Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1912-02-03
ALL FOR EMERGENCY
Chamber of Commerce Unan-
imous in Support of Hospital.
TAKE CASE TO CONGRESS
Result of Action at Special Meeting
Will Be Laid Before Proper
Committees at Once.

Without dissenting vote the Cham
Der of Commerce adopted last night a re-
port of its public health committee favor
ing the appropriation by Congress of S1OO.-
900 for a new Emergency Hospital build
ing and oposing the plan of the bos I'd of
charities for a municipal hospital which
would do all the charity work paid for by
the District. Action was taken at a spe-
the purpose of passing upon this matter.
Not q single voice was raised in opposi-
ton to the report during the discussion
which preceded the vote.
Steps were taken to lay the action of
the chamber before the congressional
committees which are considering the
matter, without delay. DR.. Harry NJ
Kaufman, chairman of the public health
Der and answered a number Of questions
in regard to the recommendations.
Takes Up Columbia's Case.
The chamber. at the suggestion of
President James +. Oyster, ordered an in
vestigation by the public health commit
tee of the question involving the coptinu-
ance of federal appropriation for the CO.
lumbia Hospital, and instructed the COM
mittee to report back to the chamber as
soon as possible President Oyster called
the attention of the chamber to the fact
that the hospital was in imminent danger
Of being cut off from all governmental
support. and declared such action would
be calamity to the city. Many Of the
members wished to take up the matter
last night and adopt resolutions favorable
to the Columbia Hospital, but President
Oyster said that 1t would be impossible
to take action at a special meeting called
for specific purpose.
Among those who spoke on the report
of the public health committee were
Thomas w. Smith, Granville NJ. Hunt,
Philip King and Henry H. Classic. Mr..
Smith declared himself heartily in favor
OF the appropriation by Congress of
100000 to aid In the construction of a
new misunderstanding Thousand dol
lar Emergency Hospital building.
Expected to Continue Work.
He wished to know, however. whether
the committee. in its report, aimed to
confine all the emergency work Of the
District to the new Emergency Hospital,
or whether the work would continue to
be apportioned to the Casualty Hospital
in the eastern section Of the city and
the Georgetown University Hospital in
the. western section. DR.. Kaufman
replied that the repOtr did not
touch upon the Casualty and GEORGETOWN
hospitals. but that it was expected those
hospitals would continue working as at
present, taking the emergency cases
which happened in their sections of the
city.
Mr.. Smith was strong in his opposition
to the stand taken by the board of chari-
ties for the separation Of the public and
private charity work of the hospitals
here. He said that he believed it was
not generally known that the board Of
charities had succeeded in cutting out of
the estimates for the District the items
for various hospitals for the care of i'm
digent patients. Through members of
Congress, however. who were conversant
with the needs of the District, he said,
these items had been replaced in the
appropriation bill. He called attention to
the excellent work done by the medical
staff of the Casualty Hospital in the case
of Morris Bennett. the grocer who was
assaulted and dangerously wounded, 1t
is alleged, by James Smith