The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1910-08-25
ASKS SOME QUfSTIONS|
A Prominent Farmer Wants Some
Information about the Proposed
Decatur County Hospital.

The Reporter is in receipt of the
FLOWING communication from Mr..
l.. L. Richardson, one of the promi-
nent farmers of Decatur county, who
asks some pertinent questions in re-
gard to the proposed Decatur County
Hospital, which question will be
voted upon at the coming election
in November. We are pleased to an
swer Mr.. Richardson's inquiries, and
also desire to call the attention of
our readers to the hospital law,
which we publish in full on page six
OF this issue of The Reporter, and
ask that all read it carefully and
then cut it out and preserve for fu-
ture reference.
Editor Reporter:
As the question of voting for a
Decatur County Hospital will come
before the voters this fall, l would
like to make a few inquiries in re-
gard to the proposition so that | may
fully understand it.
l. How much will the hospital
cost?
2. What will it cost the taxpay-
ers?
| 3. Would be permitted to en-
ploy my own doctor in case | should
become a patient at the Decatur
County Public Hospital?
| 4. Would it cost me less at the
Decatur County Public Hospital than
for me to go to city hospital?
l.. L. Richardson.
In answer to the first question the
proposed cost of the hospital is $15,-
| 600, and it can not exceed this sum.
The second question is an import
ant one. The board of supervisors
have fixed the levy to pay off the hos
pital bonds in case they are voted
at IL mill per year. This levy will
pay off the hospital bonds in less
than ten years. If taxpayer has
property worth $1,000 it is taxed at
one-fourth this amount, and the hos
pital tax would amount to 121a cents
a year. If he has property worth
$4,000, his hospital tax would cost
him SO cents per year. Is it not
worth this Insignificant sum to any
taxpayer to be assured of first-class
hospital where he or any of his fam
| lily can be taken in case of sickness
or injury?
AS to Whether you would be per-
mltted to employ your own doctor in
case You should go to the hospital
for treatment, that question is set
tied by the law which provides that
any patient can employ any physi-
clan he chooses. You could receive
the attention of you own family ply
slcian in case you were patient at
the hospital or of any other physician
you wanted.
AS to the cost of staying at the
hospital, it would certainly cost you
less for treatment at home hospital
than for you to go to a city hospital
as the charges are always less in a
local hospital. Then you would save
the railroad fare of yourself and any
members of your family going to and
from the city. If your family went
they would have to stop at a hotel
and that costs money in city. 1t
would be much cheaper and a great
deal more satisfactory, for your fam
lily could stay right at home and drive
IN to see you every day if they wished
to.
Decatur county surely needs the
proposed hospital. There is hardly
week that some patient does not
go to some city for an operation or
treatment which they could receive
right here at home if we had a hospi-
tai. In case you wanted city doctor
he would come here cheaper than you
could go to him. Leon is admirably 10.
Gated for public hospital The train
service is such that patients could be
brought here from any point of the
county in a few hours. No telling
when an accident is going to hap
pen, and then hospital is needed.
Again we ask all of our readers to
read the law in full and you will
see that everything in connection is
to be run in a business way.
The county hospital is not for the
doctors but for the people, and you
will see that the doctors are even
barred from serving on the board of
trustees. Think this mater over
carefully and we feel sure that you
will decide to cast your vote in favor
of the hospital. If you are convinced
it is good thing, talk TO your neigh
Dor about it and get him interested
| too.
| Union Services.
The uniop carxicoc Mill ~ lo1a -,