Evening star., 1937-05-17
HOUSE TO INSPECT
NAVAL HOSPITAL
IN DEBATE ON SITE
Committee Hears Rossiter
Urge New and Larger
Location.
FACILITIES ALREADY
REDUCED, HE SAYS
10 Acres Held Inadequate for
Medical Observation-Disclosures
Costs Set at Million.

Seeking more intimate knowledge Of
facilities at the Naval Hospital in order
to have better background for de.
Gliding whether or not the proposed
new Navy Medical Center should be
located on the present site, the House
Committee on Naval Affairs will visit
the institution tomorrow morning.
The inspection trip was arranged
during hearing this morning on the
bill by Chairman Vinson, which would
authorize the construction of new
medical center either on the present
site of the Naval Hospital or in the
vicinity Of Washington.
Surg. Gen. Perceval S. Rossiter OF
the Navy, the only witness, presented
. comprehensive argument as to why
new and larger site elsewhere was
needed He presented a factual state
ment at the opening Of the hearing
and was questioned by several men,
bers of the committee.
Present Site Inadequate.
The present site of the Naval Hos
pAUdA, 1AN4AAAl al ANAooAuNA SoAoy Noc 4AA
adequate. The need for replacement
Of the Washington hospital facilities,
which existed six years ago." he said,
"has subsequently become more
urgent. The present buildings are
inadequate and obsolete and have
reached a piont where expenditures
Tor maintenance are large and un-
economical. The bed capacity has
had to be reduced from 600 to l78, as
many buildings of wartime constru-
ton have so deteriorated that aban-
donment as hospital space has become
necessary. Buildings of permanent
construction also have deteriorated to
. degree where special safety precau-
ttons have had to be installed. Esti-
mated bare maintenance costs for the
next seven years are $276,753. Any
approximation toward modernization
of this plant would cost at least
81 100000 and the facilities would still
be Inadequate"
Explaining that an act of 1881 au-
thorized a new Naval Hospital on the
present site, while the pending new
legislation would locate 1t elsewhere,
the Surgeon General said the change
OF location was deemed necessary by
the fact that the present site Of less
than 10 acres Of land, available for
building, IS inaedquate even for the
present needs and wholly inadequate
tor any necessary emergency or war
time expansion"
He pointed out the present site also
was noisy because Of nearby high
ways and airplane routes overhead.
Suggested Limitation.
SHOULD the Naval Affairs Commit
tee desire to limit the amount of
funds estimated for the purchase of
a SITE" the surgeon general said, ut
r. suggested that such limitation be
Is per cent OF the authorized ex-
penditure."
The Vinson bill provides total cost
Of land and construction of $4,850,OO0,
as compared with total Of SO 1000
IN the act OF February, 1881, making
ment $l,650,0oo.
On questioning oy CHAIRMAN VlnSon,
Admiral Rossiter admitted that one
factor in the Nays desire to move
was the location of proposed big
War Department Building in the same
general neighborhood. The plans for
. proposed new Naval Hospital, as
shown to the committee in a large
painting, had been approved by the
Fine Arts Commission several years
ago, the surgeon general said, but the
problem had not been presented to
the Fine Arts Commission since the
proposed War Department had been
located not far away. Vinson ex-
planned the War Department had not
yet been authorized, but that q
s5,000,o00 appropriation to begin con-
struction would come up in the next
deficiency bill.