Evening star., 1942-12-30
McCarran Hits
Delay in Adding
Hospital Space
Maverick Reports
No Building Needed
For 745 More Beds
BY J. A. O'LEARY.


Senate District Committee told
Federal officials today that
somebody, some time. is going
to have to explain" why more
has not been done to construct
additional hospital space here
out of funds made available by
Congress more than six months
ago.
His statement came during an
other hearing of the District Com
mlttee at which heads of virtually
all local hospitals gave an up-to-
GATE report on present capacity and
occupancy.
While Col. N L. MCDermott. SUI
perlntendent of Columbia Hospital
for Women, was relating the history
OF that institutions application for
a building project under the Lam
ham Act, former Representative
Maury Maverick. now with the War
production Board, INTERRUPTED to
ask him If he knew Columbias ap-
pllcdtlon has not yet reached WPB
Tor priority approval.
Col. McDermott said he did know
1t. He had testified previously that
Coiumbia'S application was first
11led IN August, l94l, and that
grant of SITS 900 had been approved
by the Federal Works Agency in
October 1912.
Maverick Makes Report.
Mr. Maverick, director of the WPB
governmental division, told the COM
mlttee This whole controversy
broke over the War Production
Board before the FWA hospital
program was submitted to the board
TN report to the District
committee today, Mr.. Maverick
SAID 745 of the 100 beds re-
queSted in the proposed hospital
expansion program for WASH
lngton could be furnished with
out any construction. He added
that l72 more could be supplied
with slight construction. The
report was the result of a survey
made by WPB consultants who
have been working on the plan
since November. Story on page
A-2D
From across the committee table
Henry Sullivan of FWA interrupted
TO read list of dates on which four
approved hospital projects were sub
mltted to WPB recently. including
| proposed construction at Siblev Hos
pltal, Gallinger and Sandy Spring,
Md.
Apparently not recognizing Mr..
sullivan, Mr.. Maverick inquired his
name, observing, You know, we
| bureaucratS don't always know each
| other
After Mr.. Sullivan had identified
himself Senator McCarran inter-
rupted to point out that Congress
seven or eight months ago au-
| thorized the necessary public works
fund to relieve Washington's war
time congestion, covering hospital
and other public needs.
Accused of Passing Buck"
Taxing notice of Mr. Mavericks
A'ilioi n, IIlt otlldlO dQOcQ.
You spoke about bureaucrats-
well, this passing of the buck is
Just one Of their habits"
You know, I had some eXperi-
ence with bureaucrats before l be-
came one Mr.. Maverick responded.
Another controversy developed
later between the FWA and WPB
officials over who caused the stop
page of work few days ago on the
remodellng of an old public school
IN Georgetown TO replace some of
the nurses space in Georgetown
Hospital, and thereby make q more
hospital beds available.
Rev. David B. McCauly, executive
director of Georgetown, said the
| renovating Of the abandoned school
was started, then stopped about 10
days ago, and the structure left
partly diSmantled.
Mr.. Sullivan explained that the
Public Buildings Administration be-
gan the work. but had to stop when
no order from WPB for the mate
rial came through.
Questioned by Maverick
Mr.. Maverick pressed, we did
not stop the work. did we?"
No Mr.. Sullivan admitted. but
work had to stop because we couldn't
get an order for more material"
Mr. Maverick suggested that per-
haps the preliminary work should
not have been started without the
order. Mr.. Maverick conferred with
Everett Jones of WPB. who said the
order to remodel the old school was
approved about a week ago.
AhlT A>:.L