Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1884-04-07
THE RAnRoAn HOSPITAL.
General Manager Towne Refutes a
False Statement.

False Statement.
The following letter, published yesterday
in the paper addressed, was written TO cor
rect statements previously published by the
same paper, to the effect that the Railroad
Company is making the hospital for its en-
ployes the source of an enormous indirect
income at the expense of those whom it IS
intended 10 benefit:
To the Editor of the ChroHicie-Sir My
attention has Just been called to an article
in your issue of yesterday, under the head
ing Profitable Philanthropy-How the
Railroad Has Made Half Million" which
does US great injustice and is calculated to
influence public opinion and inspire a
spirit of dissatisfaction on the part OF some
Of our employees who may not be fully IN
formed regarding the details of our hos
pital system The statements published by
YOU are 50 at variance with the truth that
am prompted TO write you this letter and
trust you will give publicity.
You are certainly misintormed, and be
lieve by enemies, who are prompted only
by malice and desire to prejudice the en-
ployes of the company, who are, generally
speaking, well pleased with the system and
conduct of its affairs and always have been
since my identification with the manage
ment fifteen wears ago. As evidence of tins
| NAV state that 4 short time since we pro-
posed to turn the management of hospital
affairs over TO Il Board of Trustees conf
| posed of employees, at which time large
! delegation of the latter waited upon the
undersigned and urged US 10 continue on as
! heretofore they not desiring in any way
J TO make a change and heartily expressing
| their confidence in the management, and
| this fact would also seem to dlSprove the
| statement made near the close of your artl-
! Gle, TO the effect that the employees are
allowed no voice in the conduct of their
| affairs under this line, but must stand back
and see themselves robbed of their money
You say the total amount collected as
! hospital dues last year was 100000, and
| that the total expenses of the institution for
the period amounted to but Sal 400 81.
! This is an error and the best assurance Of
economy and efficiency are given by the
| following figures The total receipts for
! the wear 1882 were S53 1852 Ca disburse-
mentS same period, So, SCI, leaving sur
plus of sol OF for 1888 the receipts were
S57, 91S IS; disbursements, SOC, 349 ;ssurpius,
81 500 70, instead of S5S, 543 %, as per your
statement Ofthis S56,349, $41 ,456 81 was
for the account of the Sacramento hospital,
|
at other places. Balance of fund Deem
81, 1888, was S105,692 5s less cost of prop
erty, So, S75 II leaving Il surplus of 49,
! S16 81. This surplus may at some time be
used to establish hospitals at Los Angeles,
| Oakland OF elsewhere, for the benefit of
| employees.
1t should be remembered that greater
number of employees live and are concen-
trated at Sacramento than at any other
point on this system. For this reason it is
eminently proper that the principal hoSpi-
tai should be located there. The number
admitted to the Sacramento hospital during
the year 1883, including those remaining in
at the close of the previous year, was 1888.
There were also 2525 eases treated at their
homes and as office patients, together with
1856 surgical and other cases treated at Elko,
Truckee, Oakland, Tucson and Ell Paso.
The reports of surgeons at Winnemucca,
Reno. Stockton Tuare and Los Angeles
are not before me, hence ! am unable to
| give the number Of cases treated at these
places.
You say that railroad employee said to a
Chronicle reporter: ITO the uninitiated the
idea of clean, well-kept hospital, MAIN
tanned by the railroad company, looks
reasonable, humane and charitable, but To
the brakeman, sectiOn-man, mechanic or
other laborer, whose wages are cut down to
the next notch above the getting Of bread
and butter and lodgings, it does not look 50
| fine
This statement is 50 unfair and unreason-
able that | am sure YOU will permit me to
correct it by saying it is wholly untrue On
the contrary, the company is paying It's en-
ployes as large, and ! believe larger, rates
Of wages than are paid by any other rail
! road COMPANY in this country.
You further state that if a man works
| only one week the 80 cents for hospital dues
is deducted from his pay, or that if he
| worked one month and five days, 81 would
be taken. This is true and believe would
be regarded as right by any fair-minded
person. If he is injured or taken sick dur
ing this period, the employee IS entitled to
all the benefits of the hospital, and as there
must be a limit to the time five days has
been fixed upon as the maximum which an
| employee viii be allowed to work without
contributing to the hospital fund.- but if he
should be taken sick, or happen to be in
iured between the first and fifth day, during
| which time he has contributed nothing, he
nevertheless receives all the benefits OF the
hospital Just the same as though he had
worked for months or years. Cases Of this
| class are numerous.
The officer Of our hospital at Sacramento,
J. K. Watson, especially intrustcd with the
administration of its affairs, is a gentleman
Of large experience, efficient and prudent.
In his last annual report to the under
signed he says; You will perceive the
dcath-rate is kept at very low percentage,
considering the severe character of
many Of the casualties and diseases, as
enumerated, coming into the establishment
for treatment 1t gives me pleasure to in
form you that in almost every instance the
employees for whom the hospital was built,
are satisfied of the benefit accruing to them
in having the great advantage Of skillful
| treatment and good home 10 rest in dur
! ing sickness" In conclusion permit me to
| add that the best assurance IS given that
! the money is not used for any other pur-
| pose than that for which it is contributed
and that the plan deserves and has attained
| popular favor here and with officials of
other roads in the United States, where it
or a similar system is being adopted
A. \. TowNE, General Manager.
san Francisco April . 1854