The independent. [volume] (Elizabeth City, N.C.) 1908-1936, 1929-10-25

nd DIR. Michael M. Davis, director
Id Fund, in Rocky Mount, Monday.
Mr.. Saunders returned from the
conference with DR.. Rankin and DR..
Davis with lively anticipations. The
Rosenwald Fund has money for
Northeastern North Carolina and no
place to invest it unless Elizabeth
City joins with the Duke EndoW-
ment in buying the Albemarle
Hospital property outright and re-
moving the incubus of private own
ership. 49,
The RosenWald Fund secs no
way to establish a hospital for
Negroes at Elizabeth City because
Elizabeth City can not furnish
Negro medical staff for such hos
pital The best the Rosenwald Fund
can do to meet the Negro hospitali-
zation needs of the eleven Albemarle
counties is to build an addition or
annex to the present hospital and
work with the Duke Endowment IN
building up one great hospital for
both races.
But the Rosenwald Fund will be
lost to Elizabeth City indefinitely
and the Duke Endowment will pre-
Sently vacate the field if a purchase
of the hospital property at Elizabeth
City is not made at an early date.
Neither the Duke Endowment nor
the Rosenwald Fund will sink money
in permanent improvements in q
leased hospital.
An Undercurrcnt of Opposition
And there is strong rmdercur-
rent of opposition to the purchase
of the hospital in Elizabeth City be-
cause of the price placed upon it
by it's owner The opposition closes
it's eyes and ears to the fact that
to acquire this hospital property
and put $4,000 in improvements
upon it at once will cost the COM
munity a paltry 100000. Actually
only $25,OOO for the property as it.
DR.. John Saliba, owner of the
hospital property wants 100000 for
his land, building and equipment.
The Duke Endowment insists that
$4,000 should be spent in repairs
and alterations on the property,
making a total of $4,000. The
Duke Endowment will pay one half
OF this amount, or whatever amount
is determined upon, leaving $4,000
for the community to pay If the
total is $4,000.
DR.. Saliba has pledged the Board
of Trustees a donation of $l5,00C
toward the purchase price OF the
hospital. That leaves the commun-
itys part $4,000. Mr.. Joseph p
Knapp has agred to donate $1,000
toward the purchase price. That
leaves 100000. Just $4,000 TO save
this property forever for Elizabett
City and the Albemarle, put $1,000
in immediate improvements on tn
property and swing the resource
of both the Duke Endowment ant
the Rosenwald Fun SUIarcly bchint
the hospital.
Whether the Duke Endowment
will pay DR.. Saliba'S price is yet to
, be determined. The Board OF
Trustees have only to finance the
deal on the basis indicated and
when the financial arrangement is
perfected board of appraisers will
be appointed to thrash out the pur-
chase price. But it is ten to one
shot that the Duke Endowment will
concede higher value on the prop
erty than some local people are will
ing to concede. Two facts favor the
owner: ID The hlbemarle HoSpita.
occupies the most beautiful hoSpita
site in the CarolinaS to-day, witt
ample grounds for expansion. %,
The Duke Endowment would moi
put dollar into new hospital II
Elizabeth City SO long as Salihat
hospital property is available 10
other hospital uses. And SO ther
we are.
And we are in the predicamcr
that if Saliba actually offered II
property at $4,000, price conSi'
cred fair by many who oppose "
higher price, the community wcu
not be so we'll off. There would s.
be the $4,000 for alterations al
. improvements, making the total CT
S85 1000. The Duke EndoWmel
would pay half Of that, leavine
S42,5OO for the community to pay
or actually $4,000 more than wcule
be required under the present plan
Is Elizabeth City going to sarri-
! flee the opportunity of life time
to solve the hospital problem not
only for Itself, but 10, Its i.eightCr-
tCnrtir"ed ~ De- Eo"r,