NORTH CAROLINA
STATE BOARD OF HEALTH
OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY.

Raleigh, N.C., May 19, 1913.¹

His Excellency Locke Craig,
Governor of North Carolina,
Raleigh, N.C.

My dear Governor:-

The State Board of Health is concentrating its energies just now in an effort to persuade ten of our more progressive counties to adopt proper health policies. Our Board of Health and, so far as I know, all sanitarians are of the unanimous opinion that the first step in this direction that a county can take is to provide for a man - a county health officer - to give his entire time to the health work of the county.

The State Board of Health proposes to put a man in the field who will give at least half of his time to working with the ten whole time health officer counties for the purpose of correlating, improving, and working out some uniform system of county health work. The efficiency of this work will be indicated by the declining death rates, as the law requiring the registration of deaths throughout the State, and going into effect October first, will show. We feel that we should have at least ten counties with which to work. We already have four counties that have adopted this policy and elected their whole time health officers, the counties of New Hanover, Robeson, Durham, and Guilford. The probabilities are great that the counties of Sampson, Rockingham, Beaufort, and Craven will adopt similar policies, and there are about six other counties from which we hope to get at least two more.

Now, I understand that there is a strong sentiment in Buncombe County and in Asheville for a whole time health officer. I believe that with two or three letters from you to the proper persons in Buncombe County advocating a whole time health officer that Buncombe could be made one of at least ten progressive health counties. Can you not help us out? The election of the health officer is to take place the first of July.

I have been to your office to see you in regard to this matter, but on account of the importance of the freight rate question, and many visitors waiting to see you about this matter I have not felt like taking your time. As I will be out of town during the whole of this week it is necessary for me to write you instead of seeing you.

I sincerely hope that you can help us in this matter.

Very respectfully yours,

W. S. Rankin,
Secretary

R/P. -1138.

1. Though stamped "answered" on May 20, 1913, the governor's response was not found among the papers of Locke Craig.