Evening star., 1957-08-18

Immediately involved under the
House-passed Sibley Hospital
bill.
The liens. under an 1898 act
Of Congress, were to cover
money granted by Congress to
help the hospitals in construc-
ton or maintenance. The act
indicates they were to cover
appropriated money. an insur-
ance that the institutions would
not dissolve and use the money
or property for other purposes.
The law provided that the
United States--and the District
Of Columbia-are entitled to
recover the money should the
hospital dissolve or dispose Of
the property.
Now that q number Of WASH
ington hospitals have or are in
the process Of building new
plants they want to rid them
selves Of their old structures
and use the money from such
sales to help finance the new
ones.
The District, however, with
its eye on part Of the money
covered by the liens. wants II
back.
Liens Forgotten Issue
For years these liens were ac-
cepted as q matter Of course
and. in fact, practically for
gotten about.
But. with congressional con-
sideration this summer Of the
Sibley Memorial Hospital bill,
already passed by the House.
things changed. This bill would
authorize transfer Of Federal
property at Loughboro road
and Macarthur boulevard NV.
to build the new Sihley Hos
pital rather than the previous
" scheduled site on the Ameri-
can University campus.
But, the bill would also per-
NIT the transfer Of these old
liens from the old locations Of
all hospitals taking part in the
Hospital Center Act to the new
sites. This would include
Hahnemann Hospital which is
to be merged with the new Sib-
ley institution.
The District. for the first
time. protested on the basis
that the liens covered funds
appropriated by Congress back
in the days when Congress and
the District worked on a finan-
cial $3.50 basis.
Half District Funds
Half Of the money involved
In the liens. the Commissioners
declared, came from District
funds. The District, they feel,
has an equitable interest.
Under the Hospital Center
Act. the District must repay a
total of IS per cent of the
costs Of each new hospital to
the Federal Government, It
feels 1t should be given credit
for its so per cent Of the liens
involved toward this repay
ment.
1t therefore opposes the Sib-
ley bill which would transfer
the liens. placing the money
out Of reach Of the District for
years to come.
Under the 1916 Hospital
Center Act as amended in 1851
"a total Of $36.7l0.OO0 was au-
thorized. $23.7l0,000 for the
new hospital center on SOL
diers Home grounds and $13,-
100000 to help provide new
structures for other private,
non-prof1t hospitals.
Hospital Status Changed
The funds were to be out
right grants to the hospitals.
However. in 1852. Columbia
Hospital was changed from q
Federal institution to q private
charity in order to qualify for
construction funds under the
Hospital Center Act.
Here Congress placed the lien
provisions of the 1893 act into
the entire grant program.
Meanwhile. the private hos
|pitals planning new sites bliss
fully calculated the entire value
Of their old structures and
lands into their so per cent Of
the total costs Of the new build
ings to be used as matching
funds.
After Providence Hospital
moved from its old structure al
Second and d streets Sc. tc
the new building at Twelfth
and Varnum streets NE, II
was decided either to raze OF
sell the antiquated property.
GsA Has Different idea
But. the General Services
Administration replied that the
1898 lien provisions applied and
49, A2~~aak.V AAss1A a. knak- A.n,a