The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1914-05-25
CITY MAY TAKE
OVER Pine CAMP
Administrative Board Lays Plans
for Bettering Conditions
of Poor.
MAY ABANDON OLD CITY HOME
City Farm and Provision for Col
ored Consumptives Will Rem
der Old Plant Unnecessary.

which owns and operates Pine Camp.
has submitted to the Administrative
Bcard a proposition, under which IL
OFFERS TO turn over to the city. without
cost. Its tuberculosis sanatorum In the
northern suburbs, OH condition that
the city construct two additional pa
vilions to provide accommodations for
forty patients.
An annual appropriation of $4,000 Is
now made by the city towards the sup
port of Pine Camp. The plant embraces
10 acres of pine woods, two open-air
pavilions, an administrative building
and several small outhouses. The value
OF the property is estimated to be S25,-
600. Accommodations are at present
provided for about thirty patients.
Figures prepared by John Hirschberg
of the Administrative Board. show that
as at present operated Pine Camp
spends about $3.50 day per patient.
Tho annual expenses of the plant are
about $1,000, of which the city OF Rich
nond contributes $4,000. Private do
nations make up the balance.
The Administrative Board, IL is I'M
derStood, regards with favor the plan
10 accept the property from the Tubcr-
culosis Camp Society, and to operate
the s;,natorium as part OF the citys hos
ptal system 1t is pointed out as an
anomalous condition that while tho
city contributes almost three fourths
OF the maintenance expense of Pine
Camp il has no voice in its adinlnistra-
ton
PLANS TO Acquire CITY FARM
FOR INDECENT NOW At CITY HOME
The acceptance of the Tuberculosis
Camp Socicty'S offer is being postponed
pending the outcome OF other far
reaching eleemosynary plants that are
now under consideration. The project
which is nearest concerned is the found
Ing OF ~ city farm to take care of the
INDECENT persons now cared for in the
City Home. An appropriation of S25,
900 fo- the purchase of such n farm
was made In tho last budget.
While the money for the purchase OF
tho farm has been available since early
this year. differences Of opinion have
arisen as to the proper body to eXpcnd
it. The appropriation WAS asked for
by the Administrative Board, which
recommended Il resolution authorizing
that body to direct the expenditure. In
making up the budget the Finance
Committee, however, failed to desig
nate the manner in which tho money
shall be expended. with the result that
in some quarters 1t Is believed that
| the Public Utilities Committee Is the
proper body to manage the pppropria-
ton.
The Administrative Board has op-
pointed n committee of two-John
HirschberE and Robert Whittet. Jr-
to take up the question OF authority
with the City Attorney. 1t was the
intention of the committee to confer
with the City Attorney on last Saturday,
but IL was found Impossible to arrange
a meeting. Chairman Whittet said
yesterday that the board committee
Will take the matter to the City At
torncy to-day.
MORE THAN a SCORE OF FARMS
HAVE BI3IsN OFFERED TO CITY
IL MIR. Pollard holds that the Admin
istrativo Board is the proper body to
direct the expenditure of the appro-
priation, and "a ruling 10 this effect APP
pears probable, the board will pursue
at once its negotiations for tho pur-
chase of n suitable farm. According
to Mr.. Hirschberg, more than score
of available farms have been offered
the board, II number OF them we'll suit
cd to the city's purpose.
IL is the purpose OF the board as soon
as the farm is established. To remove
to 1t all the dependents now housed in
the City Home. This would leave ut
the home only q small colony OF colorcd
tuberculosis patients. The city has at
present no special provision for colored
consumptivcs. and they are cared for
under many difficulties on the opcn-air
vcrandahs of the City Home.
The founding OF the city farm will
mako impracticlbIe the further main
tcnanco of the city Home The indi-
gent Ill OF both races viii be cared for
ut the Virginia Hospital. and the indi-
gent we'll Will be housed at the city
farm. Largo overhead expenses will
mako prohibitory the maintenance of
the city Home plant as n hospital for
colored consumptivcs-the only class Of
dependents that will remain unprovided
for
To take care of this situation, the
board proposes to take over the control
of Pine Camp, and to devote II portion
of the 175-acrc tract to the colored CON
sumptivcs. The present plan is to be-
gin by constructing two pavilions large
enough to provide accommodations for
about forty patients. These are to he
built at some distance from the white
The taking over of Fine Camp and
the founding of a colored tuberculosis
sanatorium on one portion of the tract,
would. with the transfer OF the poor to
the city farm. leave the City Home
vacant Its disposition would then be-
come one of the immediate problems OF
the city, since ii would be poor econ
omy to permit q valuable property OF
this kind to remain idle. Its distant
location would forbid its utilization fop
most municipal purposes. The property
would in all probability he sold.