Evening star., 1946-05-14
Challenged
On Chi|dren's
Fund
O'Mohoney Calls
For Example as
Campaign Opens

Asked by the chairman of the
Senate Subcommittee on District
Appropriations to set an example
for Congress in providing for public
1900 volunteers today
began soliciting $1,300,000 for a new
main building at Children's Hos
pital.
Senator O'Mahoney, Democrat, of
Wyoming said at the dinner open
ing the drive last night that he
knows hospital facilities in WASH
ington are not adequate and "do not
measure up to what the Capital of
a great Nation should have"
The 600 persons who went to hear
the Senator and William L. Clayton,
Assistant Secretary of State, of the
International Monetary Conference,
far exceeded the expectations of the
Dinner Committee and the May
flower Hotel. Having waited to find
places, the guests stayed on to give
a rising ovation to DR.. Joseph S.
Wall, chief of staff, who will cele-
brate his 50th anniversary at the
hospital in October.
Surgeons Skilled.
No one in Washington need send
a baby away for an emergency oper-
alton, because the specialists at
Children's Hospital can and do sue
cessfully perform the most difficult
surgery, DR.. Wall said. The hospital
will reward its friends for help in
the hour of need, he added, by pro-
viding every known facility for COM
batting the illness of children.
Senator O'Mahoney said success
full campaign will show that Wash
ington can take care of it's own and
will set the pace for Congress in
seeing that public institutions are
taken care of properly.
Because You are not privileged
to run your own affairs, there is a
disposition to let the Government
do it" when improvements are
needed. he said.
1t is impossible for this drive to
fail for the very fact that it is a
volunteer effort and "it cannot be
said that the Nations Capital did
not contribute" the Senator re-
marked.
Charles D. Drayton, president OF
the Hospitals Board of Directors,
read a letter from DR.. Claude w.
Munger, who had a leading part in
the recent survey highly critical of
District hospitals. 1t praised the
hospitals record of service and gave
strong support to the building pro-
gram.
Frank Views Asked.
Mr.. Drayton explained he asked
DR.. Munger, director of st. Luke's
Hospital in New York for his frank
views because the public might have
received the impression that the
recently published Metropolitan
Health and Hospital Survey con-
demned all hospitals in the District.
Your hospitals fine record for
public service is widely known. Your
architectural needs are obvious to
any one who inspects your older
buildings" DR.. Munger wrote. 1T
is my opinion that your board would
be remiss if it did not do its utmost
to bring its hospital plant and
equipment up to high standard.
This surely is essential if you are
to continue to meet the heavy OBJ
legation which must be carried in
the interests of sick children"
Observing the survey was intend
ed to show needs, Robert B. Swope,
general chairman of the new build
ing fund, said he thought there
was not ample opportunity provided
to express praise for what hospitals
have accomplished with the money
and facilities at their disposal"
Mr.. Clayton said there is so
much suffering in this haggard
world, it Is sometimes difficult to fix
priority. For instance, more of the
world is on the verge of starvation
than ever in history-in my opinion,
so much more that there can be
little comparison"
Staff Growth Cited.
The Government, however, is
asking the public only to conserve
food, he said. OF all the cases where
the public is being asked for money
none has a greater priority in our
hearts than the need of little kids
for help" Mr.. Clayton declared.
DR.. Wall recalled the medical
staff has grown from eight, when
he arrived, to 165 pediatricians and
specialists. So well thought of is
the hospital that it was very first
to obtain new drugs rationed during
the war, he said, while applications
for medical training there have
come from India, Syria and recently
from Chungking.
The hospitals goal is two nurses
for each three children. Those
nurses, he emphasized, must be
skilled to detect physical changes
which babies cannot describe.