Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-11-05

| JelI-O,
two minutes. No boiling! No baking! Add
| boiling water and set to cool. Flavors: Lemon,
| Orange. Raspberry and Strawberry. Get
/ package at your grocer's today. 10 cts.
recommends, in reference to this item, that
| hereafter students admitted from the Dis
| trict of Columbia to this institution be adj
mitted and maintained on order of the
| board of charities instead Of by order of
the Secretary of the Interior, as hereto
fore This recommendation is in accord
ance with the recommendation made by
the joint select committee.
| The recommendation for money to pur-
chase ground for the burial of the INDECENT
dead is made because of the fact that the
ground now known as potter's field Is not
| large enough to meet the needs for many
years. and the board is of the opinion that
| burial grounds should be located outside
| the y. The location of the potter's field
| at present Is within the city limits.
Local Hospitals.
In the case Of the hospitals, the board
makes practically the same recommended
tions that were made by the Commission
ers Of the District of Columbia last year,
| that is, 1t urges that the private hospitals
receiving aid from the public treasury be
| paid under contract, a specific amount
! for specific services rendered. On making
an examination of the workings of the
| various hospitals, considering the service
rendered and the appropria tons received
by each, the board finds that the most in
| equitable conditions prevail. and it is thor
oughly convinced that until the proposed
Municipal Hospital is ready to do the hos
pital work properly chargeabe to the Dis
trict the most equitable arrangement that
can be made is that proposed in the
companying estimates.
Under the conditions which now prevail
one hospital is said to receive less than
$500 per year from the District for every
free patient treated while another receives
over $500 per year,and in the former case the
standard of treatment and care is, in every
sense, at least equal to that of the latter
The amounts paid to other hospitals are
said to range between the figures just
quoted, the exact rates in the various hos
pitfalls being $164, $500, $371, $409 S4S4 and
S5l5, and in almost every case the amount
paid is. the board believes, out of proper
ton to the service rendered
Alleged Abuse.
Another and probably greater abuse"
says the board, than that just mentioned
is the fact that several of the hospitals re-
ceiving large public appropriations report
that very considerable percentage of the
free patients treated are non-residents OF
the District Of Columbia. This, Of course
Is serious abuse and imposition upon
the taxpayers OF the District. Under pres
emit conditions patients admitted in
most cases on the authority of the hospital
officials, and the District has no control
IN the matter. No proper investigation is
made Of the question of indigency. Indeed,
| under prevailing conditions an investiga-
ton by District authorities would be
less so far as protection to the public
n0nrprna1 hananSa he
receive the full amount of their appropria-
lions regardless entirely of the number of
patients treated.
Under the contract plan proposed every
| patient chargeable to the District will be
admitted on the order Of District officials
and careful investigation will be made as
to whether or not the patient is INDECENT.
Anticipated Reduction.
Though the same appropriations are
| recommended for the next year as those
| carried in the current appropriation bill.
| 1t Is probable that all the money asked for
| will be needed because when proper in
| vestigation Of applicants Is made and adj
missions are controlled by responsible pub
lie authority 1t is likely that the amount OF
| money heretofore needed for hospital pur-
poses will be reduced. Under the proposed
arrangement it will be possible also to de-
| termine with some degree of accuracy the
number of persons in the community
! quiring free hospital treatment, and this
! Information will be valuable as a guide to
| the District authorities in preparing plans
| for the construction OF the new municipal
hospital. Under present arrangements,
| owing to the lack of proper investigation OF
| applicants for admission, and to the fact
| that many nonresident cases are ad-
mitted, 1t is impossible to determine with
any degree Of certainty, just how many
| legitimate cases for free treatment there
| are in the community. The board is thor
| oughly convinced that there is not the
Isis S,,cfi 90 finr, NJ q q n
| the present system Of granting subsidies to
| private hospitals without regard to service
| rendered, and urges earnestly upon the
Congress the wisdom and necessity OF the
| proposed change.
I'm applying this principle to the hos
| pitfalls the board feels that no harm can
| result to any well managed institution, and
| that the first important step will have been
| taken in the reorganization OF the District
| charities.
| appropriation has heretofore been made
subject to a contract with the surgeon
general of the army. The board recon-
mends that hereafter this contract be made
with the board of charities OF the Dlstrict
| OF Columbia as the work to be done under
| this contract is purely District charity
work.
Freedmen's Hospital.
"It is recommended that Freedmen's Hos
| pital be transferred from the Department
| of the Interior to the District Commission
ers Under the present arrangement the
| management of the hospital Is under the
Joint control OF the Interior Department
and the District Commissioners, the Secre-
tary Of the Interior having authority to ap-
| point the officers and employees Of the hos
| pital. while the District Commissioners are
| required to manage it's financial affairs and
| purchase it's supplies. This state OF affairs
| creates much confusion and renders wise
and proper administration exceedingly diff
| fcult, If not impossible. Freedmen's Hos
pital is not now, in any sense, a national in
stitution, for 1t is meant for the service of
| the poor Of the District of Columbia, and
| is supported entirely by District funds The
| statement of the surgeon-in-chief that the
percentage Of nonresident patients treated
| in this institution Is far in excess OF the
resident class indicates, simply, grave
| abuse and gross imposition upon the tax
payers Of the District"
| The Dispensaries.
The items for the Central and Eastern