Evening star., 1948-12-10

ming water. eight times as likely
to lack electric lights.
"Only 80 per cent of the residents
of the District of Columbia are
Negroes. But Negroes have 10 per
cent of the slum residents. So per
cent of the tuberculosis deaths and
SO per cent of the felony arrests.
One-third of the Negro felonies are
by juveniles under 18 years"
... Figures on tuberculosis.
Figures are given to show that
colored people with moderate in
comes and adequate housing in
1910 had lower tuberculosis
death rate than white slum-
dwellers.
In 1914, a Negro in Washington
was more than four times as likely
to die from this cause (tubercu-
losis) as a white resident, and al
most twice as likely to die from 1t
as a Negro living elsewhere" the
report states.
It says the life expectancy OF a
colored resident Of washington Is
10 to II years less than that Of a
white resident.
I'm 1914 his chances Of dying
were 81 per cent greater" the re-
port says. Elsewhere in the Ma
ton, the colored death rate was
only 19 per cent higher than the
white death rate"
In 1946 colored babies born in the
District were almost twice as likely
to die as white babies, and Negro
mothers were six times as likely to
die as white mothers, the report
says.
Inferior Medical Care.
This rate of material mortality
indicates that Negroes in Washing
ton do not get sufficient medical
care" the report says. The Dis
trict Health Department spends
two-thirds of its funds on the care
of colored people, and they occupy
third of the hospital beds. But
the facilities available to them are
inferior and far short Of their
greater need"
In this respect, conditions are
worse than go years ago, according
to the report. 1t states that, in
1889, all of the II hospitals in the
District reported to the Senate no
person was denied admission be-
cause of race, whereas now a
fourth of the IL private hospitals
exclude Negroes altogether, and the
remainder allot them limited
number of beds in segregated wards.
The report gives an account of
Ia Negro woman rushing to a
church-supported hospital on cold
winter morning and. denied admis-
sion, was delivered of baby on the
sidewalk in front of the door.
Public money was used to build
the recent additions to George
Washington Hospital and George
town University Hospital" the re-
port says. Yet both these hos
pitfalls now limit the number Of
beds for Negro patients and exclude
Negro doctors from staff positions
and courtesy privileges.
Excluded From Trades.
AS for employment opportunities,
according to the report the pro-
portion of Negroes who work for a
living in Washington is higher
than for the whites. They work
longer hours and go to work at an
earlier age; the percentage of
Negro teeh-agers who are gain
fully employed is twice that Of
whites.
Negroes are excluded from most
skilled trades by craft unions, the
report says, and from whole indus
tries by management policy. In
retail trades, commerce, utilities,
communications and transporta-
ton they have little chance" The
report says they will not be hired
as a motorman or conductor by
the transit company.
The telephone company employs
no colored mechanics or linesmen
the report says, although one of its
Offices of IS workers has satisfac-
. tory colored switchboard operators
The big department stores deny
Negro women a chance to become
!, clerks, the report says.
!, Even the city government
forces colored people to accept 6
servant status" it is stated. Eek.
cept in segregated units and in ths
Office of the Recorder of Deeds
Negroes are employed almost ex.
} clusively in such capacities as la.
. borers, janitors apd elevator opera