The sun., 1919-07-19
CITY ISBLOCKED
In ACCEPTING
HOSPITAL GIFT
Hylan and Craig Oppose Re-
ceiving $35O,0OO Plant
From Foundation.
COPELAND is INDIGNANT
Fooled in Pet Project, Health
Commissioner Says He Will
Be Heard From.

Mayor Hylan and Comptroller Craig
yesterday blocked the Board Of Esti-
mate in accepting from the Rockefeller
Foundation the gift Of hospital plant
valued at $s5o.ooo.
The Mayor frankly said he did not
believe in the city's accepting any,
thing from this source, while the
Comptroller yelled his objections at
FIRST on technical grounds, but later
said he did not believe in accepting
castoff clothing"
DR.. Royal 8. Copeland, who had go
Iicited the gift, and had planned to have
the plant transferred to Warwick Farm
in Orange county, where 1t might be used
as an asylum for drug addicts. was ex-
ccedingiy angry after his strenuous but
losing fight.
Asked II he would permit himself to be
embarrassed in that manner he replied
erpphatically:
'You will hear from me further on
this matter"
Some time ago DR.. Copeland declared
he wanted to get back to private prac-
tice, but consented to remain only be-
cause Of his interest in getting the
new system for the treatment OF drug
addicts in working order.
The fight against the acceptance of
the hospital was led by Bird s. Coler,
Commissioner OF Charities, and DR.. John
p. Davis, who is violently OPPOSED to
the State Drug Commission and the
rules of the Health Department here
for the registration of confirmed users
OF narcotics.
Board Has Record Day.
The Board of Estimate had a record
day. 1t began the consideration of a
calendar of 454 items, to which were
added nearly fifty others, and. with a
recess of an hour for luncheon. wound UP
at SIS o'clock in the evening with
pitched battle over the Rockefeller
Foundation gift
In one resolution corporate stock
amounting to $12.43S.6s5 was set aside
for pressing permanent Improvements
for the various departments. To this
was added S2.500,000 for new school
houses and sites and about 100000
more in miscellaneous items. OF this
amount only 100000 was made imme-
diately available. enough to go ahead
with the drawing up the plans and
specifications. This method was used so
that the entire amount would not have to
be registered against the debt limit at
once.
To build a structure for the Health
Department on the site of the old Ten
derloin police station in West Thirtieth
street 100000 was allocated to Bor-
ough President Downing. He insisted
= to- nINyti Inn
because he said certain real estate men
were trying to have the building put up
on the civic centre.
It was stated that the $1l 900, 900 to
be spent for building piers on Staten
Island would not have to be counted
against the debt limit after they had
been built, as they had been leased on
basis OF ~ per cent on the cost, with
an increase each ten years, which would
make them self-supporting. The city
was losing money on the Chelsea Piers,
Il was stated, on a return of molly rs
per cent.
: Some time ago DR.. Copeland heard
that the Rockefeller Foundation would
be willing to give away its war Demon
stration hospital. at Avenue A and East
Sixty-fourth street. which had been used
to show the most modern methods of
surgery developed in the war. He got in
tOuCn Win INe OFFICIALS tnty PROM
Used to give It to the city and to transfer
H. and put II up again on any site that
the city might name.
Commissioner Copeland conceived the
plan OF having 1t set up at Warwick
Farm, bought by the city for the Inebri-
ate Farm. and which he wished to have
transferred to the Jurisdiction of his de-
partment from that of the Department Of
Correction. The Committee on Finance
and Budget approved the plan and 1t
was on the calendar of the Board of
Estimate for adoption.
CoIer I'm Front with Supporters.
Commissioner Coler. whose antipathy
to the Rockefeller Foundation is of long
standing. had front seat with line
of supporters.
'I object to this plan for two reasons"
he said. First, because under the char
ter the Health Department cannot con-
duct any hospital except one for COM
municable diseases. Secondly, the Rookie
Teller Foundation is not giving this in
good faith. II they were offering II
without any string It might be a different
matter 1t Is matter OF record that
they never do a thing for a single in
dividual. All they do things for is to
get control OF systems. Here they are
making an attempt to get a grip on the
habits of the nation. the same thing as
they did in the prohibition movement"
DR.. John p. DAWN, who had been
nervously waiting to make his protest,
jumped In and began to berate the sys-
tenn OF handling drug addicts He said
he was a member OF the County Medi-
cal Society and other organizations. but
did not pretend to represent any of them.
1.-THE physicians and druggists won't
honor these registration cards that DR..
Copeland Is giving out" he said. 81
protest against such a way of handling
the situation. I protest against driving
men and women to despair and suicide.
I'VE can take care OF our addicts in
our own way. do not believe in pam
handling the Rockefeller Foundation for
charity. II we go on In this way we
will soon have a tomato can for our
city emblem"
DR.. DAWN said the law creating the
State Drug Commission was unjusti-
liable; that It was pure political pro-
motion" He declared DR.. Copeland had
told his society he did not have the right
20 practise medicine, yet he was I'M
dertaking TO handle most ins!dious
disease.
at don't see why We should refuse TO
take something for nothing" said Presi-
dent Moran OF the Board Of Aldermen.
"The Rockefeller Institute has offered
these buildings TO US and has promised
to put them UP at Its own expense
wherever we may want them"
Commissioner Copeland confirmed the
statement that there were no strings
on the gift that the buildings were TO