New-York tribune., 1912-01-29
FOR LARGER FARM COLONY
State Board of Charities Says II
Is Needed Here.
ASKS BETTER HOSPITAL HELP
Problems in This City Declared
More Difficult than Any
where Else in World.

Albany. Jan. 2s-The State Board OF
Charities. in its forty-ffth annual report,
made public here tonight expresses its
qualification that the Board Of Estimate
and Apportionment in New York City has
authorized the expenditure OF nearly S,-
coo 900 for improvements in the Department
of Public Charities of that city, as we'll as
large additional amounts for new construc-
ton work in the department Of Bellevue
and Allied Hospitals, in New York city,
and the Department Of Health. on this
general subject the report says:
The public charitable institutions OF New
York City present ever increasing prob
lens of management, unequalcd in any
city Of this country, while abroad problems
of like magnitude are probably to DC met
with only In Paris, which has a most eN-
tended and comprehensive system ut au-
m!nistratOn for its public charities: Lon
don, the only city cqualling New 1ork III
population, has, as clty' pracIiCa.y and MI
public charity system the almshouses anu anu
nhrmares being managed by the NariouS
poor law unions included in the We'l'
politan area. o.bor
Neither Paris nor London, nor any other
citv of the globe has the vast immlgra-
ticn nor the incidentally great cohSealiUn
OF population that adds 50 much ~ ~ IT,
seriousness of New lorES puDIc cndt'I a. -
problems. Under these circumstances IL ls
necessary for those charged Win tle uuly
of administering the public charllIeS oode Az
only to meet the immediate passinI con,
but to seek to carry into effect tne So,l.
stTuctive plans and policies esSehtiEai. - ~
meeting the growing needs OF lnt 'uTr, III, a
I'm an adequate and suitable manner. LiU
| lrcreaee in the demands upon tlls Puo%,,S ny
| rhnritics i'm the city Of New YORK IS as
| sure and as certain as the rise ana Ine Ia u
! of the tide I'm tho Citys harpor. n,, nc O.,
/ cilIties To- meet this demand must eIoM ~ a.,
! like proportion, II they are not 'o i''"a''
1 L., 20 and unsatisfactory.
In this connection the board recommends
the more rapid increase OF faclilues a' u,'e
Farm Colony on Staten Island In order 10
relieve the ovcrcrowding at the city hon'es
on BIackwclls Island and at other points
i'm the department, and says that the pur-
chase OF additional land at tho coIoh!' 10
| be used to give work to the relatively sole
! bodicd inmates Of the city homes and incl
dontally to furnish a desirable labor test
is advisable. on this subject the report
! further says:
As repeatedly pointed ont by this board
| tho principal needs Of the Deparunrh. Vi
! pubIic Charities are q better class OF nos
| initial hclpers. particularly In the lower
| grades and the extension OF ltS hospit,a'
and homo facilities generally w hllr ',,S
facilities Of the department LOT 'lc a., JitaI,y
patients and inmates are BEING FrauualILL'
! sitborrb altogether too slowly. Increased
| there has been hut little change lot IT, H.
better in the hospital helper sltuatiU1" ~. ~,
| nrcssinp need for this reform VIII ~" =.
once manifest when IL ts UNDERSTOOD 'na,
IapproXmatelv eight thousand FhanE'a "ra =
made in a single year TO Keep a lll'S ~, -
than one thousand places niIgi,,,,r NIL ~ the
| hospital helper service throughout M ~ ~
| tire department might he instr - en-
Improving conditions. hut tne NE hfs' servic.
| creased means TO improve "'''
| seems clearly Indicated
on the subject Of unincatlon OF hosp'tS'
cor,ro, I'm New York the board says:
! A. ,b,q hoard has also repeatedly pointed
| 80, and rs the special commission ~
| uninted nv Mayor Mcclellan IecommenlnnssuI, 80 u,
tho MANAGEMENT ot IN" pupl' ,n"1 ~.
| institutions should he unlhed' ah oI ~
| TubIIc hospitals and public ambulance .ld
| tiore being placed under the charge OF
! single department. 20 hc known as INC ,i 'I
| rartmcut OF Public Hos pitals. inns ""uII
leave TO the Department ot funllc mar mar or
J the management Of the city MONIES -.
( aims houses and tho Municipal bodgrng ;
! House together with the vast amount w
other work now devolved upon the oepa' :
mont. particularly ia IN" supervision oi
| dcrendent children committed by the de-
| partmont to institutions under private con-
! troll ,, ..,, or man
| .r.m.ut Of tho public hospitals u Is no
| wonder that there has been no systemdil l'
and comprehensive extension OF 'hti' 70 10
! cilitlcs 20 cover the whole CITY. During
| recent wears plans calling for the cNpenhl
| turo Of not loss than 20oo nm have been
! authorized for now general puplc hoePl'd,
! faciIitieg in the Borough Of Manhattan ana
are being gradually carried ou' 10 M, =
Logical conclusion, while not To exceed "
quarter of this amount has been author
ized by the fiscal authorities Tor the saine
purpose IN all III" other nornuSnS %, ~, ",
having "A UNIFIED system or management IN
order that the growth of the public hosp,
tai facilities may be o1nitabl' tnroueHou'
| tho CITY but othcr reasons. equally impor'
! tant. can he given in support OF this suS-
gested concentration Of duties and reSpon-
| sibilities ,
Tho board suggests :he establishment In
tho city Of Now York. and possibly IN
Buffalo. OF temporary homes. whore per
sons NJ doubtful mentality who have bcNn
convicted of crime can he kept under oo'
servation until their mental status and IN"
proper place OF commitment can he deter
mined.
As many of tho counties and the cities OF
the state have no suitable provision for the
care Of tuberculosis patients and are no'
likely 10 make needed provision AT an carly
date. II at all. tho board suggests that the
state itself establish district hospitals tor
the care OF such patients, to which local
poor law officers can send patients a. To-
cal charge.
Would Keep Families Together.
The board is strongly i'm favor of keeping
together family homes, and adds:
This is particularly true In the city oi
| New York, where public outdoor relief has
long been discontinued ana whore the prl'
| Vate relief giving agencies admit practl'
Cally with one accord, that their present
means are inadequate TO the task they
have voluntarily assumed. II seems hol
too much to say that such societies shoulo
either secure additional relief moneys trDu
| the DcncvOlently inclined or that thclI
| means should be supplemented by grants
| from the public treasury under conditions
| that will safeguard such expenditures and
OF desirable family homes. That relief tc
| the poor IL public function can hardly nt
| successfully gainsaid In view or the eVl'
dence that can be adduced TO support II
to see that relief is wisely: adequately
and efficiently given In aid OF tho dependent
poor really requiring assistance
Il ~ again recommended that some form
Of state supervision over private chsrta-
bic institutions not I'm receipt OF public
money be maintained.
An item OF the report with relation Ia
inadequate public hospital provision in New
York city shows the urgent need that eX-
lists for a large increase in the number OF
public hospital beds I'm New York City at
al carly date. on this subject the report
says:
Inspection OF the public and the private
hospitals Of New York city has shown
greatly overcrowded conditions. The public
hospitals include the Metropolitan Hospital
and the City Hospital on Blackwelrs lsl-
and and the Cumberland Street Hospital
Ish