Evening star., 1943-10-19
Stefan Defends
Ga||inger Work,
Dc. Supervision
louds Commissioners
For Leadership
In House Talk

For Leadership
In House Talk
The operation of Gallinger Hos
pltal and other municipal services
was strongly defended yesterday by
Representative Stefan, Republican
OF Nebraska. In an address to the
House he commended District OFF,
cials for maintaining the functions
OF city government in the face of in
creased population.
Speaking from long experience on
the subcommittee that drafts the
annual District appropriation bill
Mr.. Stefan cited these factors in
connection with the Senate investi-
cation of Gallinger:
Out of $50 jobs required to run
the institution, more than ITO are
vacant today due to the man
power shortage.
With a capacity of 1,451 beds,
and an average daily patient list
OF 1,051 last year, Gallinger must
serve three meals a day from a
kitchen built to handle 300 pa
tients, because priorities have not
been obtainable to build a new
kitchen Congress authorized.
Scope Of Officials Limited.
Although he spoke out vigorously
on behalf of those in charge of Gal
linger. Mr.. Stefan's speech was a
broad appeal to his colleagues to re-
member that the District govern
ment is $4,000, ,0OO- O-a-year organi-
zation, that the local officials ad-
minister it only with such powers as
the all-powerful Congress delegates
to them, and that the proximity of
Capitol Hill to the District Building
makes them the subject of frequent
investlgations-first by one branch
OF Congress and then by the other.
In a critical report on Gallinger
Hospital, a Senate District Sub
committee last week recommended
the removal of Commissioner Mason,
Health Officer Rutland, DR.. Edgar
A. Bocock, superintendent at GAL
linger, and the heads of two divi-
sions of the hospital.
Mr.. Stefan did not discuss per-
sonalities, but, after reviewing the
whole picture of wartime Washing
ton-with more than 100000 new
comers moving in since 194o-he
told the House:
The Commissioners have a big
JOB, and, in my opinion, their lead
ership has been energetic"
Testimony Held Ignored.
Il have been interested in the
investigation of our local hospital"
said the Nebraskan, referring to
Gallinger, because I, and members
OF the committee on which I serve,
have visited and inspected that in
stltution on many occasions. I had
thought that I would be interested
In reading the report, but if the
editorial of October IA, appearing in
The Washington Star, is correct in
stating that the report ignores the
records which show Gallinger as
comparing favorably with similar
institutions in other cities, that it
Ignores the statement made by the
Gallinger staff Of physicians, and
that 1t ignores the testimony of DR..
William S. Ossenfort, assistant sur
geon general Of the Public Health
Service, who made an independent
investigation at the request of the
chairman of the subcommittee, and
who reported favorably on the hos
pital, then have no interest in the
document.
"Gallinger Municipal Hospital is
. charity hospital for the INDECENT
and semi-indigent, and it is under
the supervision of the Health De-
partment, an agency which requires
total annual appropriation of ap-
proximately s3.50o,OOO.
Death Rate Falls Sharply.
IF the Health Department has
fallen down on the job, we should
give serious consideration to
change in administration, but do
you know that In 1917 the local
death rate was 1854 per thousand
population, as compared with 1913 in
l942-the death rate from all causes
being the lowest Of all times? The
deaths from pneumonia alone have
shown a reduction from 139 deaths
per hundred thousand in 1886 to
sos in 1912. Each year has shown
a reduction in diphtheria mortality.
For a period of 10 years there have
been no deaths from smallpox.
Typhoid fever is on the wane, and
maternal mortality is the lowest of
all time. The new low is % per
thousand live births, as compared
with 6.5 in 1886. The infant NOR
tality rate struck a new all-time low
In 1912. AS general proposition,
figures are just figures, but these
figures, Mr.. Speaker, are eloquent
they mean something"
Mr.. Stefan asked members of
Congress to mediate upon our in
dividual sponsibility, because until
some change is made, the Govern
ment of the District of Columbia
Is simply an agency of the United
States for conducting the affairs
Of its government in this Federal
district" Nearly all municipal en-
ployes are taken from civil service
eligible lists, he said, and, there
See GALLINGER, Page BAD