The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1870-08-02

"a 49, ACbAA
dams of the Poor held yesterday afternoon, a
variety Of subjects connected with the man
agement of the Almshouse were considered,
and a number of facts were ELECTED which in
| dictate that the affairs of the city boarding
house across the Schuylkill will offer a profit
able field for investigation to any one who
will undertake to explore them to their lowest
depths. Mr.. Parker, who appears to be
the live man of the board, contrived to create
considerable excitement, and although he
was voted q nuisance by the other members,
some of his statements were apparently well
| substantiated and we're entitled to a more
respectful hearing than they received. With
regard to the death report from the colored
mems ward Mr.. Parker showed that the
greatest irregularities have existed, and that
there has been q culpable Encouragement on
the part of somebody. Thus the official state
ment of the number Of deaths in this
ward for the months of March, April, and
May last was twenty-nine, whereas the official
| statement of the number of burials for the
same ward for the three months named was
forty-fve. Mr.. Parker also asserted that in
some of the statements names are reported
as dead, while there is no record Of their
burial, while others are reported as buried,
but with nothing to show that they had ever
died, and others again are reported buried
who are still carried en- the hospital books as
living or discharged.
The explanation given of ths discrepancies
alluded to by MIR. Parker was, that in conse-
quence of the pressure upon the ward of
| relapsing fever cases, the doctors were over
| worked and several of them sick with the
| fever, SO that they could not give such atten-
! ton to the record Of the cases under their
| care as was desirable. Mr.. Parker was unable
to appreciate the suferings of the physicians
to the same extent as his colleagues, and
according to his view of the case they have q
pretty good time Of it. ''They go to their
duty about 8 o'clock" said Mr.. Parker, 'and
there is not @ man on duty after ~,
| or generally after 10. Then they
dress up and slick their hair and
shine their boots and pin their ears back and
march around with a lady over the bathrooms
I or out in the garden picking flowers. I can't
get these men to attend to a case of sickness
| when I want them. 1 tell you these doctors
have not attended to their business. Their
books have been kept by a poor, overworked
nurse there, who is worth his weight in gold.'
Without undertaking to say whether this
graphic sketch of the Almshouse medicos is
strictly true to nature or not, the fact that
the records were not properly kept was GER
tainly demonstrated.
1t is to be regretted that the active and
inquiring disposition of Mr.. Parker is not
appreciated by the other members Of the
board, and in view of the apparent desire to
! crush him, a substantial triumph achieved
yesterday must have been eninently crafty
ing to him. TIL Committee on Proposals for
Meat reported favorably on bids for mutton
and veal, but were unable to make any re-
commentator with regard to beef. Mr..
Parker desired the contract to be given to
the lowest bidder, and when it was urged
that the usual method was to prefer the
'lowest and best" bidder, he pledged himself
personally to see hat the contract was full
filed if it was awarded to the lowest, without
regard to the "best," and the concurrence of
the board in his view of the case elected the
remark, sThat is very encouraging; I got
something through" which suggested to us
the inquiry whether Mr.. Parker intends to
contract for the beef hiraself.
Thu lively interchange of c~ivilities yester-
day between Mr.. Parker and the other mem
bers of the Board of Guardians, if amusing.
was not entirely dignifed or creditable; but
it at least served to show that there are some
things about the Almshouse management that
need investigation. This city has been
visited during the present season with a new
form of ~pestilential disease, full statistics of
which are of the utmost Importance to the
community, and a very large portion of these
statistics are made up from the hospital re-
ports of the Almshouse. If these reports are
unreliable, our data with regard not only to
the relapsing fever, but to all other diseases.
| will be at fault. For some reason or other
there has been a disposition shown in official
quarters TO check inquiry into the nature and
extent of the ravages committed by the re-
lapsing fever, end that the public are as we'll
informed on the subject as they are is due
almost entirely TO the exertions of private
persons.
The report submitted to the Board of Guar
! dams yesterday shows that there are now in
the Almshouse 3012 persons. At this time
last year there were 2980, or 80 less han at
present. OF the present inmates 1926 are
males and 169! females. Within the last two
weeks there We're 225 admissions, Z births.
40 deaths, 36 elopements, and 1871 individuals
discharged. Lodgings were granted to 43
and 11S meals we're bestowed during the last
month. Since the last report the House re-
, ceipts amounted to $f19'92, and the house
61R1 E..