SANITARY LEGISLATION.

STATE LAWS AND REGULATIONS PERTAINING TO PUBLIC HEALTH.

ALASKA.

Births, Deaths, and Marriages, Reporting of-Penalty for Violation. (Chap. 35, Act Apr. 25, 1913.)

SECTION 1. That a record shall be made and preserved of all births, deaths, and marriages that shall hereafter occur within the Territory of Alaska. The ex officio secretary of Alaska shall be the Territorial registrar of vital statistics, and as such registrar shall cause to be printed blank certificates of births, deaths, and marriages, together with all the necessary indexes and circulars of instruction, and shall furnish the same to the clerk of the court in each of the judicial divisions of Alaska, to the United States commissioners in each of the commissioners' precincts, to physicians, clergymen, and undertakers, and to other persons who may request the same, in such numbers as may be necessary to carry out the provisions of this act. And the Territorial registrar shall exercise general supervision over the registration of births, deaths, and marriages throughout the Territory of Alaska, and shall be responsible for the uniform and effective enforcement of the law. The said registrar shall carefully preserve and index the returns of all births, deaths, and marriages, and prepare and publish such statistical reports and statements as may be deemed necessary, and shall furnish such transcripts as may be required by the United States Bureau of the Census, and also certified copies of records to individuals upon request, the fee for which certified copies in each case shall be $1, which shall be retained by the clerk issuing the said certified copies to defray the cost of same. All records made under the provisions of this act shall be prima facie evidence in all courts and for all purposes of ascertaining the facts purporting to be set forth therein.

SEC. 2. That the certificate and record of birth shall be of the standard form approved by the United States Bureau of the Census, and shall contain a statement of the place of birth; date of birth; full name of child (the given name to he added by a supplementary statement if the child is not named at the time of making the return); sex, whether a plural birth (twin, triplet, etc.); legitimacy or illegitimacy; full name of father (except for illegitimate children); residence, color, or race, birthplace, age, and occupation of father; maiden name, residence, color, or race, birthplace, age, and occupation of mother; number of child of mother, and number of children living; whether born at full term and stillborn or born alive; and the physician or midwife in attendance upon the birth, or, in the absence of a physician or midwife, the parent, householder, or owner of the premises, manager or superintendent of institution, captain of vessel, or other competent person having knowledge or cognizance of the birth, shall fill out on blanks furnished for the purpose, or in the absence of such blanks, on paper written in ink with a pen or tpyewriter, the certificate and record required by the provisions of the section and shall sign the same with his or her sig

nature and forward it within 10 days after such birth to the United States commissioner for the precinct in which the birth occurs: Provided, That when it is impossible to secure any of the information required upon the blank the item may be followed by the word "unknown."

SEC. 3. That the certificate and record of death shall be on the standard form approved by the United States Bureau of the Census and shall contain a statement of the place of death; full name of decedent; sex; color or race; whether single, married, widowed, or divorced; date of birth; age; occupation; birthplace; name of father; birthplace of father; maiden name of mother; birthplace of mother; signature and address of informant; official signature of United States commissioner, with date on which the certificate was filed, and registry number; date of death; medical certificate of cause of death; length of residence at place of death, in hospital or institution, or in the Territory; former or usual residence; place and date of burial or removal; and the signature of the undertaker or person acting as such. Also, for the purpose of identification, the following additional information shall be entered on the back of the certificate of death as fully as the information can be obtained and the circumstances may render it necessary: Height; weight; complexion, color of hair; if married, full name and residence of the surviving husband or wife; names and addresses of living children; names and addresses of other relatives; whether insured and if so, in what company or companies, and for what amount or amounts; names and addresses of two or more persons who were acquainted with the decedent during his lifetime; and other facts that may be of assistance in identifying the deceased: Provided, That when it is impossible to secure any of the information required upon the blank the item may be followed by the word "unknown."

