The Birmingham age-herald., 1922-01-11
By MIGNoN HALL

What kind of county board of reve nue has been fastened on our people anyhow?
 "A sick man allowed to fall dead ir l the streets of Birmingham yesterday and maybe more to follow him because the board is not solving the peoples problems by seeing that oul poor get needed medical attention one of the biggest jobs they are paic to do.
 If they can't hold down their jobs right-and for the benefit of the peo- pie they swore 10 serve-what did they run for office for?
 They didn't think all they had to do was to pay bills, did they? It is up to them to devise ways and means to get the money we need for public health-not to cut off our inadequate appropriation already. Anybody could do that.
 If we merely wanted the county s bills paid we could have hired a cashier to mail out checks, and be spared the salaries we pay the board. Died Three Hours Later
 This is sample of public feeling following the death yesterday of S. H. Hurley, applicant who, sick unto death, had been turned away from the Hiliman hospital three hours before because the county board of revenue IS cutting expenses, and because con ditions at the hospital are so over- crowded there was no bed for him. It Is declared when he was shaken by the shoulders to arouse him after haV- ing been turned away from the hos pital, he told a kindly, inquiring woman: 'I never want to try to get Tn hospital again.
 The man was turned down by one of the internes of the Hillman, who in written statement gave, besides the lack of bed, the fact that the mans case was a chronic one--and the hospital has not the funds nor room to take anything but acute cases.
 The man dropped dead in front of the terminal station after an auto mobile had taken him to the hospital and he had been dismissed.
 Must Plan
 Other sentiment runs:
 Big, strong men voted into i'm portant offices whining around that the county is in debt and now it's the time to pay up, even if appropria- tions have to be cut off for our poor and sick will not get any sympathy from the worth while citizesship of our St'S VT tNN h' fohpPOSe lHe Ildn naun | died-suppose he had just had a chronic disease he could spread wouldn't he have been going about as menace to public health? Merely to remark that patients shall just be turned away means lot more than their own suffering. If they cannot be treated they go away to lower the general health of our peo- Die, especially the poor, who these days, on account of meager food in many hundreds of cases, have not the vitality to withstand diseases.
 One ward is already closed at the Hillman-the treatment of ve- nereal diseases of women cut off at the detention home; talk is of en- tirely closing the venereal university clinic, when 32,000 treatments for men and women needed to be given last year.
 Citizens Will Aid
 "A county board of revenue Is meant to make plans-provide ways and means. There is way to do anything if it's needed. We have enough public spirited citizens in this town to warrant that. What has to be done can be done. What kind of system of adequate publicity ex- posing conditions at the hospital by the way, has been gone into by the county board of revenue? Jeffer- son county is rich. enough at least to take care of her sick'
 Out at the hospital yesterday men, women and children, black and white, occupied every available space. In the whole hospital not more than four beds of any sort were found empty. The nurses who are in train ing have to be huddled together like cattle in their sleeping rooms-some- times nine beds in one small dorm itory. l saw two night nurses sleep Ing together in single bed A dormitory has only one bureau to supply all needs. Some nurses are compelled to have their quarters in the hospital proper. and the kitchen is so small it looks about large enough to take care of a family of three. The whole hospital, while clean, screams out the need of a new one. Plaster is falling off the walls in spots. There is linoleum on the floor, ragged and tattered, which has been there 20 years. There is not money enough to buy new The ap- propriations are spent first for the treatment of the patients; after that if improvements can be made, well and good. But these improvements could not be made when the ap- propriation last season was only $109,000, and they have a glimmer- ing chance to be made this season when the hospital must rub along with s6.o00 or s7,000 a month ap- propriation. The home the nurses live in looks like & third rate board ing house in need of wrecker.
 Need~ Reda
 Right this minute, the Hillman hospital needs an annex that will hold 100 more beds. Birmingham is growing, and her exigencies are getting greater instead of smaller, and the hospital is an antiquated boat where nurses and doctors work night and day, and are giving over time service to take care of the of calls.
 Dr.. Hogan declared: q am trying to cooperate with the board of rev erue in every way they have asked, even to cutting down expenses to the bone in the kitchen, and the hos pital staff and nurses will continue to give the maximum of service to the public with the appropriations