Evening star., 1902-01-30
A Bill FOR transfer
CERTAIN INSTITUTIONS TO BE PUT
UNDER SECRETARY OF INTERIOR.
DIR. Sewers Criticism Of Che Methods
Of the Hoard Of
Charities.

Senator Mcmillan has introduced l., the
Senate a bill providing that such supervi-
sion over the Government Hospital for the
Insane, Freedmen's Hospital and Asylum
and the Washington Hospital for Foundlings
as may have been conferred upon the board
of charities of the District of Columbia un-
der the provisions of the act of Congress of
June 6, 1906 be transferred to the Secretary
of the Interior, who shall have exclusive
supervision over the institutions named
and the disbursement of all appropriations
therefor subject to the laws of Congress.
The bill authorizes the Commissioners to
enter into contract with the Secretary of
the Interior for the care at a reasonable
rate per capita Of all persons from the Dis
trict of Columbia treated in Freedmen S
Hospital and the Washington Hospital for
Foundlings, and hereafter no portion of the
expense of these institutions shall be paid
from the revenues of the District of CO.
lumbia except as specially provided.
This bill will be referred to the Commis-
sioners of the District of Columbia for their
opinion and recommendations.
The Founding Hospital.
Since the Washington Hospital for Foun-
dlings has been under the supervision OF
the board of charities 1SO foundlings have
been provided with homes. In but two cases
1
children after THEN adoption. The hospital
has a summer hospital near Bethesda, Md,
eight miles from this city on a high and
healthy site. There the children are taken
in May and kept until late in the fall. The
value of the hospital property in the city
and country is about $140,G00, the annual
cost of operation beng about $500. For
many years Congress has appropriated &c.
0G0 to aid in the maintenance of the hos
pital.
DR.. Sewers. Statement,
Referring to the board of charities, DR.. z.
T. Sewers, president Of the Hospital for
Foundlings, says:
1.-THE board is under the impression that
under the act providing for its creation the
duty devolves upon 1t of recommending to
Congress discontinuance of aid to all in
stitutions, charitable or eleemosynary in
the District of Columbia, which own their
own plants. By what process of reasoning,
however, they have determined this to be
the intention OF Congress in providing for
such a board am not. prepared to state.
To carry into effect their views in the mat
ter they propose TO, recommend a yearly re-
duction Of moneys appropriated for them
by Congress until a certain time after
which appropriations by Congress for their
support shall cease.
''As regards the washington Hospital for
Foundlings, they propose to recommend but
5000 for the next fiscal year. Should
Congress concur in their conclusions and
appropriate but that sum of money it will
be disastrous to this institution and will in
all probability be an entering wedge to a
discontinuance. of a very laudable charity
unless from now unknown sources acces-
sions are made to the hospital fund.
Considering the views Of the board Of
charities in this matter, have to suggest
that 1t would be better for the interests of
the hospital that it be placed under the ex-
elusive control of the Secretary of the In
terror, as in the Government Hospital for
the Insane and that the money appropri-
ated for the institution be expended under
your direction
A similar bill was introduced in the House
today by Mr.. Babcock