Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-12-02

lions, the local institutions are discussed.
| The death of DR.. W. W. Godding is re-
| ferred to and his work at st. EliZabeth's
| commended.
| Discussing the mortality of the year
! there, the Secretary says:
| The Pernicfous Anacostia Flats.
| THE mortality of the year. 1913 deaths,
which was 7.s5 per cent If the whole num-
| Der under treatment. is q source of much
| qualification when the number Of inmates
! suffering from maiarial troubles is taken
into consideration, and is the lowest per
cent for a number OF years. AS in previous
reports attention Is called to the pernicious
influence of the poisonous n,iasma arising
from that polluted $~ot Familiarity known
as the Anacostia I. - which continues
| great source of malariaI diseases TO all per
sons, particularly to the aged and decrepit
veterans A review of the hospital stats
tics reveals the fact that So per cent of the
population of the asylum has suffered from
malaria fever during the past fourteen
months
The Secretary makes the following recon-
mendaton concerning disbursements at the
institution:
And hereafter the dlsbursing clerk ci
the Department of the Interior is hereby
required to act disbursing clerk for tbs
Government Hospital fer the Insane. anc
to disburse all moneys appropriated for th'
sa1d hospital, under the direction OF INT
Secretary of the Interior vouchers duly
certified by the superintendent thereof ant
approved by the Secretary of TIE Interior
And the said disbursing clerk herein pro
v1ded for shall, before entering upon ms
duties as such, give bond to the Unite
States in such sum as the Secretary of tbs
Treasury may deem proper and necessary,
which bond shall be conditioned that tht
| said officer shall render true and faithful
account to the proper accounting ohfeers CT
the treasury quarter yearly of all moneys
and properties which shall be received by
| him by virtue of his office with sureties to
hn c0l nf
| ury. Such bond shall be filed in the office
| of the Secretary of the Tree sury, to be by
| him put in suit upon any breach of the con
ditionS thereof. And for this service to b.
performed the said disbursing c.erk, herein
| before provided for, shall receive for the
faithful discharge of his duties an annua-
compensation of $1,000, payable from the
appropriation for current expenses of the
| Government Hospital for the Insane And
| all acts heretofore made by Congress tina
| are inconsistent with the provisions of this
act be, ana the same are hereby, repeated.
| The FreedmCn'x Hospital.
| The report Of the board of visitors OF
| Freedmcn's Hospital is discussed, and its
| recommendation for the erection of a mod
| ern hospital is approved.
| Concerning the management of the hos
pital. the Secretary says:
Tile surgeon i'll chief adverts to the fact
| mat in his previous report he called at
ttnt1on to the: inconvenience resulting from
! 'lii tudt InSL!ld5SHtn OF the hospital, lIc
apPolnuNe and general administrative
power over il being vested in the Secretary
Of the Interior nuder the act Of June ..
1871 Us Stat L., 22.iD. and the supervision
and control of the appropriations made by
Congress for its mana sement being, by the
act of March >, 1h9.. (2I Stat. l., 55I.
placed under the Commissioners of the
District of Columbia. and urges that the
management, as We'll the finances Of the
institution, be placed under the absolute
control of the Secretary of. the Interior.
The best interests of this institution would
seem to require that the control doth fiscal
ana practicaD thereof be unified, and |
have the honor to recommend that Con
GieSS either place this institution wholly
under the Department of the Interior or
transfer the administrative and appointive
power relative thereto from this department
to the Commissioners CT the District of CO.
lumbla. Il is also recommended that ade-
ouate appropriations be made for the hos
pital buildings.
Need for Hall Of Records.
The Secretary refers TO the transfer of
the various bureaus of the Interior to the
old post Office building and says in con-
nection Herewith:
I'm readjusting the space for these sew
erai bureaus, the most difficult thing to
provide for has been their volumnous rec
ords. These are Valuable and should be
stored in places that are frCprOof. as, IN
many instances. it would be impossible to
duplicate them. 1t is doubtful as to
whetreh al, of these records can be properly
p, divided for III the space allotted for that
purpose to the respective bureaus in the
new building without unduly crowdng the
clerical force. This demonstrates the ne
cessity for the construction of a hall or
building in this city for the accommodation
OF the records of the government. There
is no doubt that in the other executive
departments there is just as large an &C
emulation Of important records as there
is here. Such being the case It would be In
the interest Of economy and good govern
ment to provide a suitable building in
which to properly care for these various
records, and Legislation looking to that end