The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1920-01-16
TUE HOSPITAL AND THE CITY COUNCIL.

vaterworks system in the city. Since that time
other bond issues have been voted for the purpose
OF public improvements Under the law "heh
bonds for such public improvements are Voteu' IL
becomes the duty of the City Council to levy tax
for the payment of interest," and an addltlonal TAX
for the accumulation of fund for the ultlmaIe
payment of the bonds at maturity.
Unfortunately the law is so framed that the
members of the City Council are the custodlans OF
the funds so collected for the payment OF the
bonds. But, nevertheless, they are the custodians
of the funds and none the less the trustees of the
peope who pay the taxes for these funds, ana they
hold these funds in trust to retire the bonds at ma
turity AS such trustees it is the duty OF the mem
hers of the city council to guard securely the funds
thus entrusted to them. They have no right to IN
vest these funds in anything but the Safest secur-
ties. and surely they have no right to divert these
funds to other purposes directly or indirectly "th-
out being guilty of a breach of trust.
It is true that it becomes the duty OF the mem
hers of the council to invest these funds, but as
stated the funds should be invested IN safe nterest
bearing securities and in such securities as may De
realized on upon reasonable notice to the end that
the money raised for particular purpose shall be
annlied to that purpose. In the handling of these
funds the members of the City Council must act
with the utmost good Judgment not to say the ut
most good faith Because they handle other peoples
money and money in the end which must go 10
other people. They hold fund for the retirement
of particular debts and it becomes their duty to
see that the money is so applied
Some weeks ago certain persons residing on FL
lis Street with the commendable idea OF improving
the surroundings of their residential property, and
others with the idea that the city needed hospl-
tai. conceived the idea of buying the old Williams
School property and converting it into hospital.
We had nothing to do with the enterprise and as II
was private undertaking it was none of our busl-
ness that it was located in the most unlikely place
in the city for Hospital, surrounded as it was by
+ negro houses, with open garden houses and every
other thing to make the place unattractlVe Tor
hospital site. But it was selected because, as IL
was stated, it was "cheap." 1t ever thus.
Money was collected from good many VINO
stated, so far as we have heard, that they contr-
buted as donation because they never expected
the Hospital to be paying institution we De-
leve the doctors agree that the hospital VIII not
make money, and that it is not business enter
prise in the sense that persons who invest in 1t
may expect to receive dividends expect it to be-
come more valuable as a money producer. we
think the experience of most places where there are
HOSPITALS operated as this one IS to Se IS tha1
HOSPITALS are losing proposition so far as the IN
come and outgo are concerned. If we are not
correct in this we would like to be corrected
Notwithstanding these facts, we see that the ac-
commodating City Council of the City of Abbeville
has taken eight or ten thousand dollars of the
money of the people of Abbeville raised by taxa
ton for the payment of the bonds above referred
to, and in their hands impressed with this trust and
has loaned it to this hospital enterprise. Have
they acted with good business judgment? We ex-
press the opinion that not member of the City
Council would have hoaned his own money to the
Hospital in this amount and on this kind of Sc
curity We express the opinion that DR.. L. j. Bris-
tow Dr. G. A. Neufer, D. H. Hill and the others
interested in securing this loan from the city would
not have loaned their individual money in this
amount to the hospital enterprise the same Sc
curity. We express the opinion that not a bank
ing institution private money-lender in Abbe-
Vile would have done so. We express the opinion
that if DR.. L. J. Bristow had had in his hands the
of ten thousand dollars of funds of the Baptist
Church for investment until certain time when
the money was to be applied to the payment of
particular debt that he would not have loaned these
funds to the hospital in Abbeville the
curity. Have these men then acted as good busi-
ness men?
The gentlemen who went before the City Coun-
ell and asked that his money impressed with trust
stated be loaned to the Hospital authorities have
morally endorsed the loan. Will they endorse it in
fact? They will not They know that the hospital
building when completed, if it is to be conducted
hospital will never pay cent of this money back
into the public treasury. They know when this