South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1920-02-21
DISCUSS LOCAL
HOSPITAL NEEDS
Representatives of Employees
Hold Meeting at Chamber
of Commerce.

Vital and imI ortant points, favor
BILE TO both sides OF the present hos
pitaI controversy which is holding
the spotlight in Chamber Of Com
merce affairs. were brought out in
the open meeting held in the Cham
Der Of Commerce building Friday
night when Representatives OF the
employees of the manufacturing con-
Germs of South Bend met in re-
spouse 10 an appeal sent out early
this week.
Although individuals were found
who favored the immediate extern
sion Of the present hospital facih-
ties. the representatives of the en-
ployes of the factories, according
10 all indications, favor the erec-
ton Of a county hospital. Follow
ing the pre-announced addresses, an
open forum was held and several
lively and SPIRITED verbal tits re-
suited when advocates of the cOun-
~ hospital attempted to offset ar
guments put forth by the rival fac.
ton In order TO truly sound out
public opinion, at the suggestion of
the presiding officer, Dr. J. c. Boone,
chairman of the Chamber of Com
mence hospital committee, IL was
decided TO hold a similar session on
Monday evening. March ], in the
same auditorium, when speakers
will be assigned specific topics and
an open discussion, to which the
general public is invited, Will fol-
low.
Presents Standard.
Dr. Boone. in opening the meet
ing, gave the purposes of the ses-
sion and presented a standard he
thought should be reached by the
community when a decision is
reached. His recommendations
favored a modern building with a
complete and scientific equipment
that will care for the needs of the
community for years to come.
In presenting the legal phase of
the question, Atty. Dan Pyle read
excerpts from thu statute passed by
the 1917 legislature, which gives the
county commissioners the power to
order an election after the presenta-
ton Of a petition, signed by 200 cit
liens of the county and In the event
that the election is successful, the
commissioners have the authority
10 issue 2O-year bonds, beaT1ng in
terest at . per cent TO an amount
not TO exceed 500. 600. The law
provides for the management of the
institution by a board of four mem
bers, two of whom may be women.
The law is so constructed that it
is argued politics and chances Of
graft are eliminated, as no more
than two members of the board may
be of the same Lolitical party or be-
lief.
It was also pointed out that in
cases of patients considered subjects
of charity, the township in which
the patient is a resident is required
to reimburse the county for eX-
penses incurred during the time
spent in the institution.
Gives Approximate Costs.
Following Mr.. Pyle, Col. George
w. Freyermuth presented the arch
itectural features TO be considered
and asserted that the estimated cost
of a county hospital would be about
$4,000 per bed while the present
hospitals could be enlarged at a
cost of about $2,10O per bed He
declared that South Bend needed a
hospital of 200 beds and Mishawaka
an institution of so beds. He show
ed how the present HOSPITALS could
be enlarged so that each of the two
South Bend institutions would have
a capacity of 100. patients and the
Mshawaka hospital would care for
fifty.
w. L. Chandler, of Mishawaka,
a member of the Chamber of Com
merce committee, talked convincing
~ on the economic phase of the
proposition and presented difficulties
that have been encountered by the
committee in it's deliberations that
must be overcome before a specific
racOr, ~ apdation could he made