Evening star., 1934-07-18
Officials viii Defend Glenn
Dale Proposal in
Appeal.
BUILDING IN MOUNTAINS
FAVORED BY SECRETARY
P. W. A. Funds May Be Held Up
Pending Decision on Loca-
tion of Clinic.

Mrs. Ernest r. Grant Of the Wash
ington tuberculosis Association today
was planning an appeal to Public
Works Administrator Ickes from his
edict that a site other than the one
now owned by the District must be
picked for the adult tuberculosis
sanatorium.
Ickes laid down the law yesterday
at press conference, when he said
that with beautiful mountain sites
near Washington he saw no reason
for putting the sanatorium on the
site at Glendale. Md, now owned
by the District and partly occupied
by the children's sanatorium. He con-
trolls the sl,5o0,00O which the Dis
trict Commissioners have asked be
allotted for the construction and said
there was as yet no decision as to
whether the money would be ad-
vanced. There was an indication that
unless mountain site is chosen the
money would not be forthcoming.
Hazen Favors Change.
The Commissioners previously had
committed themselves to putting the
adult sanatorium on the same prop
erty with the children's sanatorium.
After a conference with Ickes, how
ever, Commissioner Melvin c. Hazen
announced that he personally was in
favor of mountain site. Commits
sioner John G. Gotwals said he felt
bound not to comment and referred
questions to Ickes. Commissioner
George E. Allen, who has charge of
hospital affairs for the District, is out
of town.
Purchase of ZIG acres for the chill
drens sanatorium was undertaken
more than two years ago to leave
plenty of room for the development
of the sanatorium for adults, which
was then planned for the future. This
was in accordance with recommends
tions made by DR.. Henry D. Chad
wick, tuberculosis expert.
Now. it is pointed out. If this policy
is to be reversed, and the sanatoriuni
for adults built on mountain prob
ably 70 miles from the District, which
has been reported as the present plan,
it will be necessary to set up two
staffs for the two institutions, greatly
increasing operating costs.
Difficulty Encountered.
Principal objection of the Tubercu-
losis Association, however, to building
the adult sanatorium on some other
site is the delay expected to be en-
countered in selecting the site. When
the Commissioners were looking for a
site for the children's sanatorium their
committee examined 122 pieces of
property in Virginia. Maryland and
the District. The act making money
available for the children's hospital
was signed by President Hoover. April
80, 1880, and more than four years
later this institution isSstill not opened.
1t is feared that if the start is now
using the one already available, it will
be years before the Sanatorium for
adults is ready to receive patients.
The only objection mentioned by
Ickes to putting the adult hospital
at Glenn Dale. was that the altitude
there is too low Nevertheless this
was selected on recommendation of
tuberculosis experts who said at the
time that the consideration of altitude
was not as important as having the
sanatorium reasonably close to the
families of the patients.
The committee which picked the
site consisted of Maj. L. E. Atkins,
former assistant engineer Commis-
sioner; George S. Wilson, former di-
rector of public welfare; the late DR..
George Kober, then president of the
tuberculosis Association and dean of
Georgetown University Medical School;
DR.. Joseph A. Murphy, assistant
health officer; DR.. j. W. Peabody,
superintendent of the tuberculosis
hospital and the late Municipal
Architect Albert L. Harris.