The New York herald., 1922-01-04
600 at Mass Meeting Ask
President to Be Chary of
Saving $750,0O0.
BOLOGNA .DIsTAsTEFUL'
Soldiers Fear Restoration Will
Be Prolonged if Doctors
Are Shifted.

Bolognas were placed before the dis
abled patients of Fox Hills Hospital
when they sat down to dinner last
night. An ex-soldier raised a fork to
his mouth, looked about him moment
and threw the forks burden back on
his plate with an oath OF disgust. The
same thing happened at other tables.
The grumbling grew. and several
veterans left without eating anything.
There had been some complaint for
several days because the rations ap-
preparation does not allow meals of
as good quality as, previously, but the
climax was the bolognas. AS dinner
was about ended one of the patients
entered a dining hall with a telegram
he had just received from a friend in
Washington.
The telegram informed him that the
efficiency bureau had recommended to
Brig.-Gen. Sawyer, who in turn had rec
commended to President Harding, that
the Medical Reserve Corps officers con-
nected with public health hospitals be
placed on civilian basis and their pay
saving the Government $75o.000 n year.
The order will be placed before the Pres
ident to-day or tomorrow for his sig
nature, according to the telegram.
Organize Rally to Protest.
When the message was read to the
patients just as they were getting up
from the bologna mighty roar of dis
gust was sent up. Six hundred OF
them--the other 200 couldn't leave their
beds-went to the Red Cross auditorium
near the hospital and. after several fiery
speeches had been made, sent telegram
TO President Harding asking him not to
sign the order The telegram said:
'srhe entire body of patients at Public
Health Hospital No. 81. New York, pro-
tests most vigorously against the pro-
posal to place in the Public Health hos
pitals civilian physicians at reduced pay.
knowing the step means the inefficient
care of the men whose health was
wrecked in the world war; We urge you.
as President of the United States. to
refuse to sign an order which. for the
sake Of few dollars. will imperil the
lives and prevent the recovery of hun
dreds of ex-service men,"
Copies of the telegram also were sent
to officers of the American Legion, the
Veterans of Foreign Wars and to Sena-
tors Calder and Wadsworth.
Speakers who addressed the Fox Hills
Patients charged that the proposed order
would mean the wrecking of The hospital
service which has been built up and
which already is suffering from lack of
sufficient funds. The physicians of the
Medical Reserve Corps II was declared
are capable men and they cannot afford
TO stay at $4,000 a year and pay their
own living expenses. The hospital serv-
ice, IL was charged. will then be open
TO political graft and Representatives In
Congress may curry favor by placing
young physicians from their home towns
IN the hospitals.
The hospitals affected by the proposed
change are Fox Hills, Polytechnic Ellis
Island and the United States Marine
Hospital. IL was said at Fox Hills that
the heads of these institutions. all of
whom are Regular Army physicians and
have nothing to lose I'm the change. also
held meeting and sent word to pub
lie health committee in Washington to
interview President Harding.
Complaints I'm New Haven.
DR.. Charles L. I,ockhart. commander
of New Haven post of the American
Legion, visited the office OF THE New
YORK HERALD last night. accompanied by
two officers of the Public Health Hos
pital at New Haven. Conn. He said the
men at that hospital also were indig-
nant at news of the proposed change
Protests have been made. he said. to
Hanford McNider. national commander
of the American Legion and to many
other agencies. whose aid In fighting the
order Is being sought.
president Harding. we are afraid
will not realize what this order means"
laid DR. Lockhart. ut won't save $780,
000 That saving will be more than off
set by the longer treatment required for
patients and by the resulting ineffl-
ciency."