SEC. 4. That it shall be the duty of the physician, nurse, or other person in charge of or who shall attend or assist in the last illness of a deceased person, or who shall have knowledge of the death of any person within the Territory of Alaska, to prepare and file with the United States commissioner of the precinct in which the death occurred a certificate of death, which certificate shall comply with the requirements of section 3 of this act; and in case the dead body of a human being is found or a person is killed within the Territory of Alaska it shall be the duty of the person finding such body, or of any person who has any information that such body has been found, at once to make a full report thereof to the United States commissioner residing in the precinct where the body was found or the person was killed; and if the circumstances are such that the said United States commissioner does not deem it necessary to hold an inquest over the remains it shall be the duty of any person, upon request from the said United States commissioner, to make out and furnish to him a certificate of death, as required by section 3 of this act; and any person who shall fail or refuse to make out and file with the United States commissioner a certificate of death as required by this act shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor.

SEC. 5. That it shall be the duty of every undertaker, sexton, or other person having charge of or in any way assisting or directing the burial of any corpse to see that the certificate of death is made and filed with the United States commissioner for the precinct in which the death occurred or the body was found before interring the remains. And it shall be the duty of every transportation company, freighter, or any person or persons, or company, before receiving any corpse to be shipped or removed for burial from the place where deceased died, or the body of deceased was found, before removing such corpse or receiving the same for such removal, to see that the proper certificate of death has been made and filed, as required by law, and in case of failure so to do the person or persons so offending shall be guilty of a misdemeanor: Provided, That when a death occurs in an incorporated town the undertaker or other person in charge of the interment or removal of the body of the decedent shall be solely responsible for the filing of the certificate of death, containing the medical certificate of the cause of death, signed by the attending physician, with the United States commissioner for the

precinct in which the death occurs, who upon such filing shall issue a permit for the burial or removal of the body of the decedent; and no dead body of a person whose death occurs in an incorporated town shall be interred or removed without such burial or removal permit showing that the death has been properly registered.

SEC. 6. That in case any such person shall mysteriously disappear within the Territory of Alaska, or shall leave one locality to go to another within the Territory and should fail within a reasonable time to reach the locality for which he or she started, or a person traveling in company with other person or persons shall separate from those with whom he or she is traveling within said Territory, or a person traveling alone shall mysteriously disappear, it shall be the duty of such traveling companion or companions, road-house keepers, or any other persons having knowledge of such mysterious disappearance or separation from companions to notify in writing the United States commissioner for the precinct in which the disappearance or separation took place or is supposed to have taken place of the fact, stating all the known circumstances thereof. And in case of failure so to do such person so failing to notify the United States commissioner, as above required, shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor. And it shall be the duty of the United States commissioner to file all such notifications in alphabetical order in his office and to notify the United States deputy marshal within his precinct, or in the nearest precinct where there is a resident United States deputy marshal, to make such investigation regarding each case as the circumstances may seem to warrant; and in case the circumstances are such as to cause reasonable grounds for suspicion that a murder has been committed or that a person has been foully dealt with such United States deputy marshal shall at once lay all the facts before the United States attorney in his division, or the assistant United States attorney living nearest the place where he resides, of the fact; and it shall be the duty of such United States district attorney or assistant United States attorney to assist and advise such United States deputy marshal in his investigation.

SEC. 7. That it shall be the duty of every person authorized to perform marriages within the Territory of Alaska to make out a marriage certificate in triplicate upon blanks which shall be furnished him by the Territorial registrar of vital statistics upon application therefor. The said certificate shall conform to the present requirements of the law of the Territory of Alaska as to what a marriage certificate shall contain, except that in addition to the present requirements of a marrriage certificate said certificate shall state in what commissioner's precinct the marriage was performed and that said certificate will be filed for record and recorded in said precinct within 30 days after said marriage is performed, and the person performing such marriage shall deliver one copy of said marriage certificate to the husband, one copy to the wife, and within 30 days from the date of the marriage shall file the third copy with the United States commissioner of the precinct in which the marriage was performed. And the person solemnizing the marriage shall collect from the contracting parties the sum of $1, which said amount he shall pay to the United States commissioner at the time he files said certificate of marriage. And in case he shall fail or refuse to collect said sum of $1, as above required, he shall pay said amount to said United States commissioner out of his own funds. And any person failing or refusing to comply with the provisions of this section, or with any part thereof, shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor.

