Evening star., 1944-11-19

0onroh0n S 9t0n0
Given Full Booking
By County Heods
BY PAUL BEACH.
Arlington County Board Member
r. Freeland Chew, at board meet.
Ing yesterday, denied charges made
against County Manager Frank G.
Hanrahan and the board by q COM
nittee Of 10 women seeking pay
raises for county public health
nurses.
The County Board then unani-
mously adopted q motion approv.
ing "the manner in which the man.
ager has handled the entire public
health nurse controversy" and re.
anirming Its confidence In him.
The charges, made at a meeting
Of the County Civic Federation on
Tuesday, were that the County
Board had "abdicated" its respon-
sibility In not providing raises or
car allowances for the nurses. The
committee also said Mr.. Hanratan
acted TN the manner befltting .
despot."
Practice Abandoned
Pointing out that separate car al
lowances for. county employees were
abandoned years ago and that the
board took that matter into con-
sideration In fixing salaries, Mr..
Chew said:
"As to the boards conduct, let
the record speak for itself rs It
needs no defense from me. As TO
the county manager, I yehemently
deny the charges made against him
and deplore and denounce the &C.
cusations of the committee Of 10.
How could any such conclusions
be impartially formed when not q
single member of the committee
either took the time or trouble to
ascertain the other side Of the con-
troversy by consulting the manager
who was in full possession of all the
facts. Not q single member Of the
committee ever attended the public
hearing on the budget. nor has any
nurse or any citizen Of the country
done 50 tn support Of such increase.
Resignation Explained.
"But now, In the middle of a
fiscal year. comes q committee Of 10
citizens with q report filled with
personal prejudice and animosity;
a report born of revengeful utter
ances Of disgruntled former en-
ploye of the County Health Depart
ment, and because of whose actions,
I am reliably informed, two doctors,
both Of whom were assistant health
officers, felt compelled to resign.
II emphatically and vigorously
deny that the former supervising
nurse resigned for the reasons set
forth In the report, namely, because
she cot1ld not better the conditions
OF the nurses under her, and wished
Ito devote her time to their cause
land nght for : hearing Of their
4 grievances.
"On the other hand, this resig-
nation, like others which have fol-
lowed. vas the result u q theruugh
Investigation of the departments BY
the county manager, which disclosed
conditions which be, e. business
manager of the county, could not
and would not tolerate.
FeW Facfs KnOvn.
"Only . few minor facts behind
the controversy are publicly known,
but conditions were found to exist
which the manager felt JUSTIFIED
him in informing the health ofncer
that certain changes had to be made
Immediately to promote harmony
and more efhcient operation In the
department"
Mr.. Chew also pointed out that 1t
has been the boards policy not to
disturb the salary scale of any par
ticular group Of county employees
following adoption of the budget and
establishment Of the tax rate. Tho
county manager does not have the
authority to do 50, he said.
The only increases asked by DR..
Ralph G. Beachley, when the bude-
ct was last under consideration, Mr..
Chew continued, were a $500 in
crease for Miss Virginia O'Dell, su-
pervising nurse, and small increases
for two other nurses. Substantially
everything the Health Department
has asked has been granted by the
board, he added.
Open to Spoils Threat.
In conclusion, Mr.. Chew said,
with regard to the demands of
the Civic Federation, which has al
ways insisted upon a rigid adher-
ence to the budget, that either the
increase be granted or . public
hearing be held before. December /
on the question of the nurses pay
scale; If such a request were granted
in the middle Of the fiscal year, the
County Board would indeed be abdi-
eating all that it has ever stood for
in the way Of sound business admin
istration and budgetary control over
county expenditures and it might as
well relegate to the waste basket the
county budget and abolish the man
agerial form Of government which
has brought this county 80 far In
the short period Of its existence" /"
Board Member Edmund D. Camp
bell stated If the County Board does
not support Its executive head In
carrying on the county manager
form OF government the county win
be thrown open to q recurrence"
Of the old political 'spoils system
In its worst form"
Meanwhile, Miss ODell, In q
statement following the meeting,
accused Mr.. Hanrahan of Starting
a whispering campaign" concerning
her but added that she felt she was
beyond any harm now that she ID
no longer in the department.
DR.. Beachley Silent.
She came to Arlington six years
ago, she said, because Of q desire to
work with DR.. Beachley, In addition