The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1894-07-20
MONEY SAID TO BE WASTED
How the County's Sick Are
Looked After.
BIG RATES PAID FOR POOR FOOD
Mayor EIlert and Supervisor James
Criticize the Management of
the Institution.

Mayor Ebert and Chairman James of
the Finance Committee of the Board OF
Supervisors believe DR.. Titus should dis
charge thirty or forty of his useless en-
poyes, instead of turning away crpples
and invalids to reduce expenses at the
City and County Hospital.
DR.. Titus has received orders not to ex-
coed the annual appropriation of $4,000
for the intenance of the hospital. and
he has begun to cut down expenses by
turning sixty patients out Of the hospital.
some of whom went to the Almshouse and
the rest wherever they could find roof TO
shelter their heads. Thirty more patients
will be let out 10 cut down expenses to the
required figure.
Last year the Board of Supervisors APP.
prOpriated $3.50 for the City and County
Hospital, $4,000 of which was to be used
for the construction of house for the
nurses. The house for the nurses is still
only an airy vision. and about half of the
money appropriated for the construction
was used to defray the regular running ex-
penses of the hospital. This year the Su-
pervisOrs appropriated $4,000 for the
hospital, and DR.. Titus was instructed
under no circumstances to exceed that
amount.
When DR.. Titus looked over his monthly
expense account he saw only two items
where he thought reduction could be
made. One was to reduce expenses, to cut
down the salaries Of the physicians little,
and the other was to get rid of en- ough
patients to enable the hospital to be con-
Quoted in the present manner and still
keep within the appropriation. No salaries
nave been reduced as yet, but the exodus
Of the patients has begun.
Whether there are more than the two
ways mentioned of reducing expenses at
the City and County Hospital is ques-
ton uDon which there are a variety of
opinions. Dr. Titus and the mem bers of
the Board of Health say emphatically no,
but Mayor Ellert and Supervisor James
are not so sure about it. The Mayor says
there is absolutely no excuse for any
patient being turned out of the hospital
into the street, and that in doing so DR..
Titus is merely trying to make capital for
himself by making it appear that the city
is too penurous to support its INDECENT
invalids. The Mayor says DR.. Titus is
adopting these tactics to sustain his pas:
contention that the hospital cannot be
conducted on the amount set apart for its
use. he says he considers DR.. Titus to-
tally incompetent to manage the business
interests of the hospital, and cites the fact
that the Almshouse, with nearly twice The
number of patients there are in the hospi-
tai, 200 of whom are confined to their beds
by sickness, is run for less money than
DR.. Titus is able to get along with.
Mayor Ebert and Supervisor James con-
slider the appropriation adequate to con-
duet the hospital and care for all neces-
sary patients if the money be expended
judiciously. They say a large amount of
money is wasted in the purchase of sup
plies. and substantiate their statements
with the report OF an expert who was sent
to the hospital few weeks ago to see If
the city was getting what it called for. 1t
is interesting to read few extracts from
the report in view of the positive asser-
ton of DIR. Titus that the supplies are
always first class. Here is part of the
report:
The beef delivered on the first day OF my in-
spectlon was very poor quality OF COW. The
lean was of dark purple color and the fat was
fabby and of saffron color, both of which in
dicate unhealthy meat The mutton was also
of poor starved quality and more than one
third consisted of Jokes, which means Shout
ders and neck cut from the body. The first de-
livery of beets. carrots, cabbages and turnips
which came under my inspection was wasteful
and trashy. The potatoes when peeled for use
and all damaged portions cut off were reduced
to less than half their former size. The carrots
were mostly what are called buck or stag car
rots and really of little use except for swine
The same remarks are applicable to the beets
cabbages and turnips; and there is no reason
to suppose that the infeTlority OF those kitchen
supplies mentioned was an exceptional case
but there is every reason TO believe that what l
saw on this occasion WAS fair sample OF what
had been invariably and continuously delivered
and received at the City and County Hospital
Inferior lOw-grade beef and mutton and dam.
aged cabbages were on my suggestion returned
and better qualities substituted. Yet even with
my presence here now there are no supplies de-
Iivered Except perhaps milk and flour to war
rant ME to say that there is any approach made
TO conform to the requirements of the contract,
When in supplying the articles of food on
which there is the heaviest consumption con.
tracts are set aside and ignored and suppIymen
allowed TO deliver in their own interests as
against those OF the city; and therein lies the
whole cause OF excessive expenditure.
Ne
ton, chairman of the Hospital Committee.
by A. j. OLoghlen. who spent month at
the hospital.
The third cook at the hospital corrobo
rates the experts statement regarding the
inferlority of the supplies. The cook was
summoned before the Board of Health a
few days ago and Mayor Ebert asked him
what kind of meat was furnished the hos
pital. He said it was thrd-class meat,
and very poor third class at that
At the last meeting of the Board of
Health the Mayor asked for DR.. Titus
opinion on the same subject. The doctor
said all of their supplies. including the
meat, were strictly frst-class The Mayor
told DR.. Titus what the third cook had
said. but the doctor explained that the