Evening star., 1934-08-27
Delay.

Decision of the Presidents expert
advisers to locate the adult tubercu-
losis hospital at Glenn Dale, Md, to-
gether with indications that public
works funds to build the hospital soon
will be forthcoming, are all the more
gratifying to this community because
these two developments should bring
an end to the interminable, inexcus-
able delays that have dogged this nee
essary undertaking.
Two months of valuable time that
might have been spent in preparing
the plans for the hospital have been
lost already. Money appropriated by
Congress for the plans has been idle,
awaiting the end of official meander-
ilgs. More time must elapse before
rlans are drawn, bids submitted, con-
tract let.
Congress decided the adult tubercu-
l1sis hospital should be built. In the
District appropriation bill it included
funds for preparation of plans for the
hospital "at Glendale" At the same
time it authorized the District to bor-
row from the P. w. A. the money to
build the hospital. Events succeeded
as follows:
June 27: President Roosevelt signed
the bill permitting the District to
borrow from the P. w. A.
June %; Senator King, saying that
he would call on Mr. IckeS to request
mat the authorized loan be granted,
said there was some doubt on the
part of high administration officials"
that Glenn Dale was suitable site.
July IT: Secretary Ickes said the
hospital ought to be in the mountains,
where it would be more socially
desirable"
July 19: Commissioner Hazen an
nounced he would appoint COM
nittee of municipal officials to
discover a site in the mountains.
August 5: Commissioner Hazen
announced appointment of commit
tee of prominent medical experts to
decide whether the hospital should
be built in the mountains or at Glenn
Dale, on the site previously selected
by experts, bought and paid for by
local taxpayers.
August 10: Commissioner HaZen's
advisory committee of medical experts
reported that the hospital should be
located at Glenn Dale. Word of this
report was transmitted to Mr.. Ickes.
August Is: President Roosevelt
announced at his press conference
that he would have a group of med
tcal experts appointed to advise him,
and Mr. Ickes, whether the hospital
should be built at Glenn Dale, the
site bought by the District on the
advice of experts, and confirmed as
suitable by another group of experts
or whether the hospital should be in
the mountains. The committee was
subsequently named, including dis
tinguished physician from Saranac, a
distinguished physician from Denver
and distinguished Government
physician from Washington.
August %: The Presidents expert
advisers, gathered from pretty far and
rather wide, arrived in Washington,
visited mountain sites previously
visited by the Commissioners site
selecting committee and visited Glenn
Dale.
August "a: The committee visited
Mr.. Ickes to deliver its report, but
was asked to come back next morning.
August rs: The committee made
Its report. 1t was forwarded to the
White House and there made public.
The report favored Glenn Dale, thus
substantiating in detail the findings
of the Commissioners advisory COM
mittee of experts, who had previously
subStantiated in detail the findings of
the original committee of experts
which selected the site in the first
place.
The doctors who advised the Presi-
dent to build the hospital at Glenn
Dale stressed two important points.
One was that the victims of tubercu-
loSiS-and Washington ranks fourth
among the cities of the country in
its tuberculosis death rate-admitted
to hospitals for treatment should be
near their families. Another was
that the cost of maintenance is the
most important expense connected
with any hospital, and it is cheaper
to maintain a single hospital unit
as proposed for Glenn Dale, than the
two units that would exist If the
adult hospital were in the mountains
and the childrens' hospital at Glenn
Dale.
These are facts stressed from the
beginning in connection with the
Maryland site. Now that they are
sufficiently understood by everybody
1t is hoped no further time will be
lost in hlIildinp tho hoSDitaI