New-York tribune., 1918-04-30

opinions of administrative policy and
procedure. This course on your part
was the more emphasized after had
declined to comply with your re-
quest to dismiss certain employees of
the department in the exempt class,
whose experience had fitted them to
be particularly valuable to the de-
partmental staff, and whom, there
fore, l insist on retaining.
List of Consulting Physicians
2 In response to your request for
a list of all consultants en-
ployed by this department, together
with memorandum as to the neces-
sity for their employment, in connec-
tion with which your opinion was
stated "that many of these positions
are unnecessary" submitted to you a
list of the distinguished physicians
who, from time to time. are consulted
by the Commissioner of Health in re-
gard to vital matters pertaining to
the administration Of the depart
ment, and who give unselish service
without compensation.
Medical Advisory Board
DR.. John w. Brannan DR.. l.. Emmett Holt
DR.. Abraham jacob Dr. William M. Polk
DR.. g. K. Butler DIR. Walter B. James
DR.. Simon FleXner DR.. Hermann M. Biggs
DR.. Francis c. Wood DR.. S S. Goldwater
DR.. James Ewing DR.. Warfield r. Long
DR.. w r. Williams cope
DIR. Joshua Nj. Van DR.. John S. Thacher
Cott DR.. Henry 6. Web
DR.. John o. Polak ster
DR.. J. Byrne Dr.. Joseph Mersbach
DR.. C. Z. Nammack DR.. Philip Eichler
Just prior to your letter asking for
this list you objected to the inclusion
in the membership OF this advisory
board Of DR.. S. S. Goldwater and
other of the leading physicians of
this city on the ground that they are
"highbrows" and "leftovers" of the
former Health Commissioner.
z. Requests submitted by me be-
tween January Ia, 1913, and
March 26, 1918, for permission to
fiji vacancies in urgently needed po-
sitions in this department, including
positions of nurses in the bureau OF
the bureau of preventable diseases
and positions in the clerical and med
ical stats of the hospitals under the
jurisdiction of the department, have
been ignored by you. Repeated re-
quests on my part for favorable ac-
tion with reference to these appoint
ments have met with no success be-
yond the receipt Of your statement
that sooner or later you would give
the matter attention. Meanwhile the
work of the bureaus in which these
positions have so long remained un-
filled has been seriously impeded.
Opposed Baby Health Stations
a One of the first directions
which you issued to me was
that the baby health stations main
tanned by the department be success
sively abolished as unnecessary, de-
spite their obviously invaluable aid
IN the conservation of infant health
and the reduction Of infant mortal
ity.
+. Under date of April 10 l trans
mitted to you copy of a report
submitted by the director of the bu-
reau of laboratories in explanation
of request for an appropriation of
$4,000 to replenish the antitoxin
fund of this department. I then
wrote to you that I had personally
investigated that request and deemed
1t OF the utmost Importance that it
be granted, since it was for the work
of free distribution of antitoxin to
the poor of the city and also for the
work of the production of sera for
the governments Of the United States
and our allies.
l pointed out that if this request
were not granted all the serum and
antltoxln work aside from that done
IN the d'agnostic laboratory would
nave to be discontinued, thereby very
supstantially diminishing the produc-
tion OF this material so vitality need
ed. by our soldiers and sailors. De-
spite the urgency of the need for
this appropriation have been unable
TO nave your cooperation in obtain
ing IL. indeed have not even had
6. Early in March I directed YOUR
attention to the accumulation
OIL quarter million square yards of
aa,shes, garbage and fecal matter in
tne streets and along the waterfront
OF the city, due to unfavorable wealth
er conditions and the absence of fa-
cllltles for the disposal of waste ma
teflal. l pointed out that there were
no adequate means for the immedi
ate removal of this material. and
,hat lnasmuch as the decomposition
thereof would sooner or later cause
serious health menace I recon.
mended that emergency measures he
ADOPTED tor handling this serious
situation ard suggested that YOU call
an early conference to be attended
by the Commissioner OF Street Clean
ing. the Dock Commissioners and my
seH. conference on this subject
was called during your absence at
RAIN Beach and another was held a
few days after your return. / have
since been advised of no measures
which have been taken to remedy this
situation. '''''
Told Hylan of Graft
Z. Finally, you issued per-
emptory direction that the
directors of several of the bureaus
OF the department be summarily dis,
missed on the ground as you stated,
that they held their positions illeg-
sIy because tho bureaus had been
cxsatsd without sanction Of law. !