The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1922-08-11
PRESIDENT WOMAN'S
CLUB FOR HOSPITAL
FOR TUBERCULOSIS

The county spends one for
everything else. why not spend 1t to
save human life?" said Mrs. Fred
Bates. president of the Richmond
Woman's club, Friday. Her statement
follows:
greet that our tuberculosis hospital
has not been brought to completion
We should certainly not pass by an
opportunity to obtain this means OF
assistance IN the fight against tuber-
culosis. and more than this, we should
do everything possible to bring it To
completion in the shortest possible
time.
II am willing to say that the express
sion of members OF the Woman's club,
as far as it has been made known,
unofficially, is that we iced a tuber-
culosis hospital and that n should
be completed with the least possible
delay.
Sees Crying Need.
Il think it is a great pity that, with
as many people as there are here, in
desperate need of a hospital, the pro
ject should have hung fire as long
as ii has, and should now be in danger
of abandonment.
Even if it were necessary to raise
taxes in order to continue the work,
though l do not concede that thai
would be necessary, why not raise
taxes to save life? We do it for other
things. l know of many cases in
crying need of such an institution.
Members of the board Of county
commissioners meet at the courthouse
Saturday morning for the ext TO the
last time before going to the county
council with the annual budget for
the year 1929. The board has as
vet made no decision in the matter oil
building a tuberculosis hospital at
Smithfeld, on the site donated for that
purpose.
When David and India Esteb turn
ed over their 235 acre farm to the
county, with the express understand
ing that it was to be used for a tu'
becculosis hospital, they did i with
the understanding that such an instl
tuition would be established at Cnce..
Has Derived Income
The county has not been beggared
by the gift. The farm was turned over
at an estimated value of $40 900, In
the time that has elapsed since the
county took over the farm it has de
rived a gross income of $26,010 from
the farm.
Opponents of the hospital take thu
stand that if the county establishes
hospital at Smithield, it will cos
500, 900 a year for maintenance. Suct
a statement is ridiculous. The count,
has invested $40,0 600 in preparation!
work for a hospital.
Opponents of the plan make capit2
of these expenditures saying that the.
are part of the cost of maintaining
the farm and would continue IN
definitely.
Will Work Be Wasted.
Wayne county has on hand a $4,000
gift in the farm plus $4,000 in bonds
plus $40, 900 which has been invested
in preliminary work. Is this invest
ment to lie idle another year?
There is a crying need for a tuber
culosis hospital in Wayne county. Tn
patients are available to IL a hospita
of 80 beds. If necessary it could b.
started in a small way, and added t
from time to time. But it should b
started.
Up 10 THIS time we nave COnSIueTe
the matter from a dollars and cent
standpoint. But human life cannot b
measured in dollars and cents. One
third of the deaths in this country be
tween IS and As years Of age are fror
tuberculosis.
Every person who dies of this di!
ease, a loss TO the communit!
And their families are left benin
rn~,atfn,ac touched nv tho n " Ai
ease, and in any ven weakened i
their fight against poverty, until i
many cases they become a charge u
on the county. The taxpayers none
helps support them then. Why shoul
- nj ton tLn trnlhln ut the sAmrce