Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1915-01-07

-
He built a bathhouse for the Department Of
Recreation that was without proper water
connection. In fact, the $277,OOO Councils has
suddenly found for Director Richard II.
Harte. of the Department of Health and
Charities, is all for patchwork, odds and
ends that should have been provided for in
the original contracts.
Patching Things Up
The Home for INDECENT Males at Holmes
burg gets 100000 of 1t to supply a perma
nent power plant, for the institution has been
running with temporary plant, the boilers
used being borrowed from the Bureau of
Water The Hospital for Contagious Dis
takes $4,000 of it for steam lines. and
the Home for the Feeble minded at Byberry
gets the remaining $165,OOO; 100000 for a
power plant with steam and electric ducts,
and S45 900 for a sewage disposal plant and
the necessary mains to insure drainage.
Director Harte, who is a close friend of
his predecessor, Director Neff has apparent
ly been given the impression that the six
cylndered councllmanlc rush of the $277OOO
to the Department Of Health and Charities
was a personal compliment to him. Coun-
Gilman Seger, Johnson's closest friend, says
so. But 1t was not until after the validity of
the johnson contract had been established
that the money was provided by Councils.
And one must not overlook the fact that
Johnson will get about $4,000 commission on
the $277, 000
1t will be noted that the Johnson contract
includes "The Philadelphia Hospital for the
Insane" At the instigation of the city
thorities a bill was introduced in the Legisla-
ture providing for the establishment of an
additional hospital for the insane near Phila-
delphia. 1t was KILLED" in legislative COM
mittee. The principle of State care of the
insane was insisted upon. OF course, If the
State does not respond the city will have to
buid-and 10! here is another contract for
Johnson.
$75O,OOO in Fees
Roughly grouping the loose ends of the
various contracts Johnson has had nearly
s4,OOO,OOO worth of work to supervise for the
State. and is well along in the planning and
bossing of nearly $1O,0OO,O0O worth for the
city. This makes the three-quarters of a
million direct returns for Johnson, figuring
1t out at per cent, for most of it, and per
cent. for some of 1t.
Pretty good for an eX-rodmanl His 100
foot schooner yacht Margaret is considered
one of the smartest crafts flying the colors
Oh LHe NEW lOTh Niup SOunCllInen
call him "Phil." He was recently out In Gin
cinnati looking oyer hospital there. He has
the savoir-faire of the trained hospital ex-
pert, and he can talk plans-oh, how he can
talk plans
The system of subsidizing charitable in
stitutions had been so long in force in Penn
sylvania that opportunity for exploiting the
erection OF public institutions was ripe about
the time Johnson appeared upon the horizon.
Nearly 100000 of State funds is divided
annually among 100 private hospitals, of
which about 40 are located in Philadelphia.
This is only politcs-buslness politics, and
a sidelight showing how really good people
can be manipulated. Pennsylvania spends
annually sS.5OO,OOO maintaining 25 State char
liable institutions and nearly another million
assisting eight semi-state institutions The
cutting of an extra 100000 hospital subsidy
melon annually does seem a hardship, espe-
eially when both State and city have to be
provided with public institutions anyhow.