The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1914-07-27
OLD CITY ALMSHOUSE
SOON TO Be ABANDONED
Purchase Of Farm for Poor May BE
CcnSunmatcd Immc-
diatcly.
CONSERVATIVES AT PINE CAMP
Rambling City Home Buildings May
BE Sold to Highest Biddcr-Clty
to Make Radical Change i'm Method
of Treating Indigents.

Richmond is OH the point OF aban-
donirty its time -honored policy OF car
ing for it's poor i'll The rambling build :
invs on Hospital Hin. y special sub
committee from the Council Committee
ON Public Buildings. Properties and
utilities Will Tonight take counsel
on the subject OF selecting Il suitably
located farm. upon which will he col
oniIcd all the indigcnts in the city's
care.
Behind the change in policy is the
feeling that rural life is best suited
to the dependents. most Of whom are
Of al advanced age. The plan con-
templates the establishment OF u we'll
equipped agricultural plant. in which
each person able To do limited amount
Of work viii be given Il task suited to
his strength. |, is believed that
eventually the farm can bc made prac-
ticallY supporting.
the plan WAS first proposed bN join,
liirsohberg, of the Administrative
Boa ri. Who. under the committee plan
Of that body. il immediately In charge
OF the city poor. lie saw in IL a solu
ton OF tie hospital problem at that
time complicated b. the Joint housing
under orc roof at the city Home. Of
the white AMI colorcd INDECENT i'll. as
well as of the poor Of both races.
MONEY PROVIDED FROM
RECENT BOND ISSUE:
MI I'm =t'lI'IS dpDt'tlti h'Ipl' tH'
budget committee. and urged An APP
prour,ation large enough TO make pos
Siblc the purchase of convenient
farm The committee responded hy
including an item of $4,000 for this
purpose in the bond issue ordinance.
which appropriated $500. 600 for va
rious municipal enterprises.
Ia AN opinion handed down about two
weeks ago. Assistant city Attorney
George WAYNE Anderson held in effect
! tina, while the Public Utilities Com
mittce was logically the body to handle
an enterprise OF this character, neither
/ thai committee nor the Administrative
Board had the power to purchase the
I farm without special ordinance from
/ the Council directing its purchase.
with this opinion before il. the board
/ addressed to the Council last week n
/ communication, asking it TO designate
some authoritative body to purchase
/ the city farm. Chairman Morgan K
Mills. OF the Public Utilities Commit
/ tee, Who had some time before APP
I pointed Il subcommittee to decide upon
/ the location OF The farm. held the
/ ruling to mean that his committee had
/ fun power 10 decide upon the location
/ Of tile farm. and to recommend TO the
t-Council the purchase of a particular
tract.
Under instructions 10 this effect
from Councilman Mills. the subcommit-
.
/ chairman, and Councilmen Radcliffe
! and Atkinson, will meet at o'clock
I tonight to give Il hearing Ia large
/ number of real estate dealers and
! owners who have for sale eligible prop
/ critics More than a score OF farms, IL
] is stated, will he brought TO the com
! inittee's attention. II suitable farm
1T Il suitable price is found. resolu
/ tion recommending It's purchase Will
/ probably he reported TO the parent
/ committee FOR adoption and recon
( incubation to the Council.
! Although the bond issue contained an
/ appropriation OF $4,000 for the city
! farm. the amount available is only a
! little more than $@3, 600. The shrink
age WAS caused By the discount rate
, 1T which the bonds were sold. II the
subcommittee decides upon the selcc-
| ton Of q suitable property tonight, q
special meeting of the Public Utilities
| Committee will probably be called to
| take action on the subcommittee re-
/ port.
An effort will he made by Chairman
| Mills. of the Public Utilities Commit
/; tee, 10 bring the recommendation for
| the purchase Of 4 farm before the
I Common Council at it's regular meeting
! next Monday night. Unless this is
/ done. the enterprise will die. as far as
I this Council Is concerned, and will be
! delayed until the fall. pending the or
J -Hhi"tti'ii VI Tue new council, wnlCh
I takes place in September. Neither
! Chairman Mills. OF the Public Utilities
/ Committee. nor Chairman Blilev. Of the
! subcommittee, will be members of the
/ new Council
tp0n the establishment of the farm
/ me indiGcnts now housed in the City
dome VIII be transferred to The coun .
/ try This viii leave at the old insti-
tuition only a handful OF colored con
4 sninptiVcs. who are at present cared
for there in the absence of other pro-
vision. II will be imprac ticable to
( maintain the City Home plant for this
limited use. and plans arc under way
10 provide for the negro consumptives
i'll another manner.
The organization which owns pine
Camp, in the northern suburbs of the
city. has offered to turn over it's en-
tire equipment TO the Administrative
Board on condition that the city build
two additional pavilions for white suf-
fcrcrs from tuberculosis. The plant is
worth Approximately So, 200, and is Of
fered to the city without cost.
The Administrative Board has for
some time had under consideration n
plan which contemplates the taking
over of Pine Camp and the construction
of four additional pavilions-two for
white and two for colored consump-
tivcs. If this plan carries, the colorcd
paviiions will he constructed at n dis
lance from the Wnlte DIVISION, and VIII
be conducted as separate unit. The
consumptives now at the city Home
would then be transferred to the new
colored pavilions at Pine Camp.
| With the City Home thus empticd OF
all its inmates, there would be no fur
thcr use for the plant, and the prom
erty would probably be sold An ad :
jacent. cemetery, 1t is understood,
would in that event. be one of the bid :
ders, with the probability strong that
the rambling collection of old build :
! ings which VOW form the City Home
will before long be torn down and the
site turned into Il burying ground.