The daily morning journal and courier., 1903-01-30

coal strike We bought all the coal we could at nearly the normal price. This 1 supply, with care, lasted us until the l 10th of September. In early September We bought soft coal at S450. which lasted us into October. Since then we have had to buy as best we could, and al very high rates. But we have bought
 small quantities. and carried no coal
 over the 31st of December. beyond two
 or three days supply, whereas we us ' ually carry to the new year very large amounts purhcased at the season of the year when prices are most favorable.
 For point of fact we purchased in 1902
 450 tons less than usual. Of course this does not mean saving to the society in the long run. but it means a pushing forward into the new years accounts of an outlay which would normally have come in the old years
 accounts, and is a saving to the ac-
 counts of 1902. Not all of our deficit, therefore, can be charged to the cost
 of coal, and further examination shows it is chargeable to the increased cost ! of food especially of meat, to the ex- l tent of about $2,500, and the increased cost of medicines, instruments, and surgical dressings to the extent of s1,- ! 150. It is necessary to the proper un- derstanding of the situation that these ] facts be recognized. The daily cost of i food per inmate in 1902 was 35 cents The weekly cost of maintenance and !! treatment per patient was $1105, an i advance upon the cost in 1901 of A cents.
 i The whole number of weeks occupied
 in 1902 was $500, an increase of 270 Al. ] Of these 1,007 3-7 were occupied by town patients, from S4 different towns l in this state, and from Il other states. The town patients from this state re- ceived the benefit of the state appro- priation to the extent of $4.96 per week. S53 of the patients admitted were resi-
 dents of New Haven. Of the whole
 number under treatment 9O6 were males, and 566e females. The efforts of your committee to se-
 cure additional endowment for the Hos
 pital society have been by no means without result. To the amount received
 in response to the circular dated July 1, 1901-$2f ,59S 9S00-there was added sub-
 sequently to the last annual report $200. ] In response to the circular issued Sep ! tember 15, 1902, there was received $5,431, and other donations in. 1902
 amounted to $270. Besides these gifts from living benefactors, there were received in 1902 slegacies amounting to | $47,096.35 in cash, g together with four pieces of real estate, with buildings thereon, the cash value of which has not yet been realized. Thus the total addition to our funds in the eighteen months ending with the close of 1902
 was-excluding the real estate above
 mentioned-$74,5S ,5S5.35. This has proved decided reinforcement, but it must be said thant the imperative needs of the
 institution would be met only by as much more.
 We are very glad to record another very timely and generous gift re-inforc-
 ing us in another way. Our ambulance
 was approaching the end of its7useful- ness so nearly that the last time we sent it to be repaired we were told that it was not worth the cost of the repairs needed. 1t Mas in this emergency that considerate benefactor authorized us
  tern, at her expense. Much painswere
 taken in perfecting the specifications for it's construction. embracing some
 improvements suggested by members
 of our own medical and surgical staff,
 and the result is an extremely satisfac-
 tory one. It is now in service, the old
 one being retired, and is admirably adapted to it's purposes. It is a gift of
 Mrs. ]. Davenport Wheeler, as a me-
 norial of a laraented nephew, Town
 send M. Vail, who died in July last, on
 the eve of entering Yale University.
 We venture to suggest to the society
 suitable expression of its appreciation
 of this most valuable addition to it's equipment.
 The ambulance was constructed by
 MT. John Scott, of Boston, and unless called away by some emergency may be inspected at the close of this meeting
 We are indebted for another much
 needed addition to our apparatus to Dr. Leonard J. Sanford, who offered us last autumn the gift of a new ironing
 machine for our laundry, specially adapted for the ironing of the uniforms of our nurses. This has been installed, and proves not only helpfulin the work, but economical, as with it we have been enabled to 12 ekaa reduction in the force hitherto employed. The saving in wages will before very long pay the cost of it's instalment
 The addition to the Nurses dormitory at the expense of the, Connecticut Training School for Nurses, authorized by the society in 192, is approaching completion, and will prove to be very valuable addition to our plant from ev- cry point Of view. It is to cost in the neighborhood of $1S,000.
 A new flagstaff was placed upon our main building last summer at the ex- pense Of Messrs Max Adler and J. T.. ! Deweil and Dr. T. H. Bishop, for which ] your committee felt very thankful
 The business for which our maternity ward was erected having not yet in- l creased to the measure of our expecta- lions, we have authorized the use of the { lower ward. and of the private rooms for genealogical cases, and this is proving 8 source of income to the hos 1 pital. These cases are in charge of Dr. !! Ramsay. It is understood that this ar :, rangement is temporary, however, and may he suspended should the room be required for obstetrical cases.