Waterbury evening Democrat., 1907-12-28
THE F. OF A. DOCTORS
All Courts Have Made Choice
 Statement of Committee.

The difference between the local
 courts of Foresters and the doctors regarding fees which resulted in the
 bringing in of physicians from out oi town, is now settled and no more
 will be heard of it for the present at
 least. The committee appointed to handle the matter has prepared re-
 port setting forth the facts, and ln-
 asmuch as it is of considerable pup
 lie interest, it is herewith printed at the request of the committee for the
 benefit of all who may wish to read | it. The document is as follows: | The Foresters' committee, who nave
 been acting for their courts ill inc re.
 cent controversy with the Waterbury
 Medical association, would like to
 make the following statement 10 the
 public as to their side of the affair. ~ All the court physicians are mem- 1 bers of the order and presumably familiar with the laws governing the same-and the laws of the supreme court say that All courts of the order wherever established shall provide
 medical attendance and medicine 10 all members of the order in good standing" which of course took 1t out of our power to abolish medical at- tendance and pay a larger weekly
 benefit as advocated by some of our doctors.
 The supreme court meets every two years and the next session will be held in 1909. All members of frater-
 mites know the procedure necessary to amend laws. If the doctors had
 notified the courts at the time of thelr election last December, or had even spoken of it during the spring or sum-
 mer of the present year, steps could have been taken to try and amend tne supreme court laws covering the mat ter, but they waited until the time for election and then passed a vote re- fusing the right of their members 10 make contracts with the fraternltles unless they acceded to their terms which in great many cases would be prohibitive as the dues of 1o cents per month would not allow of any such arrangement.
 If the Waterbury Medical associa- ton had any grievance as to insutfi- ciency of rates. or in fact, any other matter. we think it was due us, if not on account of the intimate and frlend- ly relations existing between them and us, surely on business agree ment between man and man. they would have requested q conference between our order and themselves. when the matter could perhaps have been amicably adjusted. but they did nothing of the kind. but passed the vote and left it to us to find out.
 Our courts immediately appointed committees to wait on their several physicians and in all cases they were informed that under the vote passed by the Waterbury Medical association they would have to decline to serve af- ter January 1 unless they were paid regular rates. The committee report ed back 10 their courts and the joint conference committee was the result, and the determination to act as Il unit and preserve the life of their organi- zatiOn.
 The general committee thus organ ized appointed the subcommittee to try and procure enough reputable phy- sicians to act in the several courts in place of those declining to serve. The committee procured one local physician and two more from out of town, whom after careful eXamina- tion of their credentials, they recom- mended to the courts for the posi- tions. That is all the committee did in the matter, and the rest is a part of fraternal history.
 As to the statements that We paid only about two cents call, the less said the better. as any man with the average amount of intelligence knows better. At recent meeting of the largest court in this city no members were reported on the sick list and none of the courts seldom have more than two or three members on the sick list at any one time who require medi- ral attendance.
 The physicians receive $1.50 and s2.00 per annum from all members they require medical attend ance or not and as the courts aver age at least 1j0 members each. we fail to see where the court physicians have not been well paid.
 If they call in another physician for assistance in difficult eases the courts pay for such services at the regular rates and we cannot see where the members of the Waterbury Medical are in any way asked to lo anything but what they are we'll paid for.
 As far as the members of the For 'sters of America are concerned. they nave nothing but the most kindly ceilings for their Px-physicians and wish them all the success they can lchieve. hut when it comes t0 the question of sacrificing the very exist lnce of the order to whom they are attached by many years nf asSocia- ion and friendship. they were forced Q part with their physicians and to tick to tIe good old ship. which is learer to us than all the associations lo matter under what name they aiI
 In conclusion. the committee would ay that if Ity ihc action Of tine For SfeTs of America during the past two gecks tho Pxorbitant prizes of house md affice visits by tho IocaI medical ratprnity Ire reduced to q fair and nnest t,asis. they will Ipe amply re- aid for tlle time and troul,le ex- ended and 1t will indeed te c0n- ummatiol tpvoutly to Iue desired.
 Yours very truly.