Evening star., 1947-11-13
StudySetonCuts
In Payments TO
ST. E|izabeths
Officials to Probe
Possibility Of Hating
Droin on D. c. Funds
By Newbold Moves, Jr.

Municipal and Federal officials
agreed today to explore the posi-
hilities of lowering-or. at least, Of
holding at their present level-Dis-
trict payments to st. Elizabeths
Hospital.
At meeting with the Commits
sionerS. Federal Security Admins
traitor Oscar r. Ewing promised to
assign budgetary experts from his
agency to discuss with District
Budget Officer Walter L. Fowler and
Public Welfare Director Ray L. Huff
ways in which the Districts share
of the mental hospitals costs might
be reduced.
The Federal Security Agency con-
trolls the hospital, but Mr.. Ewing
pointed out decisions about its finan-
cial arrangements come from the
Bureau of the Budget He told re-
porterS, however, that if agreement
could be reached between his agency
and the District. joint plan for
reapportioning the hospitals ex-
penSes could be presented to the
Budget Bureau.
Standards to Remain.
Mr.. Ewing stressed that no re-
duction of st. Elizabeths' standards
is contemplated. The only point at
issue, he said, is how the hospitals
costs should be divided between the
Federal and District Governments.
The District now pays $3.65 day
for each patient who goes to St.
EliZabethS from Washington. This
year the bill to local taxpayers Is
s6,23O,OOO.
THAT sum is more than the en-
tire amount spent for all forms Of
public welfare and public assistance
in the District" said Commissioner
John Russell Young in letter in
viting Mr.. Ewing to a discussion
with the city heads.
Letter Is Cited.
The letter was dated October 6.
Mr.. Young said the ST. Elizabeths
payment sis nearly one-third the
cost of operating all our public
schools. 1t is 80 per cent of the
entire sum spent on public health"
The figure also equals the yearly
cost of operating the entire District
police department.
In their talk with Mr.. Ewing, at
which David Bishop, executive off,
Ger Of st. Elizabeths, also was pres
ent. the Commissioners said that st.
Elizabeths cost of $1,3359O per pa
tient per year is by far the highest
IN the country-tWo and one-half
times the national average for mem
tai institutions.
Program Is Praised.
! Expressing admiration for the
program to make ST. Elizabeths the
Nations finest mental hospital, Mr..
Young commented that ''it is not
just to impose the entire cost of such
an ambitious national program on
! the overburdened taxpayers Of
Washington"
Mr.. Young pointed out the city
will be forced, this year, to make
heavy cuts in the budget requests of
its department heads.
| ~ l1llbhDCIllo dlOIIS IL dtl eSCeDs
ton" he said. The Commissioners,
who are the only spokesmen for
WaShington's taxpayers, have abso-
lutely no control over its (the hos
pitals) expenditure of the taxpay-
erS' money"
improvements Not Included.
Mr. Ewing. in reply, reminded the
city heads that capital improvements
at ST. Elizabeths are not included
in the Districts bill The Federal
Government pays for those i'm
provements.
1t is up to the Budget Bureau, he
said, whether other costs now in
cluded in the Districts bill should be
similarly taken over by the Federal
Government. Mr.. Ewing said that
to compare the cost of operating st.
ElizabethS with that of other mental
hospitals was meaningless, as the
Nations mental institutions as
whole are notoriously substandard.