Evening star., 1946-04-18
Capitol Studies
Ga||inger Nurse
Emergency Plea
O'Mohoney Calls for
$1,000 immediately
To Allow Hirings
By Don S. Worren

Emergency moves to increase the
number of nurses at Gallinger Hos
pital were under study today at the
Capitol as a result of action taken
by Chairman O'Mahoney of the
Senate subcommittee in charge Of
the 1947 District supply bill.
Ten applicants for nurse positions
at Gallinger we're rejected recently
because funds for additional nurse
hire would not become available
until July /.
When told Of this yesterday by
Miss Beatrice Ritter, director OF
Gallinger nurses, Chairman O'Ma-
honey made prompt appearance
before the Deficiency Subcommittee
Of the Senate Appropriations Com
mittee to ask immediate provision
Of $1,000 for employment in the last
two mouths of this fiscal year OF
20 more nurses.
Officials at Hearing.
The deficiency group now has be-
fore it the House-passed second de-
flcienF bill of this fiscal year,
which is expected to become law
early next month. Chairman OMa-
honey took with him to the def
cheney bearing Commissioner Guy
Mason, District Budget Officer Wal
ter L. Fowler and his deputy, Will
liam G. Wilding.
If nurses returning to Washing
ton are to be had for Gallinger," +"
said Chairman OMahoney, I'VE
want to make it possible to get them.
Certainly they should not be lost for
lack of funds"
He said this, however, was only
a rule of thumb" measurement of
the need of additional help for
Gallinger, taken because of the
time element, and that his sub
committee later would decide on a
more permanent basis what addi-
tional funds to seek for nursing and
other help for Gallinger.
Hearings Near End.
Hearings on the District bill be-
fore the Senate group are nearing
an end. Only a few departments
remain to be heard and considera-
ton of requests by civic spokesmen
was expected to begin this after
noon.
Aside from these items, however,
the subcommittee still is to pass
judgment on final proposals for
Gallinger. Yesterday the OMah-
oney group directed District officials
to prepare an entirely new and "co-
ordinated" budget for Gallinger be-
cause the present requests were
based on data compiled nearly a
year ago. Since then, DR.. Alvin r.
Sweeney has taken over the position
of superintendent of the hospital.
In addition, the O'Mahoney sub
committee yesterday directed COM
mittee of six physicians concerned
with resident and visiting physi-
clans work at Gallinger to sub
mitted recommendations to remove
all defects in the hospitals setup
and to place it on high profess
sional and medical" basis.
The group, known as the Medi-
cal Administration Committee, is
headed by Admiral P. S. Rossiter,
chief of staff at Gallinger.
= Welfare Items Outlined.
The group went quickly through
Welfare Department items. Ray L.
Huff, welfare director, outlined needs
for expansion of the capital outlay
funds for various institutions, in
Guiding the juvenile correctional
agencies, the Home for Aged and
Infrm, plans for the new Receiving
Home for Children and more dormi-
tories for the District Training
School for Feebleminded at Laurel,
Md.
Col. Joseph D. Arthur, jr., assist
ant engineer commissioner, impress
ed the subcommittee, however, with
a declaration there was little to be
gained" by making appropriations
for such building projects until the
construction costs situation had be-
come stabilized. Senator O'Mahoney
said the official reported it was "al-
most impossible today to estimate
what would be contract bid prices.
Col. Arthur made a strong plea
for S56,000 increase over House
totals for the Department of We
hicles and Traffic, to provide five
additional engineers to aid in traf-
flc light planning and other work
and 10 additional inspectors for
the automobile mechanical inspec-
'tion division. The extra fund
also would provide for installation