The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1912-05-07

To the Common Council or the CITY OF
Richmond Gentlemen:
The board of trustees of Reid Memo
rial hospital has given due considera-
ton to the action of your body approx
ing the report and recommendation of
your committee appointed to investi-
gate the hospital. 1t is gratifying to our
board to know that no fault is found
Or suggested in the real work the hos
pital is designed to do; that no criti-
cism is made of the care and attention
given the patients or any condition
found in the institution and that your
committee has recommended the hos
pital in language we quote from its
report as follows:
The criticisms made and the recon-
mendations of your committee relate
to matters of plan of organization, the
powers given the superintendent, the
location of the hospital, and other like
matters which do not involve the care
of patients in the institution or the
real hospital work it was designed to
accomplish.
1t must be manifest to all that no
good can come of the hospital by now
discussing it's location and plan of con-
struction, nor additional facilities
which it's increased work has made
necessary. We have explained to your
committee that which all our citizens
who have been interested in the hos
pital know, that the location was Sc
lected by our generous fellow citizen
who gave it to our people; that the in
corporation was in form TO meet his
approval and that of our generous citi-
zens who contributed to it's furnish
ings; the plans were adopted upon
competitors proposals and we have
had no reason to believe that all these
generally.
1t Regrets Criticism.
We deem it proper to express to
your honorable body, representing as
you do all our citizens, our regret, that
at time when our hospital was doing
splendid work and meeting the de-
mands and expectations of our people
who have availed themselves of the
benefits, that there has been published
the kind and character of criticism
which has been made, and with the
spirit manifested by some of the citi-
zens toward the institution, which alto
gether has made it almost impossible
for us to maintain any effective organ
ization to carry on the work for sew
eral months past.
We wish in justice and fairness to
ourselves, to deny emphatically and
without reserve, any and all sugges-
lions contained in your committees
report that the hospital board has at
any time had any purpose or intention
to in any way deceive your honora BILE
body about anything connected with
the institution, or to withhold any
fact which you would care to know.
We have said to your committee and
now repeat to you gentlemen of the
council that We have not the slightest
objection and have never had, to max
ing our reports as full and detailed as
you may wish us to do.
We have upon the suggestion of
your committee taken up with the
Richmond City Water Works the ques-
llOA VI lHc oDi5dIiOH VI thC "dLCi
company to supply water to the hospi-
tai free under it's franchise contract
with the city. The company denies its
obligation to furnish free water to us
on the ground that the hospital is not
wholly by the city and that
it is not situated in the city limits.
The company further says that they
charge us nothing for fire protection
and that they are giving us rate one
third less than their regular rate.
Defend Superintendent.
One of the criticisms of your COM
report Is that our superinten-
dent is given too much power. If the
is as capable as ours
has proven herself to be, she must
have comprehensive pow
ers to properly manage the institution.
The experience of you gentlemen of
the council as business men, will, we
feel assured, suggest to you that for
the proper management any institution
must have responsible head and that
In hospital like ours the superintend-
emit must for effective management
have powers to direct the detail of the
work and personally have charge of
and power to govern the help.
AS an executive, as a capable and