The copper era and Morenci leader., 1919-08-22
WAR DEPT. L|KELYTQ ORDER WH|PPLE
 ABANDONMENT

uOtuvOOIUtU
 That United States army general
 hospital No. 20, located at Fort Whip
 pie, near Pres colt, is in a fair way to
 be abandoned by the war department
 about Nov. 1st. or at least cease to be
 a government institution at about that
 time, was the statement made today
 by Rev. E. b. Raley, who has ,ust
 retprned to Phoenix after having spALt
 n-ore than year at the big hospital
 in capacity of Y. M. c. A. secretary.
 It is said that such step is coniam- plated by the war department in view
 of the fact that it is costing the de- apartment something like $4OO per
 month per patient for the mainten-
 ance of the 400 tubercular inmates
 of the hospital, and that this fear Iful expense has about caused Wash ington to order the abandonment of
 the place. It is understood that in event that the hospital is not closed, entirely, it will be turned over to the
 government board of health service,
 to be operated as one of the units of
 the system which that organization
 maintains for the care of the incapa- |citated army men. In this event, the
 military staff would be withdrawn
 from the post, the entire corps of nurses, physicians. etc., would be re-
 cruited from the civilian population and the hospital would lose all stand ing as, a military post. At present there are 22 commissioned officers stationed at Whipple, the barracks be- ing under the command of Col Bliss, who has been post commandant for the past two months.
 Spent $2,0oo, 900 For Hospital
 1 At the time the erection of the hos~r pital was ordered by the war depart ment the war was in progress and there seemed little lixlihood that hos Utilities would cease much before the end of 1920. and there seemed to be great need for some western sapitar- 1 ium to- take care of the, gassed and iinjured' men. Therefore. #, 900 900 plant was erected at Prescott, the~ lwork having been completed not more than few months ago. However the sudden. ending of hostilities demons strated the fact that there was not going to be sufficiently large num- Der of injured men requiring treat- lment to justify. the expense incidental Ito the .upkeep of such an expensive hospital as that at Whipple, and a material slash was made in. the build ing plans, The big hospital No q lat Denver. is now sufficiently well along in course of construction to take Icare of all patients and in event the Whfpple hospital is closed, the ma jority of the tubercular patients will be transferred to Denver, a part of them going to some point in North Carolina.
 $10o a Week Per Patient
 It is costing the war department $160 009 a month for the care of the patients at Whipple, this being at the rate of $100 a week for each in- mate. Long freight hauls and the general cost of living. are said to be responsible for this condition, and the department feels that money could be saved by placing the pat;spts in pri- vate sanitariums where care could be had for not to exceed half of the amount now being used. Prescott, it is understood is feeling somewhat pes simistic over the prospective abandon ment of the big hospital, as the local business men are reaping a harvest from the sales made to the soldiers and the patients as we'll as to the workmen employed on the construc- yav1y v~t ne,fr ,,,r partment alone has been spending on an average of 5000 a week among the loci purveyors of food supplies and the money spent by the men them selves is also considerable item. Abandoned Once Before
 If the post is abandoned entirely . by the war department it will be the/ second time within the period of years that such an order has beep sued. Whipple was formerX 6p- ped from the list of military ds iN February 1913 at the time Bkest1eiN Taft first began to mobize the regular army foreson the Mexican border Ths post remained idle until thesearly part of 1918. at which time the war depart ment issued an order that the place be This was qApntermandad a few weeks later buS Subsequently the post was selected 1SSpr the new army hospita IpdX XE&S&S Ike the historic ola Da1 NSEW & fair way for perNa141>ca2H| back. WA/ ~/ Miss Evans Visiting FriefHEI/M0