The Lamar register., 1923-05-02
HOSPITAL MEETING
BY Unanimous Vote Citizens Decide
to Continue Lamar Hospital
Association.


S. Hasty, DIR. ]. V. Sayler, J. Russell
Mayfield, F. H. Kelsey and w. J.
Johnston, which was appointed at a
meeting two months ago to thorough
ly investigate the hospital question,
called meeting of the citizens at the
Masonic club rooms last Friday even
ing for the purpose of making its fin
al report The room was filled with
citizens when called to order and Sen
ator Hasty acted as chairman and
said that the committee had first
thoroughly gone over the feasibility
of building a modern hospital with
prominent architects, but the lowest
figure they could get was impossible
to reach by public subscription at
present. Then they investigated the
proposition of renting the hotel at the
West Farm of the A. B. s. Co. The
rent and other expenses necessary
made this proposition unpropitious.
Then the proposition was advanced Of
taking up the lease on the Friend
Sanitarium, which has been much talk
Ell about of late. The committee un-
animously voted against this PROPOSE
tion unless the terms under which it
was submitted should be materially
changed and gave their reasons for
their stand. In the discussion which
followed the whole history of the hos
pital situation was gone over and the
following facts shown. There were
several attempts at various times on
the part of doctors or combinations of
doctors to run hospital here as well
as other places, but always it failed
and was closed up when most needed.
The various women's clubs had organ
lied an association known as the La
mar General Hospital Association and
through hard work and several pub
lie entertainments raised several hun
dred dollars for hospital. When in
the summer of 1915 the institution was
closed down with number of patients
needing care, the members of the wo-
mems board undertook what was con
sidered by all their advisers an i'm
possible task. They opened the hos
pital again, bought its meagre equip
ment from the doctors, added many
hundreds of dollars in equiprtent and
by careful management kept it going
for a period of four years with total
subscriptions during that time of 1925
ka "A
tion and about an equal amount from
the public. The heavy expense Of the
flu epidemic depleted their reserve to
the extent that they asked to be re-
lieved of the burden and the men or
ganized an association with C.. Ray
Strain as president and +. NJ. Wilson
as secretary-treasurer, and these two
have kept it going since. In this time
the public has been generous in sub
scriptions and only through this means
and the constant work of number of
volunteers has the institution been
kept going and much new equipment
added. Part of the equipment of the
hospital has been paid for by Prowers
county and the City of Lamar, the
rest either by donations of citizens or
the receipts of the hospital, the bust
ness management of which has all
been donated by public spirited women
and men of the city.
The proposition made was that the
lease of the new hospital would be
turned over to the Lamar Hospital
Association, but the board was to be
reorganized by making three of its
members elected from and by the La
mar members of the Prowers County
Medical Association. The equipment
and patronage of the hospital was to
be turned over to the new association.
This the committee positively declined
to recommend and favored the election
of an entire business mems board as
heretofore. The meeting voted un-
animously to continue the Lamar Hos
pital Association but as "a compromise
offered to allow the doctors the privi-
lege of naming two of the six direc-
tors. The meeting then separated and
the business men section elected the
following directors: DR.. j. " Sayler,