SEC. 8. That it shall be the duty of every United States commissioner within the Territory of Alaska to record every birth certificate, death certificate, and marriage certificate presented to him for record where the birth, death, or marriage took place, or the body of a dead person found in his precinct; and said United States commissioner shall receive as compensation for his services in recording each of said certificates $1 for each certificate of birth, $1 for each certificate of death, and $1 for each certificate of marriage; that the fees for recording the certificate of births and deaths shall be included by the United States commissioner in his quarterly account of claims, and

shall be paid by the United States in the same manner and from the same funds as claims for fees of justices of the peace in criminal cases are paid. The United States commissioner of each precinct shall on or before the tenth day of each month transmit to the Territorial registrar of vital statistics all original certificates of births, deaths, and marriages filed with him for the preceding calendar month, and he shall at the time transmit to the clerk of the district court for the division within which his precinct is situated a certified copy of each certificate of birth, death, and marriage, the originals of which were transmitted to the Territorial registrar of vital statistics.

SEC. 9. That all expenses for stationery and printing connected with the recording of vital statistics, as required by the provisions of this act, shall be paid as other similar expenses are paid for recording offices.

SEC. 10. That any person found guilty of violating any of the provisions of this act shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor and shall be fined not less than $5 or more than $100, or imprisonment in jail not less than 5 days or more than 30 days.

SEC. 11. It shall be the duty, and hereby is made the duty, of all recorders in the Territory of Alaska, and of the clerks of all municipalities in the Territory, and all ministers of the Gospel, practicing physicians and undertakers in the Territory and others who may have such data, to compile all records in their respective offices and transmit the same to the Territorial registrar to be by him recorded in the records provided for under this act.

Health Authorities, Territorial and Local-Powers and Duties. (Chap. 42, Act Apr. 28, 1913.)

SECTION 1. Commissioner of health.-For the proper enforcement of this act, and until other provisions are made by the legislature, the governor of Alaska shall be ex officio commissioner of health of the Territory.

SEC. 2. Assistant commissioners of health. The commissioner of health shall designate or appoint as his accredited representative one physician in each judicial division as assistant commissioner of health. Said assistant commissioner of health shall be a physician in good standing and licensed to practice medicine in the Territory of Alaska; he shall serve until his successor has been appointed.

SEC. 3. Powers and duties of the commissioner.-The commissioner of health shall have general supervision of the interests of the health and life of the citizens of the Territory. He shall have power: (1) To make and enforce such quarantine regulations as seem best for the preservation of the public health, and for the prevention and against the spread of contagious and infectious diseases. (2) To establish quarantine and isolate any person affected with any one of the diseases mentioned in section 6 of this act. (3) To remove, or cause to be removed, any dead, decaying, or putrid body, rubbish, garbage, or other substance that may endanger the health of persons. (4) To disinfect houses, rooms, property, places, or localities, persons and other things, whenever in his judgment such action shall be deemed necessary to protect or preserve the public health; and he may destroy or cause to be destroyed bedding, carpets, household goods, furnishings, and other material when in his judg ment such are an imminent danger to the public health. (5) He shall when necessary advise with and consult officers of the Government on matters pertaining to sanitation and hygiene. (6) He shall prepare forms of returns, and such instructions as may be necessary, and shall supply the same to assistant commissioners of health, boards of health, physicians, and such officials as may be necessary, in order to obtain accurate statistics of the occurrence of communicable diseases in the Territory as specified in section 12 of this act; such information shall be compiled, tabulated, and published every quarter.

SEC. 4. Duties and powers of assistant commissioners of health.-Assistant commissioners of health shall have power and authority within their respective divisions,