Evening star., 1937-03-28
Another Rider?

During hearings on the 1898 District
bill Chairman Collins told reporters he
would like to find way to transfer
jurisdiction over the public hospitals from
the Board of Public Welfare to the
Health Department. Whether he sue
ceeded will be revealed in the report OF
the bill early this week. And If sue
cessful, the subject should command spe-
cial consideration by Congress and the
local community.
Health Department control over the
public hospitals doubtless has much to
commend it, although there is nothing
unique in the arrangement now prevail
ing which places such jurisdiction with
the Board of Public Welfare. There are
authorities on both sides of the question
whose views are entitled to respect.
While the treatment of INDECENT or par
TALLY INDECENT patients in the hospitals
is distinctly medical problem, the ad-
ministration of such hospitals and their
patient relations is not necessarily q
medical problem. While the Board OF
Public Welfare is an administrative
agency, the Health Department as at
present constituted is not an admins
trative agency.
The Preble report on public health
administration in the District, written
in 1928, suggested three plans for hos
pital and health administration in the
District. While separate department
of health and hospitals under director
of health was described in one plan,
and department of health, hospitals
and welfare" under a director, was de-
scribed in another plan. no suggestion
was made for a reorganization which
ended merely with a transfer OF Jurls-
riction from one existing agency to an
other And it is to be recalled that the
present arrangement was adopted after
considerable study by local citizens and
a Joint committee of Congress as recently
as 1926
But while the merits of the transfer
are one thing, the method OF ef1ecting 1t
is something else. While it may be prema-
ture to discuss q method before knowing
what the bill will propose, If it proposes
anything, the people of Washington have
had enough experience with legislation
on an appropriation bill-especially
local appropriation bill-to regard any,
thing of the sort with considerable skep-
ticism, because such precedents are al
ways dangerous Jurisdiction over the
hospitals is placed with the Board OF
Public Welfare under an act of Congress
and it cannot be changed without legisla-
ton. And legislation in an appropriation
bill is fundamentally repugnant to cor
rect legislative procedure-no matter how
praiseworthy may be the objective OF
such legislation,
The system of citizens boards in the
District is probably more important to
the local community than to any other
city of the country and any move de-
signed to weaken or lessen the authority
of such boards should receive thorough
consideration. This is entirely apart
from the important question Of jurisdic-
ton of the public hospitals. Such juris-
diction might be more effectively exer-
cised under one of the plans described
by DR.. Preble, or modification OF such
plans. But, lacking all representation
and participation in their government,
local citizens should be jealous Of the
little authority over municipal functions
reserved to them through citizens
boards.