Evening star., 1943-12-14
bocock' S Custer
From Ga||inger
Still in Balance
Senate Committee
Recommendation
Is Unanimous


Edgar A. Bocock as superintend-
ent Of Gallinger Municipal Hos
pital was hanging in the balance
today as the result of the unani-
nous demand for his removal
adopted late yesterday by eight
members of the Senate District
Committee.
Indications that the Senate COM
mittee may call for further cor
rective" steps were seen in the an
nouncement the group would meet
again soon for further considera-
ton of the report of the Holman
subcommittee which investigated
the hospital
The subcommittee report, filed
with the full committee October 13,
calls for the removal of Commits
sioner Guy Mason, Health Officer
George C. Rutland, DR.. Joseph L.
Gilbert, head of Gallingers psy-
chiatric ward, and DR.. Charles P.
Cake, chief of the tuberculosis ward,
as well as Supt. Bocock
Refuse to Comment.
AS to the full committee call for
the custer of DR.. Bobcock, neither he
nor the District Commissioners had
any immediate comment to make.
The only exception was that Mr..
Mason suggested if any action were
taken it would be by the Board of
Commissioners rather than by him.
self.
The session of the committee
Scheduled last week. was held
shortly after the grand jury, con-
cluding lengthy investigation of al
legged criminal law violations at
Gallinger, indicted a hospital en-
ploye and former Gallinger worker
on charges Of larceny and embezzle-
ment of hospital property
The employe, Waldo O. Kuhn,
superintendent of maintenance, was
suspended later yesterday by the
Commissioners He is accused of
taking 80 sacks of cement, six rolls
of tar paper and Is gallons of tar
in July, 194l. The former employe,
Clarence A. Campbell. colored, who
was assigned in the supply depart
ment, was accused of stealing 100
pounds of sugar in February, 1912.
Members at Session.
Members attending the commit
tee executive session, which lasted
more than two hours, were Senator
McCarran, Democrat of Nevada,
the chairman; Overton, Democrat,
Of Louisiana; the three subcom-
mittee members: Holman of Ore
gon. Bushfield of South Dakota
and Buck of Delaware, Republi-
cans, and Capper of Kansas, Bur-
ton Of Ohio and Bridges of New
Hampshire, Republicans.
+ When the session broke up,
chairman McCarran announced the
following motion had been adopted
unanimously: That the findings
and conclusions of fact by the
fHolman) subcommittee and the
specific recommendation that DIR.
Edgar A. Bocock be removed be-
adopted. and that the further rec
concentrations of the subcommittee
remain before the full committee.
for further study
The committee, he added would
meet again "in very short time
to proceed with further considera-
ton of the subject, looking to
further action"
"No Conclusions" Reached.
1t was suggested action was taken
first as to DR.. Bocock, because he
was the head of the hospital, and
that lack of time yesterday was
the reason details of other recon-
mendations were not considered.
mo conclusions, pro or con. were
reached as to the other recommen-
dations," it was said.
Chairman McCarran said it was
the unanimous belief conditions at
Gallinger are "deplorable, and must
be remedied as speedily as remedies
properly can be adopted" He said
the group had considered. among
other, points, the question of the
sufflciency OF appropriations pro-
vided for the institution.
He added it was brought out that
Congress had appropriated repeat
edly nearly all the funds requested
by municipal authorities: and that
the proposed $4,000 year for a
deputy superintendent, a business
manager. chief housekeeper and
other aides to Supt. Bocock-denied
by the Senate Appropriations Com
mittee recently-Were not deemed
items looking to the betterment Of
the hospital conditions.
16 Years in Post.
DR.. Bocock has been superin-
tendent of Gallinger for nearly l6
years. Prior to taking this post he
was superintendent of the Colorado
General Hospital for two years, and
served about year at Walter Reed
Hospital as hospital inspector. He
is a veteran of the World War and
was a major in the Medical Corps
for more than five years in the Re-
public of Panama, building a large
hospital and a number of smaller
ones.
The Holman subcommittee found
him 'unsuited" to his Gallinger post,
that if he did not know of condi-
tions recited in the testimony he
had not performed his duties "in a
manner that merits approval" and
that If he did know of these things