The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1912-01-06
DISMISS CHARGES
AGAINST CATAWbA
Charities Board Finds ACCUSE
tons Without Basis
in Fact.
'iAs LENGTHY CRITICISM
Claimed Food Supply OF Patients
observation-disclosures of
Pavilions.
LENGTHY CRITICISM

Charges made against the State
the Catawba Sanatorlum by James NJ.
Elliott. for two years patient there,
| have been Investigated by tho State
Board of Charities and Corrections,
and have been declared not to be
founded upon fact. III letter to state
Health Commissioner Ennion G. Will
liams Rev. j. Y. MIastin. secretary OF
the charities board. stated: 1--WE found
no basis for the allegations made by
HIM"
The resolution adopted by the Board
OF Charities wus as follows:
The committee appointed to visit
the Catawbn Sanatorium reported TO
tho board that IL had inspected that
institution on October IS, and had
made particularly thorough examina-
ton into Its condition. especially in
View of a series of complaints made
by James NJ. Elliott IL former patient
and found the Institution In a salts
factory condition.
The Elliott charges embrace thous-
ands of words. and deal in variety
OF subjects. He states that after the
end OF tho session OF the LeElsla turc
of 1910 when the institution was
given large appropria ton, "thc food
got bad. patients got no attention.
everybody stopped improving and pa
TENTS got dissatisfied and began to
Kick. and some left" 1t was found
by the Board of Charities that the
daily menu had been posted and re-
cords kept Of each meal. showing that
there had been no deteriora tion in the
supply. There are accusations re-
garding denial of winter to bed ridden
patients. which arc characterized as
ridiculous.
Per Cnpitn Cost.
Financial affairs are gone into by
Mr. Elliott at some length. He sald
Last July Captain Carlton Mccarthy
VINO is State Accountant. was Mt Ca
tawba. and one of the patients was
telling him OF the poor food they were
getting, and lie said tho books at tho
marion Asylum showed that each pa
ticnt cost the State Sl6o n year. which
included transportation and clothes
and they were furnished good food
while the books at the Catawba Sana-
forum showed that each patient cost
S52o per year. which did not include
either transportation or clothes, vet
thcre Is always kick nj Catawba
about food, and you never hear any
thing from Marion"
Then there are charges about favor
itism In the application of the six
HtoHthS TuicI ana tnat the public was
deceived in subscribing for the add
tional paNilions of the Catawba Relief
Association. in that there are really
vacancies at the institution, instead OF
It's being ovcrcrowdcd. All OF these
things were investigated by the COM
mittce of the State Board of Chart
ties and Correction and found to have
no basis In fact.
One matter raised by Mr. Elliott was
not looked into, as 1t is on record. He
claimed that the i've new buildings
erected in 1910 cost $4,000. when the,
could he huilt for $500 each: that no
bids wern advertised and that an ar
chitect was employed at a big salary
TO supervise, paid by the state, alors
with general foreman. AS a matter
OF fact. the records show that the bids
were advertised 70. Il the Richmond,
Norfolk and Roanoke papers; that four
contractors were present when they
We're opened. and that the contract
went to the lowest
Mr.. Elliott is said to be i'll and weak.
and he was not criticized IN any way
BY DIR. Williams whom the latter was
! seen yesterday by a reporter for The
Times Dispatch