New-York tribune., 1918-04-20

the insurance companies, the shelltish
industries, the meat trust, or any other
combination that seeks special priv
ileges through the Health Department.
However, the advice of medical men
whose sympathies are with the people
will be asked for and taken. l shall be
the first to insist that the standard OF
the Health Department Of the City of
New York be second to none in any
city of the United States"
Committee Approves Reply
On the publication of this letter the
executive committee of the committee
of twenty-one met and approved of this
reply by DR.. Frankel:
II have your letter of April 18 and
have referred it to the executive COM
April 13 and which appointed COM
mittee of twenty-one, representing vari-
Gus labor and civic organizations. to
ask for an interview with you in rela-
tion to the Health Department.
eve note your declination to see the
committee. You state that your in
quiry is to root out graft. Root out
all the graft you can find anywhere.
Your graft allegation is a new
tions to the Municipal Civil Service
Commission as published. Our con-
ference had no knowledge that such
charge had been made. The Com
mittee of Twenty-one was instructed
to ask for an interview that it might
urge complete publicity in all that re-
lates to the inquiry as directed by
you in the announcement published by
the President of the Municipal Civil
Service Commission on April 8.
Quotes MacBride Statement.
"President MacBride's announcement
stated that new bureaus have been
created and high salaries have been
paid without authority of law. &. E.
The Mayor has ordered this inquiry
so that he may have the facts upon
which to base a complete reorganiza-
tion of that (the Healthy department..
Such a reorganization, it is believed,
will result in great reduction in
the cost of operating the Health De-
partment.'
"Our conference cannot permit the
question upon which we had hoped
to interview you to be evaded by
personal controversy.
at was the intention of our COM
mittee, had it been granted an inter-
view by you. to request you G) to
have public hearings before the in
vestigating body and (2) to give pub
licity to the opinions of the Corpora
tion Counsel bearing on the legality
of the present organization of the
Health Department. The mandate given
referred to these two matters, and to
these two only.
II am interested in the statement of
your letter, as follows:
"'You know better than any one
comprising the committee who desire
to see me, some of the causes that
make it necessary to conduct a
thorough investigation of the Health
Department., and it might be we'll for
you to convey your information to the
less informed members of your COM
mittee.'
Mayors Letter Surprising
:. The Mayors. letter to DR.. Frankel
lived up to the expectations of the
friends of the Board of Health, who,
however, were somewhat surprised
that the Mayor should go so far as to
class, by innuendo, the New York
Academy of Medicine, the New York
County Medical Society, the Kings
ham jacob, who signed the recent pro-
test. as agents of various trusts "seek-
ing special privilege"
Representatives of the three socie-
ties had no comment for publication,
being inclined to think that. until the
societies meet the Mayors charges are
their own best answer.
James E. MacBride, who has been the
Mayors spokesman and who is under
stood to have assisted in drafting the
letter to DR.. Frankel. insisted the let
ter was fully justified.
"These societies have allowed them
selves to be used for propaganda pur-
poses" said he. 'Whv shouldn't their
position be made clear?"
"1t will be rather difficult to make
people believe that men of the caibre
Of DR.. William B. James, DR.. jacob or
DR.. Charles Dana Loomis would permit
themselves to be used by anybody" a
reporter suggested.
"Well. they are being used. inno-
Gently, but used just the same" he re-
Piled