The evening world. [volume] (New York, N.Y.) 1887-1931, 1912-12-02
Civic Education League Says
Aldermen Have Struck a
Blow at Public Health.
FIGHT ON FOUR ITEMS.
Specially Interested in Super
visor of Milk Stations and
Social Service Nurses.

the budget fight. They are indignant
over the action Of the Board Of Alder
men. which. In reducing the budget by
rlWe than half q million dollars, elm
mated items declared to appeal To every
woman Of civic pride. The League for
the Civic Education of Women. with
other organizations OF public spirited
women. has entered upon a campaign
for the restoration Of the particular
items to the budget. The League issues
. statement setting forth that these
items are OF important special signifi-
canoe which every woman should urge
Mayor Gaynor to restore to the budget"
Briefly. the items eliminated provide a
salary of $3.50 for supervisor of in
FAINT mix stations; 10000 for a NUM-
cipal reference library; Sll.4oO for medi-
cal inspection OF parochial schools and
1890 for social service nurses In the
Department Of Charities.
In their argument for the restoration
Of the items to the budget. the women
OF the League say that although the
city spends annually more than S1lS,O00
on infant milk stations there Is no Of
ncial supervision. As to the proposed
declare that such a library would be OF
great service to city officials and point
out that other cities have such Libraries.
Medical inspection OF parochial schools.
they add. is as highly important as the
similar inspection conducted In the pub
he schools.
OF the fourth item-social service
nurses-the League says: Social service
unrses are a successful feature Of all up
to-date hospitals and the city atself has
already proven dts value in Bellevue and
Allied Hospitals. These social service
workers will more than save their sala-
ries by enabling convalescent patients
to return to their homes cartier than
they otherwise would. Thus the burden
of their support Is taken from the city
and their places are filled by patients
who really need immediate hospital
care"
Mayor Gaynor has until Dec. I to ap-
prove Of the cuts OF to veto them. He
> Is working on the amended budget az
turned out by the Aldermen, and will
give no inttnation now what his final
action may he. The league has sent its
written arguments to the Mayor and
these will be followed by personal ar
g,ments DE- possible. Demonstrations
are being made at an emergency meet
ing to-day of the league at the head.
quarters. No. West Forty-seventh
street, to which the presidents of all
women's civic organizations and the
chairmen OF all civic committees have
been invited. Later there is to b. a
meeting OF professional women to be
held at the headquarters to discuss and
take action on the budget The league
also invites all women who are inter-
ested In the social welfare of the city
to write to Mayor Gaynor, urging hin,
20 veto the four cuts.
But there Is politics In the situation
It Is said at the City Hall-which may
prove a stumbling blick to the ambit;o:
Of the public spirited women. Frank l.
Bowling. Tammlny leader of the Board
Leader Charles F. Murphy before the
cuts were made. and II was agreed that
II was good politics" to slash the
S1a3 ,o00,0 900 budget.
Comptroller Prendergast, President NC
Aneny and President John Purroy
Mitchell. representing the fusion ele
ment in high public ONCE. were on the
budget committee and were charged
with having allowed extravagant appro-
priations for 'fads and fancies' in the
1913 budget. The four items now being
fought by the league were thus char
acterized.
without the aid Of fusion members
Of the board Tammany's minority could
not have accomplished the half million
dollar cutting but the word went round
that Tammany had "set a good pace iY
the direction Of economy and We mus
follow or be charged by our constitu
ents with extravaganza" and SO thu
cuts were made possible.
II Mayor Gaynor now ignores the po
n Iitical side OF the situation the Item
may go hack In the budget. 1t Is likel,
they will. but the rest of the cuts, II Il
said may remain as pruned by the Cit!
Fathers.
Mayor Gaynor sent for Alderman
Bowling to-day and had a talk will
him rega riding all the cuts IN tn
budget. Before tho conference Alder
man Downing. whose attention had beef
called to the activities of the Women
League. said he could explain all tn
cuts.
"Of the complaints Of the League 70
the civic Education of Women. I ca
say this: Tho proposed $3.50 Job a
supervisor of infant milk stations wa
designed to be filled by a woman an
she was going to tell mothers how I
feed and rear their children.
These kindly women OF the leagu
also would supplant our present AIDE
quats city library and put lot c
good fellows there out OF 1eb an
turn those Jobs over to women. II ther
was politics in slashing the bulge
there Is one aspect of 1t. The wome
are good politicians.
I'VE have not touched the parochii
school inspection. That has been pro
vided for In the estimate of the Boar
Of Education.
''As for the so-called social nurses
they are not nurses, but society caller
They go into a poor woman's hou'
wearing their silks and furs, an
emerge saying Amt that NTH
place. and then make report. w
have allowed for inspection IN IN
regular and proper way
Mayor Gaynor announced to-day !
would hold public hearing on II
budget at the City Hall Thursday ate
noon.