, 1962-08-21
THE PRESIDENT: sentaor Alexander.

MR.. ALEXANDER: i don't really like to make
much of a comment here today on the matters that have
been discussed by my fellow colleagues. But I'd just like
to make a few remarks which might be edifying to those
That have already spoken on the subject relative to both
sizes Of the subject. Price controli is a very difficult thing
20 maintain at this time Of the year. Several months ago,
price control started on fish. The fisherman took excep-
ton to it and the result vas that there was nobody on
the island Of ST. Croix q don't know about St. Thomas)
was able to purchase fish for at least two months. The
community was deprived Of fish because the fishermen
felt that the ceiling that had been put on their product
was not adequate and just stopped fishing. The result
was that the government agency which had put on that
control had to 60 back practically and eat their own di-
rections and have the ceiling removed.
With reference to the doctors question, there's a
great deal of truth in what you say. But there's also this
you thave to consider: Any doctor that is not onthe gov
trnn1ents payroll cannot make a living. I've seen it hap
pen over a period of many, many years. Now | don't
know! | still have my doubts about it, and the difficulty
is this: tisn't only alone that the eleemonsynary patients
suffer, the question is, think the paying patients as well
as the ones receiving free medical attendance suffer.
Probably, / don't know why, but there's a great deal of
complaining on both sides when it comes to a question
OF medical attention. Now, whether it is or not that we
don't have sufficient medical practitioners in the island.
| don't know, but / do know this. that if we are going
to restrict a doctor who is on government payroll from
taking private patients, then the private patients are
going to suffer as a consequence. Because no doctor in
the island can make a living taking care of private pa
tients. Now, | am speaking for the Island of st. Croix;
I'm not familiar with the Island of st. Thomas; / sup
pose that you have much more weather. people, and
much more people that can afford to pay the doctors
here, But | know that in St. Croix that if a doctor is
not on the government payroll, and he has got to make
a living taking care of independent patients and collect
his bill, can assure you that the private patient is go
ing to be without medical attendance. Now that is based
on experience, and / know that. ! know doctors have
come down here, and tried to get on the medical pay
roll Of the government, they were unable to do so, and
eventually they had to pull up their stakes and leave and
go to other places in which they could do much better.
THE PRESIDENT: The only trouble with that Sena-
tor is that any doctor who has to come in the private
held and must compete with a government doctor who
has all Of the facilities plus a payroll must have diff
Guilty in making a living. But if the doctors who are on
the government payroll were not competing with the
private doctor he would make much more money than
any other doctor even if you paid them $4,000 per year.
On the contrary, | think that many Of our doctors may
go into private practice. But it seems to me your big
competition comes from certain percentapn of the cono.