The morning news., 1899-12-30
NEW HOSPITAL THE SOLUTION.
MAYOR MYERS TAKES THIS VIEW
OF THE MATTER.

Ahtef the Meet1nS OF NenheShuS
Night-An Up-tO-Date Hospital
With All Modern Accessories Need
ed-He Considers the Position ut
the Savannah Hospital Board as
UntennbIe-Was Never In ~s,ded as
"A Private Institution and should
Not BE Conducted ms Such-The
cnSe Different With st. JOseph's
InGrmary.
The failure of the several conferences
with the hospital people 10 result in any
III ng definite and the unequivocal declin-
alton of the city's proposition means the
establishment of a public hospital This
was the statement made by Mayor Myers
yesterday.
THE hospital matter has not been drop
red,' said the Mayor, when asked the
status Of the question Il cannot fo.e
stall the action of Council, but 1 am sat
ished that further steps will be taken.
Since the positive declination of the city's
proposition by The hospital representatives
there is nothing for the city to do except
to go ahead and arrange with the county
for the care of The sick poor"
Does that mean the establishment of
a public hospital by the city and coun-
tyr Mayor Myers was asked.
'gThat is exactly what it means" said
the Mayor "a large and fully equipped
public hospital is one of the needs of the
city and STEPS must be taken 10
provide one. / do not expect that
the city and county will be re-
quire1 10 undertake this work
alone. There are doubtless many public
SPIRITED citizens who will give liberal as
sistance to the establishment of such an
institution In connection with the hos
pital there could be various features, such
as a training school for nurses and per-
haps medical college. The city dispen-
sary cou'd be operated in. connection with
the hospi, ais, and besides supplying the
medicines 10 the hospital and dispensary
attendants could give part of their time
to the work of the hospital"
Mayor Myers position is partly due to
what he considers the untenable position
of the authorities of the Savannah Hospi-
tai The history of the institution" he
said, shows that 1t was founded as
public hospital and il was evidently in
tenCed 10 remain one. 1t received aid from
both the state and the city for this pur-
pose. That 1t was put under private con-
tlol does not imply that ii was ever i'm
tended 10 become a private institution.
Those who assisted in its foundation and
those who subsequently in its history made
generous donations 10 the institution GER
tainly never contemplated that it should
fall into The hands of small clique or CO.
terie who should operate Ii according TO
their own ideas and for the benefit of
small number of physicians. 1t is not de-
MED that such is the case at present.
The charter of the Savannah Hospital"
said Mayor Myers, shows that the inten-
ton was that it should remain public in
stftution. It is provided that any person
who makes an annual subscription of $40
to the hospital is entitled to cast a vote
for he board of managers at the annual
meeting. Have the managers of this hos
pital ever made any effort to secure a
large number of contributors? Who are
the subsc ibers and voters of the hospital?
l thought that they would maze some
showing on this line at the hearing before
Council Wednesday night, but no such in
formation was offered.
1T would seem to me to be the duty of
the manag cement of the hospital" SAID
Mayor Myers, Ito enlist as large a public
support as possible. The int ests Of the
hospital would be advanced thereby, with
public interest aroused ii would have re-
ceived many subscriptions and donations
in the past and might have secured thou
sands of dollars which would have enabled
il to widen its scope or to make perma-
nent improvements. In this way the
hospital would have been kept ia clos
touch with the people changes in the
management and staff would have come
about naturally and there would never
have been any ground for the complaint
that it is a close corporation managed as
a private institution"
In reference to st. JoSephs Infirmary,
Mayor Myers said that this institution was
on a different basis. Father Kelley might
/ s--7t 1,xrt z he
! city," he said. "that ST. Josephs In
| firmary is an institution founded and con-
| trolled by his church for its own purpo ses
| and for the care of its own sick, and If the
| city had any reason to feel dissatisfied
| with results there 1t might arrange for the
| care of its poor elsewhere"
The Mayors announcement may create
| surprise In scme quarters, but il will not
| in others. In fact, since the failure of
| the meeting Monday night to accomplish
| anything it has been seen that this was
| the only step left for the city if IL p.cpoa-
ed to accomplish anything. Win such
| prospect In view the physicians who have
| been making the fight for hospital privi-
| leges have no tears to shell because the
city's proposition was not accepted by tae
| hospitals. They do not mind admitting
| privately that the appointment of iva
physicians TO each staff would have been
| of no great advantage and that after tn
feeling which has been aroused the duty
would have been of such an unpleasau
nature that few of the physicians would
| have cared TO accept the appointments,
and the results would have been entirely
in favor of the hospital people.
Or. Graham said yesterday that while
he did moi know what steps the Council
would take in the matter he believed that
steps should be taken TO arrange with the
county for the care of the sick poor. I'm
Ill such arrangements have been made lie
| thought the appropriation 10 the hospitals
| should be continued.