Evening star., 1934-08-09
A One-sided Controversy.

The controversy over the location
OF the new adult tuberculosis hospital
is in one respect unique. There are
no elashine differences Of opinion al
10 where the hospital should be To-
Gated. As far as authoritative express
sionS are concerned. they have been
confined TO one side. Every prominent
physician whose professional opinion
has been given and every prominent
layman whose position gives weight
and authority to his views favors car
rying out the carefully prepared plan
OF locating the hospital at Glenn
Dale, Md. site Of the proposed tuber~
culosis treatment group. bought and
paid for by local taxpayers,
The identity OF those who Sug-
gested. or insisted, that the hospital
be built somewhere else, in the nearby
mountains, has not been revealed
Secretary Ickes has denied the adop-
ton Of any arbitrary views on the
matter, contending that he Is open
minded and willing to be convinced
The Commissioners-repreSented by
Mr.. Hazen-have indicated that they
are merely carrying out somebody's
instructions to choose a new site In
the nearby mountains Of Virginia or
Maryland; that they have little au-
thority in the matter, and II the loan
TO build the hospital can be secured
under no other condition, they favor
building the hospital in the noun
tains.
There are two questions to be con-
adhered.
One-and from the humane stand
point the most important-is whether
a hospital site in the nearby noun
tains is better for the patients, The
difference In altitude between the
Glenn Dale site and any site within
a radius of seventy miles of Washington
is, according to the medical experts,
relatively unimportant. On the other
hand, those with experience in such
matters contend that II is of the ut
most Importance to make the tubercu-
loSis hospital easily accessible, not
only to the INDECENT patients and their
friends and families, but to the WASH
ington physicians whose services will
from time to time be in demand. That
was one point which governed original
selection Of the Glenn Dale site. after
q thorough inspection by competent
authorities of great number Of
sites, and which governed construc-
ton there Of the children's sanita-
rum, already completed.
The second concerns the local tax
payer. On the advice of experts he
willingly contributed to the purchase
OF the Glenn Dale site and to the
construction there of the first unit of
the proposed tuberculosis group-the
children's sanitarium. Is he now to
be asked to shell out additional funds
IN purchase of another site, to suit
the whims of somebody who thinks
q new hospital should be somewhere
else2 Is he to be taxed for the ex-
pensive maintenance of separate
duplicated Services-such as operating
equipment, directing staffs, etc.-when
he was told, in the first place, that a
fundamental reason for choosing the
Glenn Dale site was to centralize all
such activities? Is he. unwilling, to
be forced to participate in what quail
fed opinion holds to be a lamentable
error?
The Commissioners. wisely enough,
are seeking expert opinion tomorrow
on the question OF abandoning the
Glenn Dale site. If this opinion is
adverse, the duty Of the Commits
sioners is to express local sentiment
in vigorous presentation of the Dis
trict's cause to Secretary Ickes, with
convincing evidence-plenty OF which
exiSts-as to why the loan for this
needed hospital should be Immediately
granted. If the expert opinion is in
favor OF abandoning Glenn Dale, the
local community will await with in
terest the arguments-so far unex-
preSsed-on which such a decision is
based.