New-York tribune., 1919-01-22
January "a Set by
DIR. Copeland to
Hear Complaints
Health Commissioner Saws
Citizens Will Come In and
Hear Real Facts as to the
Hygiene Bureaus Change

Health Commissioner Royal S. Cope
land announced yesterday that he will
keep open house Friday afternoon to
receive suggestions concerning the Di
vision Of Industrial Hygiene and to en-
lignten the public as to why he re-
moved that branch of work from the
control Of DR.. Louis |. Harris, who, as
head Of the Bureau of Preventable Dis
cases, established the division under a
Board Of Health order in 1915.
DR.. Copeland again declared the en-
larged divisions responsibility would
overburdcn DR.. Harris. He issued his
invitation to the public in the follow
ing words:
"In order that any citizen who is
truly interested in the merits of what
has become controversy, apparently,
may arrive at an understanding OF the
facts, | shall be in the assembly room
Of the Department Of Health at 30 p.
m. on January pa for the purpose of
listening to advice on how the Division
of Industrial Hygiene should be con
Quoted, for the purpose of answering
questions that may be asked. and par
ticularly for the purpose of giving to
the New York public the truth regard
ing this subject. My attitude has been
so misconstrued so falsifcd and so
misstated that think it is my turn to
present the facts"
Meanwhile, preparations were beng
pushed for the mass meeting tonight
III 1r,-i l. ~
der the auspices OF the Central Labor
Unions of Greater Now York, Frank
p. Walsh, Or. " oods Hutchinson, Com
missioner James NJ. Lynch, Felix Frank
furter, Basil N. Manly and Or. Harris
himself arc among the speakers an
nounced
From ihc time that Commissioner
Copeland's osjcr curtailng DR.. Harms $
power became known, labor leaders
have charged that it was in direct
violation Of promises made them by the
commissioner, and that it aimed at
gradual disntegration Of the work
built up by Dr.. Harris.
The Consumers League of the City
Of Now York added the following reso-
luton Yesterday to the scores of pro
tests mado by civic organizations:
"Whcrcas, DR.. Louis ]. Harris has
served faithfully. efficiently and with
great skill as Director of the Division
of Industrial Hygiene; and.
"Whercas. DR.. Harris, having started
the work, is much more fitted TO develop
it than DR.. Hubbard, the proposed
administrator. who is totally un-
acquainted with such work; and,
"Whercas, Not only can no adequate
reason be found for removing the
Division of Industrial Hygiene from
the control of DR.. Harris and placing
it under DR.. Hubbard, but the whole
matter takes on the nature of a polit-
ical attack on the integrity Of tho
Health Department. such as was made
last spring and was repudiated by
popular indignation; and
"Whercas, The Federal Health Serv-
ice is urging city Health epartmcnts
throughout the country to establish
Divisions of Industrial Hygiene model
cd on the New York division; and,
"Whcreas, To put this division under
an Inexperienced man is the opening
wedge which may lead to the final
abolition of tho division;
"Resolved. That the Consumers
League of New York City emphatically
protests to Commissioners Copeland and
Mayor yan against this proposed
change and registers It's hearty dis
approval of such action