South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1919-01-10
LET COUNTY BUILD
H0SP|TAL-MAYOR
City Should Build Coliseum,
Carson Contends, in Ad-
dress to KiWanianS.

The county should build the hos
pital: South Bend wants the coli
scum"
This was the answer 20 the queries
put up by members OF the real estate
board a few days ago, deliverd By
Mayor Carson at the regular weekly
meeting OF the Kiwanis club, held
at the jefferson hotel Thursday
noon.
"A hospital is all right. we need a
hospital. need IL badly" the mayor
admitted. but that is really a coun-
u proposition. Why should the city
OF South Bend build and maintain
a hospital which must, of necessity
DE used by citizens Of the county
who do not live In South Bend? If
a man in Walkerton has to go TO n
hospital. ne comes here, doesn't he?"
the speaker argued.
Lieut.. c.. A. Cooper. formerly OF
the Y. NJ. G. a. here, who recently
was honorably discharged from the
army. made a short talk. telling Of
his training experiences at three
great camps in this country, just
preceding the mayors talk.
Wants IL Down Town.
Answering also the proposition
which has been made that the coun-
~ be allowed 10 build the coliseum,
erecting IL at Springbrook park the
mayor cited the Kansas City coli
scum. which, he says, has been a
failure simply because it is situated
such a great distance from the CEN
ter of the city. In this statement he
was corroborated by several mem
bers of the club.
1--WE want that coliseum down
town where 10000 people can get TO
it without using the street cars. Sup
pose we wanted to have a stock
show. or an automobile show. or
some entertainment i'm the coli
scum" said the mayor. Suppose il
were out at Springbrock. Imagine
the service we would get on the
street car lines If 5000 or 1000
people all wanted to get out there at
the same time, and wanted TO come
home at the same time
Discusses Maintenance.
The question of maintenance was
also discussed by the mayor. I'VE
don't expect this coliseum TO be a
money winner" he declared. ut
will cost us money, Of course. But
do you realize that we are spending
about $4,000 a year on our public
parks-to give our citizens some
where to go-and we are using those
parks just about four months i'm
the year2 Eight months in the year
our people have nowhere TO GO.
Think of that. The coliseum would
solve this problem. Naturally it will
cost money.
But think OF the money we will
save. Once the coliseum is COM
pleted. we will be able TO furnish
entertainment which now costs US
50 a seat at the Oliver for about
25 cents a person. The cost of pro-
duction is the same, but the COLI
scum, according TO present plans,
will seat between 5000 and 1000
persons"
Can't Make Money.
I'VE cannot hope TO make money
on it--that will not be the purpose
of the coliseum. Let me tell you a
little about Madison Square Gardens
in New York city. This building is
owned by a private corporation,
and eight months every year has
been rented to individuals for the
purpose of giving entertainments
and the like in it. One months rent.
I happen to know, is something like
$4,000. And yet the Garden is to be
sold TO the highest bidder, because
the stockholders aren't getting the
percent Of income they want"
The need for entertainment was
also taken up in the mayors adj
dress. I'VE must give our people
somewhere TO gO-sornething TO do,
he declared I'VE don't want them
sitting around in their front par
Tors talking about the ills if human
ity-we want them to enjoy them
selves. We don't want them talking
about the number of blind tigers the
mayor is not arresting-we want to
keep them entertained.
Just picture it. gentlemen" said
the mayor. Think Of what a coli
scum Will mean. We can have II
down by the river somewhere, with
long pavilion out over the water,
extending out 80 feet or so and run
ming lengthwise say 200 feet. Wen
have the band down there-wen
have somewhere to go. We can put
the market in the coliseum. l dare
say the rental from the market Will
go a Ions way toward paying the in
terest on the money invested"
The mayor urged all those present
10 attend the meeting which is TO
be held at the Chamber OF Com
merce next week. probably on Tues
day at which time the coliseum
proposition will be fully discussed.