The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1909-02-16
Hospital Board Offers to Al
low Council to Take Re-
sponsibiIity for Treatment
Of Orphans.
CITY FATHERS FELL
INTO THE OPEN TRAP
The Counciimen Were Ex-
tracted by City Attorney
Would Have Established a
Bad Precedent.

"You may do as you like about It,"
appeared as the attitude of the board
of trustees of the Reid Memorial hos
pital in communication to council re-
ceived last evening. The communica-
tion was in regard to the treatment
of % patients from the Wernle or
phans home at the hospital last sum-
mer. There are peculiar circum-
stances and conditions involved and
the board suggested to council that the
cost Of treating the children either be
left unassessed, reduced or made at the
regular rates. But council upon the
suggestion of the City Attorney re-
fused to shoulder r.the.respensibility on
such sort notice and deferred action
for two weeks upon the motion of Mr..
Bartel, seconded by Mr.. Wettig. Mr..
Williams had moved that the Wernle
the entire charges. but his motion was
not seconded.
Treated $50 Days.
The communication pointed out that
the patients were treated for total
period of $50 days. It was suggested
that the council recommend that the
hospital board provide this treatment
should be accorded at half rates or alb
solutely gratuitous. 1t was suggested
that inasmuch as the Wernle home is
a charitable institution in which many
Richmond citizens are interested, it
might be deemed worthy special con-
sideration. The letter said the board
did not feel as If the orphans home
should receive any special considera-
ton, but was willing to award it, il
| council recommended it. 1t was stat
| ed that the charge of 81 per day for
| each patient would cover the actual
| expense of their care and treatment
| Study Gives Advice.
Hold on a minute, now, go little
SLOW" advised City Attorney Study af-
ter Mr. Williams had made his motion
that the treatment Of the patients be
accorded gratuitously. you are liable
to establish dangerous precedent, -
continued the attorney. Now, I
know the Wernle home is a charitable
institution, but at the same time it
1 is private one. We had best be
careful. Suppose Centerville. over here
should have an epidemic and couldn' t
care for the patients. They might
bring their sick over to this hospital.
and then after 1t was all over, they
would say, Yes, we are out OF the city.
but you ought to reduce the charges
or not charge at all. That's the way
you did for the orphans home. They
are out of your city and don't pay to
support the hospital Simply because
it is a charitable institution does not
make it necessary that its sick should
| be treated Free
Let Board Settle It.
"And then there is something else,
Mr.. Study added why not let the
hospital board settle this matter it.
self. What's the use of calling coun.
ell into it.. The board has always be
fore attended to its scale Of charges
without asking council anything about
it. They know how much money they
have better than we do. They know
whether they can treat these patients
and not charge them and still ge,
through. 1t doesn't seem to me that il
Is necessary for council to shoulder
the burden and decide this matter
There are too many possibilities fol
the future involved in It,"
| Glad They Didn't.
After adjournment some of the coan
cilmen approved the views OF the city
] attorney. Some seemed to fear tina
! any action might result In the estab
lishment of bad precedent 1t va,
declared that the city gave the hospi
, tai 5000 and there was doubt as I,
i the propriety in the council recon
. mending special privileges for the sez
LAnt- nt-ot,othpe.tAan cati1eus.