Evening star., 1923-03-20
MILLIONS WASTED
IN VAGUE HOSPITAL
PLAN, EXPERTS SAY
Treasury ConsuItants Point
Out sa1e,ooo,ooo Spent
in Seven Years.
BUILDINGS TO EXCEED
VETERANS NEEDS SOON
Report Cites One Instance Wher.
Economy Resulted in Twenty
Projects at $4,000 Bed.

Lack OF comprehensive sa6a-sI
pan or hospitalization resulted IN tbs
expenditure OF more than s31s nm mn
! IN the fiscal years 1917 "a 1902
elusive, according to rapo-. +osa
from the Treasury consultants on hos.
a''|a tlon to Secretary Mellon, with
inc unsatisfactory result. the con.
suItants point out, that there will
oe greater number of hospitals than
can be utilized for the purpose 20,
! which they were built" and "prob.
! ANY much that vas otherwise wasted
| could have been preserved as perma-
! ''elt institutions for use in the sftua-
.ioh that confronts the country 10.
day"
sAarp Constructive Criticism.
IN a word. the report IS a bit OF
| shaIp' constructive Criticism. !,
comes from body OF eminent medical
men who served their country with
out sa-ary. They were called into the
| situation By Secretary Mellon when
| congress, on March l. 1921. laid upon
s"e treasury the big job Of spending
sls.eoo.ooo for providing hospitals for
veterans. Il was not afFiiiafed with
tie Veterans Bureau.
!"a constructive part of the COM
nitee work. in co-operat ton with this
supervising architect and Assistan,
SecFetaTy or the Treasury Clifford
SGccerded. as the report shows. in
p1l!d!Eg more than twenty projects.
Tith ret result of 6334 hospital
peas az the low cost OF less than S3-
ooo per bed. This is the actual proof
OF the pudding" which the consult
ants today hand to Secretary Mellon.
ana upon which. with justification
the the% stand as they turn the fire OF
thf4r constructive criticism upon the
Nhoie governmental program with
proposals for Improvement
Target at First.
The Treasury committee, which has
been known by the more familiar
title OF the white Committee" from
the chairman, DR.. William Charles
White, Of Pittsburgh, was at first the
| target for much unfavorable criticism
from the veterans themselves, from
ex-service men, and in some instances
the American Legion itself. But as
the work of the committee progress
ed steadily along. its critics perceiv-
ed that charges OF maladministration
and delay were falling by the way
side.
Until OF late the American Legion
has turned the bitterness OF its
former criticism into the warmth os
approval, and friends of the veteran
have been pointing with satisfaction
TO the actual results achieved by tha
White committee. and comparing
with commendatory reflection upon
the Treasury outfit, the cost of hos
pltal bed construction as achieved
by the White committee and as be-
ing carried out by other branches os
construction.
Urges Complete Record.
| So when DIR. White and his con-
sultants declare with an opening gun
in the first paragraph of their report,
the hospital problem Of the United
States is OF sufficient Importance to
the country TO be subject of con-
tinuous study in some Office of the
federal government" the various
governmental bodies dealing with
hospitals. and hospital construction
will read with interest.
! Such Office" says the report,
should keep a record OF not only
the hospitals Of all departments OF
! the government, but all state, mu-
&! nicipal and civil hospitals and should
! have charge of the preparation OF
charts showing location, size, char
acter and use"
Cooperation With States.
| Outlining a general federal plan,
F! the lack Of which, II Is charged re-
suited IN '.overhospitalization and
waste" the committee recommends
| thorough cooperation with states. and
continuance Of such a body as the
Federal Board of disqualification, OF
which Brig. Gen. Charles Z. Sawyer,
the Presidents personal physician is
| chairman.
Charges of disqualification" at
one place were aimed at the Veterans
| Bureau. and its efforts to obtain the
so called Second Langley Bill" pro-
viding ST 900, 900 to be spent by the
| director of the Veterans Bureau. Tn
| der the subtitle. "overhospitalization
and new appropriations" the commit
| tee reveals how the best judgment OF
| the conSultants, based on extensive
! surveys of the whole hospital situa-
| ton was not wholly in agreement
| with the Veterans Bureau.
Program Held Unsound.
"a bill had been introduced in the
House for s16,4o0. .0o0," the report ex-
! plains, THE studies in the consult
ants office, however, as they became
| moro accurate, indicated that this
provisional program was not sound
ore, especially on the division OF
beds contemplated. although, mas
much as 1t took into account the in
situations under construction and
their contemplated enlargement, ir
was, SO far as could be foreseen at
the tima. wise provision" The act
finally passed i'll April, 1922, provided
/ for S;..ooo,ooo.
j A most significant section OF the
report 10 that which gives In detail
| the amount Of money spent by the
government for hospital construc-
!; fion, fiscal years 1917 to 1928, inclu-
alve' This section was obtained
from records OF the Treasury division
; OF bookkeeping and warrants. 1t ig
carefully worded, but the inference
cannot fail to be drawn that this
section is intended as powerful
argument of the need of the federal
F., plan proposed by the committee. And
! the lack of which, 1t is charged. led
/, TO waste.
!: Some Could Have Been Saved.
| IAN idea of the amount OF money
appropriated by Congress for hos
pital construction" says the report,