Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-10-30
Expense Exceeds the Reve-
nues at st. Elizabeth's.
THE CAUSE ASSIGNED
DIR. WHITES STATEMENT In Elk
PLANTATION.
Reductions In Pay and Dismissal OF
Employees as Means Of Over
coming Shortage.

Ii has been discovered that the exnens. of
81 EiiHabeth's Hospital for the Insane has
exceeded the appropriation for the current
quarter by about $4,000. Dr. William A
"hite, superintendent OF the hospital. was
seen today by a Star reporter and asked
about the alleged deficiency He said that
on the face OF affairs there appears TO be
such deficit
But" he added. ''it is simply a question
or bookkeeping and there is no cause for
alarm 1t is my hope and expectation that
the shortage will be wiped out by exercising
retrenchment in the expenditures of the re-
manning months In the fiscal wear hone
too. that IL VIII not be necessary for me to
ask Congress for deficiency appropriation
this winter"
DR. White also said that there had been
some discharges OF employees and that the
salaries of a few OF the ASYLUM workers
had been reduced The reductions I'm pay
had been decided upon in lieu of making
aGditional discharges In other words. In
department where FIVE men or women had
been employed, IL was decided that IL was
better to retain the entire five at reduced
salaries than to discharge one or more or
the number.
Cause of the Deficit.
Being asked by The Star reporter as to
the cause OF the deficit. DR. White said
several causes had conspired to bring It
about. In the first place. he said, the esti-
mates for the institution are made from
month to month in advance and submitted
to the Secretary of the Interior, and I'm no
case can the expenditure be allowed to ex-
coed the estimates. Then the accounts are
audited quarterly. The apparent deficiency
occurred in the last quarter. but the ex-
penditures did not exceed the estimates, al
though they did exceed the allowances or
the department.
Then. too said Dr. White. 1T must be
remembered that fifteen new buildings have
been opened since l took charge of this
place. These require more employees to look
after them and TO take charge of the same
number of patients scattered through the
additional structures. Then comes the mat
ter of additional heat and light for the new
buildings. This year for instance we have
been compelled to order 5000 additional tons
of coal, swelling the total for the entire in
stitution to 1900 tons The increase In
lighting facilities is another big item. There
Is an immense acreage TO be maintained
here. The new buildings called for addi-
tional kitchens. and every time the food
supply is divided there is a distinct loss to
the government, which could be saved If all
the provender were prepared In one kitchen.
THE income OF the institution has been cut
down materially, also, by the Withholding of
the pension money of the soldier insane
from the management. Under the old law.
which was supplanted by another last year
this pension money was paid directly to the
officers of st. Elizabe Hospital, and
could be expended at once toward the sup
port Of the institution. Now under the act
of February 20. 1905. this pension money can
not be expended without special permission
of the Secretary OF the Interior. The act
provides that all money of all insane SOL
diers be turned over to the superintendent
of the hospital to be expended under rules
to he formulated by the Secretary OF the In
terror. These rules have not yet been pro-
mulgated."
Provisions Of the Old Law.
Under the old law. DR.. White added. The
insane pensioner could not derive any ben
eft from his pension money. 1t all went
into the general expense fund OF the insti-
tuition, and, no matter If the patient was I'm
a condition to enjoy the results of an ex-
penditure OF part of his pension money.
this expenditure could not be made under
the law. Under the provisions of the new
law this matter can and will. believe be
regulated by the Secretary OF the Interior,
and In some cases a portion Of the money
received from the pension bureau will be
expended for the personal benefit OF the In
sane pensioners. 1t was DR.. Whites opin-
ion that this was IL should be.
Being asked by the reporter about the In
come received by the hospital from what
are known as private pay patients. the doc
tor replied that there are now comma rettyely
few of this class of patients In the asylum
These are from the District of Columbia
and where ii Is learned that they have rea-
ives who are able to pay for their care and
treatment. the accounts are presented 10
the relatives instead OF to the District au-
thorities, who would otherwise have to foot
the bill The receipts from this source
were, therefore. said 10 De inconsiderabie
DIR. White said some of the discharges
recently made were due TO a lack of out
door work owing to the approach of win
ter, and not because OF the deficit in the
quarterly accounts.
II expect to come out even at the even
of the fiscal year without having to go to
Congress with a deficiency bill. either" he
concluded. land / might add that for the
past eight or ten years there has been a
deficiency for Congress to supply, except
last year, when the record was broken
and deficiency bill was presented by
me-"
No Increase in Appropriation
1t appears from the records of the ap-
preparation acts for the maintenance of
ST. Elizabeth's Hospital for the Insane for
many years, that since DR.. White was
placed In charge, and Notwithstanding
the addition of fifteen new buildings to the
official colony across the Potomac, on
greater per capita appropriations have been
asked for from Congress. 1t Is possible that
there may be still further slight reduc-
ton in the force of the hospital. IL will
be Dr. Whites policy to retrench wherever
and whenever 1t is possible. he says.