Perth Amboy evening news., 1922-05-24
F|LEPETIT|ON
FOR HOSPITAL
Anti : tuberculosis League
Gets Over 200 Signers
Favoring MenIo Park.

A petition bearing more than 200
names of residents in all parts of the
county. has been forwarded to the
State Board of Health by the Mid
dlesex County Anti-Tuberculosis
League which is in favor of the
Menlo PARK site as the appropriate
place for the erection OF a tuber-
culosis hospital. The Anti-Tuber-
culosis League has been instrument
tai in circulating the petitions to
secure the signatures of those IA
yoring the establishment of a
county hospital near M%etuchen.
The site has been endorsed by the
executive committee of the Anti
Tuberculosis League consisting of
Dr. Charles l. SILK Of tins city. Dr.
f.. B. Kilmer of New Brunswick,
Rev. c. j. Culp Of New Brunswick,
Sidney Riddlestorffer of this city.
DIR b. w. Hoagland of Woodbridge.
DIR. L. 1. Cronk of New Brunswick.
Miss Madeline Roberts of New
Brunswick, George Dawson of Gran
bury. and J. Logan Clevenger of this
city.
The petition follows:
THE State Board of Health,
Trenton, N. J.
"Gentlemen:-We, the undersign-
ed. believe there is an urgent need
tor a county hospital for the care
and treatment of tuberculous pa
TENTS of Middlesex county. the
present arrangement of sending pa
tents to Bonnie Burns" not being
adequate or satisfactory.
I'VE believe the site selected and
purchased by the f~reeholders to be
one of the most desirable in the
county-situated in the highest ele-
Walton of the county between New
York city and Philadelphia, as well
as being the highest accessible tract
to the railroad between New York
and Pennsylvania.
I'VE believe that the site is easily
accessible TO all parts of the county
so that relatives MAJ get to and
from the institution. The site is
less than one-half hour by trolley
from both New Brunswick and Perth
Amboy, the two large population
centers of the county. The upkeep
of this institution would no doubt
be less than in a more isolated sec
lion.
Although reasonably close to rail
roads the distance where the insti-
tuition would be located is far
enough away so that noise and
smoke would not become a nuis-
ance. The nearest railroad is fully a
mile and a half away from the site
where the hospital building would
he located. The source of an excel
lent water supply is present.
May we point out that the expe-
rience Of other communities over
the country has been that a tuber-
culosis hospital has not deprecated
the value of property but has after
a year or WI tended to increase its
value dde 70 improvements.
I'VE fail to see where the town
D. sasturnvr viii be- 2aeaaced by any
transient t~uberculous patients pass
ing through. 1t must be apparent TO
you that this disease, although COM
municable is not so communicable
as other contagious diseases, and
creates very little danger except by
coming in close contact with pa
tients. Fog and mosquitoes were
among the objections raised at the
hearing. 1t was pointed out. how
ever. that Metuch5r is the health
last community in the state. with
two exceptions, due to its healthfnl
location. If fog and mosquitoes were
so prevalent at the proposed site as
to be a health menac they could
not possibly be restricted to that To-
cality without affecting the COM
1nunity OF Metuchen which has its
boundary lire only a few hundred
feet from it, the center of popula-
ton of Metuchen, also being within
a mile and a half from the site.
probably no tract of land of the
size owned by the freeholders could
be purchased in Middlesex county
without some low land. Although
swampy in a few places, experts in
form us that it al be drained at
a slight cost.
Being close TO the center of pop
ulation for the county this site
would make an excellent place for a
farm colony, not only for the Tuber-
culous but others to be taken care
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