken with tu-berculosis last year. There were 51 cases in 1958. Salt Lake City registered 43 of the 1959 cases. Utah had 106 resident cases in 1959 as compared with 94 in 1958. |