The herald., 1895-12-07
Superintendent Barber AbOlishes
the Maternity Ward
OCCUPIED BY HIS FAMILY
To Save Himself Rent the Superintendent
Makes a Change
Removes Ills Family Into the Specially De.
signed fraternity Ward, Causing
Women to Suffer Thereby

The Los Angeles county hospital is an
institution which is conducted at the ex-
pense of the taxpayers of the county for
the benefit OF the poor and the unfortu
nate who become i'll and have neither
friends nor money. 1t is public charity
and was designed to aid those upon
whom the world had not smiled. Tho
expenditure of money for such grand
and noble purpose as this il something
which would cause no man with the 10 ilk
OF human kindness in his heart to pro-
test. Every dollar spent to MAINTAIN the
county hospital in proper condition to
care for the helpless or deserte men,
women and children for whose benefit it
was established is q dollar well spent.
But every dollar Of the peoples morey
that Is taken from the public treasury
and expended unnecessarily, wasteiully
or extravgsnt'y and then charged up on
the books against the county hospital
fund, is the low .st deception that can be
practioed upon a deluded constituency.
Yet that is what has been done right
here in Los Angeles county. Under the
cloak Of charity tb ousands OF dollars have
been drawL out OF the treasury and OK
pended, not for charity-not to aid the
unfortunate and the sick who bave
neither friends nor money. Large sums
have gone to pay outrageously large sal
aries to pampered officials; to feed them
and their families with the choicest deli
cacies of the season; to create fat berths
for men who have rendered politica
service to those who may happen to be
in power.
Then, this is not all. The county hos
pital is today not only run at an exorbi-
= eel,
There are many ladies in Los Angeles.
Kind, noble, philsnthropic women. who
have make it their business to investigate
the present management OF the county
hospital. They are moved by neither
bias nor prejudice. hey relate facts as
they claim they found them. One lady
has related what she learned from her in
vestigation, and she only saw wnat others
before and since have seen.
This lady states that her study OF the
hospital as managed and manipulated by
the supervisors through Or Barber, the
superintendent, shows her clearly that
sick men and women in the hospital are
not cared for as they should be and as
the people think they are being, judging
from the vast sums spent annually by
the supervisors to maintain the institu-
ton.
This lady claims that the cook at the
hospital must hold his position by a
pull, "for he prepares food for the poor,
sick and dying human beings who are
there which the lady says is not fit for
them. This being the case she says that
the patients are not II ourished properly.
Since, however TIE milk has been in
spected she says both milk and food are
better.
1t was stated sometime ago that Dr..
Barber, the superintendent, resided with
his family in cottage on the grounds.
IN
now resides in the hospital building. He
has been there for two months. DIR.
Hagan, his predecessor in the office of
superintendent. resided in cottage just
adjoining the grounds, the rental Of
which DR.. Hagan paid.
But Doctor Barber two months ago
made change. His salary was only
$3.50 month and he could ill afford to
pay rent. So he gave up the cottage and
moved himself and his family into quar-
tsrs in the hospital.
Now it was only short while ago that
Dr.. Barber asserted that il the supervis-
ors did not build another ward the pa.
tients would be lying on the floor.
Y,t with this cramped and crowded
condition existing DR.. Barber moved his
family from a com Portable cottage out
side the hospital grounds ana installed
them. of al places, in the maternity
room OF the institution.
ms was SeCtlon OF Tue uOSpltal InhL
was erected about three years ago for the
express purpose which its name indicates.
1t is an accessory which every person
knows could not be relinquished unless
other rooms were substituted.
Anyway, this maternity ward was given
over for Dir. Barber and his family, and
in lieu thereof a small room about twenty
feet square, formerly used as nursery,
is now occupied by the unfortunate
women. who during the term OF their
are crowded into the made
quate quarters. In such limited space it
is i'm possible to maintain satisfactory
sanitary conditions. The hospital matron,
Mrs. O'NeaI, has on several occasions
stated to The Herald's informant that
she thought there was great danger OF
fever after childbirth when the
ward remained as it was-so over
crowded.
BE this as it may, the room with its
bad odors is still in evidence. One home
less woamn who was cared for in the
maternity ward of the hospital has stated
that during the month of October she
was the arst Of fur women TO have a
child born in that little room during
thirty days. One birth followed close
on another. This unfortunate states that