Evening star., 1935-03-23
HOUSE D. c. BILLS
COMMITTEE HIT
New Deal in Personnel Is
Asked to Get Health
Needs for City.

A rev deal In the personnel Of the
House Appropriations Committee on
District supply bills was described BY
Mrs Ernest r. Grant, managing di-
rector Of the District tuberculosis
Association, as the first step If the
District is to have a new deal in
health" in a statement filed today
with the Senate Subcommittee on the
1885 appropriation bill.
In her statement urging restora-
tion OF the s43,9 900 the House took of
OF maintenance for the Childrens
tuberculosis Sanatorium, Mrs. Grant
said:
IF the District Of Columbia is tG
have a new deal in health it scent
70 me that the first step in that d.,
rection is new deal in the personnI
Of the House Appropriations Commis
tee Of Congress. where District ap
preparations are always drastically cu
regardless Of the fact that the or.
iginal estimates which are presented
to Congress must stand the acid test
of the closest scrutiny and approva
Of all the District department heads
including the District auditor. th'
Commissioners and finally the Fedora
Budget Bureau"
Statement Challenges Action.
Further on in her statement Mrs
Grant made this observation:
Why any member OF the District
Appropriations Committee OF the
House should feel justified in cutting
these appropriations when no single
member of that committee know:
anything about tuberculosis is beyond
my comprehension"
Unanimous in their support OF ar
increase in the police force, resto-
ration of the cut made by the House
in the fund for the Children's Hos
pital, additional equipment for the
Fire Department and establishment
of a social service department at Gal
linger Hospital, several delegations OF
District citizens appeared before the
subcommittee today.
Among those who urged the addi-
ton Of l4l men TO the police force
were: Sylvan King, chairman of a
Joint citizens group; George w. Of
futt and George Pitt, Board Of
Trade; Edward D. Shaw. Merchants
and Manufacturers Association; A. j
Driscoll. Mid-City Citizens ASSocia-
tion; Mrs. George C. Thorpe and Mrs
Walter Tuckerman OF the Womcns
Safety Committee.
Truck House Fund Asked.
The Federation of Citizens Asso.
Citations, represented by Joseph l.
Gammell, DR.. w. P. Kenealy Vincent
Taylor and Orrin Davy, supported
the increase in the police force, $4,000
additional for fire hose, and appro.
priation of an pnexpended balanc,
for the new fire truck house on Rhode
Island avenue northeast.
The Children's Hospital item wa:
explained by o. H P. johnson. presi.
dent; Col. Arthur O'Brien, vice presi.
dent, and Miss Matte Gibson, super.
intendent of the hospital. The
Budget Bureau recommended s360
for the care of children sent to ths
hospital by the Board of Public Wei.
fare. The House cut the item u
$4,000. 1t waS pointed out by off.
cialS that even the budget figure
would not come up to the estimated
cost in view of the number Of chill.
dren that have TO be cared for.
A social service department was de.
Scribed as an essential need at Gal
linger Hospital by Womens Auxiliary
Of the Medical Society, representatec
by Mrs. Prentiss Wilson. Mrs. Eugen,
r. Whitmore, Mrs. r. Thomas West
and by Miss Beatrice Mullen.
In deploring the slash in funds fol
the Children's tuberculosis Sanato-
rum, Mrs. Grant said:
Repeatedly the tuberculosis Asso.
citation has appeared before the Sen
ate Appropriations Committee to plead
for similar drastic cuts in the Lower
House in previous years, but never
before have we seen a cut so drastic OF
so unjuStifiable as this S43,900 cut
which has been made this year Con-
gresS has provided a total of S1.025,-
900 TO build the Children's Salato-
rum, but unless it can be properly
stated, and an adequate appropriation
for maintenance secured this institu-
ton Is useless
To-day the sanatorium is not oper-
ating to capacity because drastic cuts
were made last year in the mainten-
ance and personnel appropriations.
There are 139 children in the sana-
torium today, with only 10 nurses,
who must do both day and night
duty. The sanatorium is equipped
to care for $50 children. and when
the two wings now under conStruc-
tion are completed, 1t will have a bed
capacity of 300. There are many
tuberculosis children on the waiting
list who cannot be admitted until
additional personnel and additional
maintenance is provided. Small
wonder the Nations Capital City has
the third highest tuberculosis dealt
rate in the entire United States"