New-York tribune., 1921-10-26
Cpll'rann Charges
Hylan Neglect in
L FireDepart1nent

ready to demonstrate his total unfit
ness to be the head Of the government
of city of six million people. While
he prates about being the friend OF the
poor people, his subordinates have been
grating on the poor people. While he
talks about what good Mayor he has
hcen the evidence has come to our mt
tice day by day Of what an incompetent
Mayor he has been.
while he has been prattling in the
City Hall about special interests the
city departments under his charge have
been falling into a state OF deplorable
mismanagcment and something even
worse than that
"Thus we see Enright in the Police
Department putting Allan A. Ryan
$4,000 in his pocket and riding in the
hlGh-powered automobile, gift to him
from another of Mr.. Hylan million
are special deputies of police. We
see in the Market Department graft co..
lected by OMalley's subordinates from
dealers in butter and eggs and from
wldows holding stalls under permit
from the city in our public market.
In the Department Of Docks we also
see shipowners held up for. 900 and
$4,000 for the right to dock their ships
at city rier; we see outside favorites
OF the Hylan administration given a
grip on the cltys open piers, with the
result that in less than three and a
haif ears these favored ones have en-
ie~ed the millionaire clcss.
Il will give you another example of
mismanagement and misrule under Hy-
lan | refer you in this case to the
great Fire Department, with its splen-
dld force of 5000 uniformed men. John
f. Hylan has been assuring these men
of personal and official interest in their
welfare. Let US see how he and his adj
mlnistration have met this claim.
There is medical board in the Fire
Department made up of chief medi-
cal officer and nine other physicians.
These ten doctors are adequately paid
to treat all the firemen free
Zone of the boasts of the Hylan ad-
mlnistration has been that the medical
service to firemen has been better than
that under any previous administration
and that any fireman may come to the
departmental physicians, resting as
sured that he will find there the most
modern scientific practices.
"None of us needs a course in medi-
cal training to know tlAat the very
first principle of medical prac-
tice is sterilization of all Instruments,
utensils and the rest, used by
physicians in the course of their daily
work. You and I know how we would
shun any doctor or dentist who failed
to sterilize his instruments. Well,
there is no sterilization in the medical
Offices of the Fire Depar's INT Of the
5000 uniformed fremen. The most
they do is to make a pretense of it.
Fer two years the sterilizing plants
in the Brooklyn and Manhattan Offices
Of the Fire Department have been
broken down and out of use.
"Joseph E. Smith is the chief medi-
cal officer of the Fire Department. He
is in charge of the two medical Of
fees. The nine paid physicians are
under his direction DR.. Smith and
five of his subordinate physicians were
sworn in on October Ia, last and uues-
toned about the use or neglect oe
sterilization among the firemen All
| con tell you is from their testimony.
"And this meter is of such impcr-
tance to our tiremen and the public
health in general that l quote the
e~act words of DR.. Smith, in part, as
follows:
"'Q.-How long have you had a
sterilization llant? At came from
the SIXTY Street office. The
connection has burned out two or three
times.
"'Q-You don't use it and you have
it for that specific purpose? A
When they got it repaired it melted out
again.
"'How long has it been out of use
Al should say year.
"'Q.-You have a sterilization plant
in the Brooklyn Office? Alt hasn't
been used for some time, because it is
out of order.
"'Q.-Can you tell US what is most
or'monly used for sterilizing surgical
instruments? A.-They put them in
steriizcrs and submit them to high
temperatures.
"'Q.-You don't use that process in
the Fire Department? A.-No.'
"Take the other witnesses. Dr.. John
J. White, who has been Fire Depart
ment physician since 1907, swore that
in the last two years he could not use
the sterilizing equipment because it
was cut of commission. DR. Francis