The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1903-04-02
RAINES BROTHER. BILL
ANOTHER FEATURE OF ODELDS
CHARITIES PROGRAMME.
Csntraii ration Diu Has . Jsb In n for
r. A. Wheeler-He WIN Purchase
All the supplies-The Appointment
Of . Medical Inspector 10 Favored.

y. a. Wheeler-He WIN Purchss<
All the supplies-The Appointmeu,
Of . Medical Inspector ID Favored
According TO an officer OF the State Chart
ties Aid Association. which is strongly op'
posed to the Transporter bin for the further
GENERALIZATION Of the control Of the State
Hospitals for the Insane, there IL an inter.
esting story back Of the bill.
Tho bill which has passed the Senate
S-ovides. first. for a treasurer for all the
hospitals, and, second. for the purchase
Of staple supplies by an agent to be ap.
pointed by the commission instead Of by
the stewards. as at present.
The real purpose Of this provision.
said the Official referred to- is to lsgalize
the position and Thu power to pure base
off A. Wheeler, who Aimee 1880 has been by
appointment Of the commission the pur-
chasing steward for the Long Island and
the Manhattan State hospitals. These
two hospitals. between them, conaist Of
five institutions, with a total Of about II 900
patients and 800 officers end employees.
Thus Mr.. Wheeler, who by the way. Is q
brother-in-law Of State Senator John
kaines, has been buying supplies for about
half the States insane.
Now. II seems that there Is no provision
IN the law for the position held by Mr..
Wheeler or for the making Of purchases
BY him. The laws state that these duties
shall be performed by the stewards OF the
eve raj hospitals, and each Of the five in
stitutions for which Mr.. Wheeler has been
buying has Its own resident steward.
Some time ago one Of the medical super
intendents OF one Of these institutions
refused to sign a voucher for purchases
made by Mr.. Wheeler on the ground that
they were not authorized by the resident
steward The dispute was taken to the
State Lunacy Commission. and the COM
mission decided that the medical superin-
tendent was right.
1T was then decided to change the law.
At first the idea seems to have been simply
to legalize Mr.. Wheeler's present job and
to have been advanced and adopted that 90
long as he was already buying for half
the State insane he might as well be ap-
pointed agent for the whole State
:, The State Charities official remarked
that when Senator Elsberg attacked the
Ramsperger bill In the Senate Senator
Raines defended the bill with great vigor.
Another feature Of the bill. It was pointed
out. was that it provides for one steward for
the east and west parts Of Manhattan State
Hospital, instead Of two as now. This Is
regarded az a slap at DR.. A. E. Macdonald.
medical superintendent Of the east hospital.
Last year g bill providing for one instead
OF two medical superintendehts for the east
to DO aimed at DR.. Macdonald, was de-
feated at the eleventh hour through the
efforts OF the latter's friends. The new bill
10 supposed to be another way of getting
at him, and Il is said it would pave the way
for getting him out later.
The proposed legislation at Albany for |
the appointment Of medical inspector for |
the State Lunacy Commission at a.salary Of |
1900 a year is strongly favored by the |
state Charities Aid Association. This is
provided In the bills introduced In the SEN |
ate by DR. McCabe and In the lower house |
by Assemblyman Conkling.
There appears 70 be some misunder- !
standing about this bill. said State Char
assume the Offices Of the medical member !
Of the commission, but that he should assist |
the medical member In his duties. which are |
beyond the strength Of any one man, even |
II ne should give his entire time to the work.
undertake duties which should be per-
formed by the commission, but which |
have never been satisfactorily performed |
owing to the lack Of the needed medical |
assistance which this bill aims to supply. |
The medical inspector will safeguard the |
welfare Of the patients, nearly 1000 in |
number, who are in the licensed private |
asylume who are not now in all cases re- |
ceiving proper medical inspection. He will |
also endeavor to prevent the detention Of |
the insane In asylums which have not been |
licensed because of their failure to fulfil |
the reasonable requirements Of the law. |
There is reason to believe that many insane |
persons are now being subjected to i'm |
proper treatment in such institutions. |
The legal and business members OF the |
Lunacy Commission have each a CORPS Of |
assistants, while the medical member has |
no medical assistant, although the super |
vision Of the medical work OF institutions |
for the insane is, perhaps, the most i'm |
portant Of the Commissions duties |