Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-05-22
CENTRAL LABOR UNION
REPORT OF LEGISLATIVE COM
MITTEE ON BILL 1OO41.
Hours of Labor and Compensation Of
Employees at Government Hos
pital for Insane.

| At the meeting last evening of the Cen
| trail Labor Union the legislative commit
| tee. composed of Milford Spohn, ]. l.. Fee
| ney Fl. ". SZegedy, John HSmerstrom
| and John II. Brinkman, submitted report
| of the data obtained relative to the condt-
| tons of employment of the attendants at
! the Government Hospital for the Insane.
| and also of the status of the bill Qoo4D
which provides that those who are en-
ploycd as attendants at the Government
| Hospital for the Insane in the District of
Columbia shall be classified as follows:
Glass one: Those attendants who have
served less than six months, and whose
| pay shall be $40 per month without board
and lodging.
Glass two: Those attendants who have
served more than six months and less than
| one year. and whose pay shall be $40 per
month without board and lodging.
Glass three: Those attendants who have
| 81 rived more than one year, and whose pay
shall he $50 per month without board and
| lodging.
1T is also further provided that eight
hours out of any twentyfour consecutive
hours shall constitute one day of service for
said attendants.
The committee states that this BILL which
was indorsed by the Central Labor Union,
was introduced in the House of Represen-
| ta5ives March 81 by Mr.. Mudd, and was
| referred to the committee on the District
of Columbia. This committee. it is stated,
referred the measure to the District Com
| missioners. who submitted the matter to DR..
| A. b. Richardson. superintendent of the
hospital for the insane.
DIR. Richardson. the report says. "op-
| posed the measure and in a communication
| to the Commissioners stated that if the bill
passed II would require an additional APP
preparation of S17l 900 1t is to be regretted
ayt rly- mt oS.i to
accepted as conclusive by the Commission
| ers and the House District committee.
| Would Give BETTER Service.
! 1T is reliably stated that in the event of
| the passage of the bill much better ser
| vice than at present would be obtained at
! not more than an additional annual eX-
| penditure of $4,000. This be satisfac-
| tcrily demonstrated by estimate based upon
the wages and cost of keep of the 80 at
PENDANTS who are included in the bill re-
fcrred to- 1t is evident that DIR. Richard-
sons estimate included incidental items Of
expense, not usually tabulated as wages in
the reports of the Institution, and leaves
the committee to infer that after assuring
II that he was in full sympathy WITH
those who Were engaged in effort to
Cuce the hours of service at his institution,
tor some unknown reason he resolved to
crush the measure beneath inflated esti-
rlate OF hctltloIS cost. measure which he
admitted would enable the attendants to
render more efficient service than is now
pos sible under a regulation which requires
thirteen and fourteen hours of continuous
service.
notwithstanding the fact that your com
nittee was prepared to submit facts to the
District committee favorable to the leSisla-
ton desired. April 10, the bill was sent to
Secretary Hitchcock, and from what the
committee can learn, 1t is piseon-h oled in
that gentleinan's private office. Probably
the District committee knew that in refer
l0..y T., II
be Summ&rily disposed of. for the commit
tee is convinced. after comforting with Mr..
Hitchcock relative to the matter in issue,
that he has no regard for those who in his
department required to work fourteen
hours per day for the sum of - cents.
Again. the committee does not understand
why a measure should be submitted to the
jUdgms Mt Of an official who positively stated
that he knew nothing of the conditions CT
employment at the insane asylum and
didnt want TO know. The committee, not
withstanding Mr.. Hitchcocks advice. has
collected data and acquainted itself with
facts which are respectfully SUBMITTED for
the consideration of Secretary Hitchcock
and the House District committee.
1t has been ascertaincd that the attend
ants employed at the Government Hospital
for the Insane are required to be on duty
active and otherwise. on an average of one
hundred and thirty-seven and one-half
hours per week, whereas forty-eight hours
are considered a full weeks work in all
other civic departments of the government
The duties of an attendant subject him
to a continuous mental strain: By reason of
his being responsible for the safety and
well being of patients afflicted with homi-
c1dal or suicidal MANIA or both, constant
vigilance is a prime necessity. His physical
strength is taxed in caring for those cases
OF acute mania in patients who know no
reason but force; in assisting and caring
for those who are entirely helpless; in keep
ing his halls and rooms in proper condition
when his household consists of two score or
of frr.s raS.iI
other duties too numerous to mention.
Scale of Wages.
THE present scale of wages is as fol-
lows Commencing at SIS per month for
male and Sli per month for female attend
ants; after six months, which is the pro-
stationary period. the pay is $50 per month
for male and SIG per month for female;
after one year the pay is So per month
for male and $50 per month for female
After two years of exceptionally good ser
vice the pay may be raised to $50 per
month for male and SO per month for the
female attendants, and after long time
not less than three years of continuous
ward service of unusual ability. a further
increase may be made to $50 per month for
male and $50 per month for female attend
ants, which is entirely at the discretion of
the superintendent. AS seen by the above
scale, the average would be about II %
cents per day. But the real average is
much less by reason of the fact that a
large majority of both male and female
attendants receive the smaller amounts
named, and comparatively few receive as
much as the larger sum indicated.
The scale asked for is not to include
board. laundry nor lodging, which are fur
nished under the present system, and is
consequently but trfling increase over
the amount which is now spent for this
purpose.
THE appropriation made for keep II
stricken out would about balance the in
crease in wages asked for. The rooms now
occupied by the several hundred attend
ants if turned over to the use of patients
would relieve the generally overcrewded
condition of the hospital. Also, the attend
ants would not, after a long day of mental
and physical exertion be compelled to seek
rest in an insane ward, where night Is
made hideous by the intermingled mutter-
ings of imbecles and rawlings of maniacs.'
Daily Routine.
The report then gives the daily routine at
the institution. selecting the oak ward as
an example. and adds:
The conditions as stated are not credit
able TO the government nor those in charge
of the institution. and 1t is to be regretted
that those who are in position to improve
the condition of these overWorked and
undergrad employees not inclined to do
so. II seems that the petition of these en-