Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1941-06-02
Increase Asked
In D. {. Aidto
ST. Elizabeth S
House Committee
Omits S7S5, 900 Item
For Form lund
BY JAMES E. CHM.

hlUuuiOIl tlldil at plCScllI OOWdl VI
support of St. Elizabeth's Hospital.
Howard University. Freedmen S
Hospital, and the Columbia Institu-
ton for the Deaf
The proposal is embodied in a
report for the 1912 appropriation
bill for the Labor Department, the
Federal Security Agency, and re-
lated independent agencies.
Rejecting a Budget Bureau ap-
proved item of S785 900 for purchase
OF farm land and for construction
and equipment of farm buildings
outside the District for use of st.
Elizabeths Hospital. the committee
said it recognized the project had
merit. 1t added, however. that
until some arrangement is had
whereby the District of Columbia is
made to bear its share of increased
capital outlay for this institution.
the committee does not feel justified
In making provision for a Develop
ment of this type which will I'M
doubtedly entail further investment
as the project develops.
Early Consideration Sought.
THE committee is extremely hope
ful that the Committee ON the
District of Columbia of the House
will give early consideration to the
whole problem of the contribution
made by the District of Columbia
to this hospital as well as to the
contribution to Freedmen's Hospital,
Howard University and the Column
bia Institution for the Deaf in order
that more equitable division of
charges for capital investment and
operative cost between the Federal
government and the District of
Columbia government may be had.
The report pointed out there are
nearly 1000 inmates in St. Eliza
beth's, approximately two-thirds of
whom are residents of the District.
Under present procedure the Dis
trict is charged per diem rate for
each patient-a rate based on the
actual cost Of maintenance.
S1l.555, 900 Invested BY U. S.
The Government. according to the
committee, has invested about SILL
$4,000 in the land, buildings and
equipment at the hospital
No account whatever is taken in
the billing that is made the District
of Columbia for the cost of District
Of Columbia patients. of the capital
investment that the Government
has made in the plant" the report
declared.
IF a plan were effected to charge
the District of Columbia for the
amortization of the capital invest
ment made by the Federal Govern
ment in the buildings and grounds
based upon an interest charge of
the going rate of interest on Fed
eral securities, which is 2.88 per
cent. and charging only tWO.thirdS
of the cost of such amortization,
the District of Columbia would be
called upon to pay approximately
$4,000 additional per annum,
which sum would represent an in
crease in per diem cost of 143
cents"
With respect to the Columbia In
stitution for the Deaf, the report
pointed out a number of its students
are residents of the District and
adds:
Here is an institution that is
providing facilities for teaching GER
tain handicapped residents of the
District of Columbia, and the pro-
portionate amount of the overall
expense of operating the institution
that the District of Columbia gov
eminent should bear as its share of
the expense of operating the facil-
tiles offered District of Columbia
residents is only partially met by
appropriations made from District
of Columbia funds. The District of
Columbia has never contributed one
cent of the $3.50 900 investment made
by the Federal Government in the
buildings and grounds of the insti-
tuition"
S2,605 900 for st. Elizabeth's.
The appropriation bill carries
total of $3.50, 900 for operation of
St. Elizabeths Hospital in the COM
ing fiscal year. of which 81 1886 900
is made available for new construc-
ton and equipment. This is an in
crease of $1,329,7l5 over the appro-
priation for the current fiscal year,
but a reduction of $791 500 under
the amount approved by the Budget
Bureau for the new fiscal year.
The appropriation recommended
for Howard University amounts to
s785, 800, of which approximately
$4,000 is earmarked for an increase
in its staff in the school of medi-
cine to permit expanding studies
and treatments of tuberculosis in the
colored race. The clinical studies
and observations will be made in
connection with the new tubercu-
losis annex to Freedmen's Hospital,
which has only recently been put
In, opera ton.
For the Columbia Institution for
the Deaf, the bill provides sl42 900,
which represents a cut of $1,000
under the current appropriation and
$3.50 less than was approved by the
Budget Bureau for the coming fiscal
year.
The appropriation approved for
Freedmen's Hospital totals $500 900,
which is $4,000 more than provided
for the current fiscal year.
As the first step in its move to
force the District to make greater
contributions toward the support of
the four institutions, the committee
wrote into the appropriation bill
legislative provision which would re-
ouire payment out of local revenues
the cost of maintaining and treat
ing all INDECENT patients at Freed
mems Hospital who are local resi-
dents.
The District now pays one-half
OF the total cost of operating and
maintaining the institution. Under
the legislative rider, however, the
cost to the District probably would
rise to between so and IS per cent
of the total cost since the number
of local residents who have been
patients there in recent years ranged