New-York tribune., 1908-11-02
J. H. SCHIFF TO CRITIC
DEFENCE OF MONTEFIORE,
Resents Effort for FaUor7t'snl-Pre-
diets Greater Distress.

At the annual meeting of the Montehore Home
FOR Incurabes and Chronic Invalids, held YESTERDAY
morning at the hospital buildings, 15Sth street anu
Broadway, criticism of the management was an
swered by Jacob H. Schif, president Of the instltu-
ton In his annual report Mr.. Scldf predicted
greater distress among the poor the coming WINTER
than existed any time during the recent hnancial
depression.
The criticism of the management came from
Uriah Herman a member of the board OF trus-
tees of the Beth Israel Hospital No 26S Cherry
street. Mr.. Herman said he thought that IN con-
sidering admissions the wards of the Montehore
Hospital preference should be given to lncurao'e
cases recommended by other hospitals. In the Beth
Israel Hospital he said there had been several pa
tents with incurable diseases. who occupied the
beds permanently preventing that hospital from aid
ing from fifty to hundred urgent cases during the
year. In reply Mr.. Schif said
This is the first time in history thai the the
ability Of the board OF directors 10 manage lts
affairs for the best interests of the community y
has been questioned. Practically all Of our app1-
cants come from the district Immediately Surrouhqnt T.
ing the Beth Israel Hospital and think that II
does not come with very good grace from any
thing in criticism Of our policy Mr. Herman
thinks that We should give preference IN aoHh,t- ADMIT
tance to our wards TO patients reccmmended by
other hospitals There are others. members don
and contributors to this institution Itself, VINO
which they themselves recommend. We have only
one answer to every such c aim that we VII f Ila
soever.
president
have made it an invariabe rule never 10 mar 1s
a request in favor of any particular applicant i
we did So with our long waiting ltSt-and, as You
see from the report. we had to refuse adnlsSlo1
because of lack of room to thirteen lundreo
appiicants-it would he injustice to the poor
chronic invalid who has friends TO recommend
him. but whose case is none the less equally az, as
urgent any other. This Is matter ABOUT W~i1cn ~
have been greatly concerned and We nave
even lost contributions from those VINO tRoushi t
that their recommendations ought to be honoi eu
before others because they were members of the
institution: but nevertheless, course IS the only
inst O,oa and We will Y
to admit applicants in the order IN "ihch IneS
come us.
We are on the eve of another season. in whlGh
the charitable organizations Will have a more ui,
cult time than before. There IS no douut !I
within short time there will ho n return OF tue
prosperity of recent years, and there is no COUP
that business conditions have improved gftd lN
since last October. But. nevertheless. belleVf
going be greater strain upon ciiaTl
agencies than was Immediately following tnS
panic The reason for this Is that the unemployeo co
will feel the hardships of the coming winter mo- NOR
keenIy because now their resources are entirely
exhausted and sickness and destitutiOn will De
more difficult to resist. We shoui1 an MAXI oLl
contributions to charity larger and not smaller tor
the of means viii soon pe apie 10 reCupeidle
the good times which are coming
During the year the hospital provided for 1o3l
patients in It's city buildings and its country sana
torium at Bedford 400 remaining under treatment
at the end of the year. All except a have been
free patients There were 1904 applications for ad-
mission during the year. out of which 1925 had to
he refused because of lack Of room or because IN
instances the ailments did not justify adynis-
sion Incomes from all classes of contributors
Sl6l Az IS. leaving a deficit of s64.48+ "a.
The following elected directors to serve for
Lehman. Joseph Moss. Jacob II. SChtf and Ferdi-
rand Sulzberger. The officers are: Jacob II. Schif
president; Henry Solomon and Leopold stern. yice-
presidents; R. J. GreenhUt, treasurer; Fred NJ
Stein, secretary.