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treatment or whether they are able to pay for treatment. The SurgeonGeneral exercises no real supervision over the admissions, and the sanitary officer, without investigation, simply exercises his judgment as to sending to the hospital persons making application at his office for free treatment. Therefore, while theoretically there is a contract with the hospital providing for a certain number of patients, and while the hospital undoubtedly receives and cares for a number of patients at least equal to the number required, no measures are taken to protect the Government against imposition on the part of persons who seek free treatment when they are able to pay for hospital services. The annual contract, therefore, is little more than a survival of the proper system as applied to hospital admissions.

As has been said, the hospital is owned and operated by the Sisters of Charity. A chapel is maintained in the hospital building, and there is a resident chaplain. It is probable that the patients seeking Providence Hospital do so with a full knowledge of the facts in the case so far as the religious connections of the hospital are concerned; and the reputation of the Sisters of Charity for devotion in hospital work doubtless draws many patients thither.

From the reports it would appear that all receipts of the hospital are used to enlarge and increase the efficiency of the institution. The amount paid per patient per day by the District is not excessive, but on the other hand it undoubtedly fully covers the actual cost of the services rendered; and especially is this the case in view of the fact that the Government has appropriated $60,000 to pay in part for the buildings.

St. Ann's Infant Asylum.-This institution receives $5,400 from Congressional appropriations, which is about 50 per cent of the total cost of maintenance. The institution has from the date of its establishment in 1863 materially aided the police department of the District in receiving and caring for abandoned infants. It is controlled by the Roman Catholic Church.

The St. Joseph's Male Orphan Asylum receives male children from St. Ann's Infant Asylum, and has a population of about 100. It receives an annual appropriation of $1,800, the total cost of maintenance being, for 1896, $6,115.59. It is under the control of the Roman Catholic Church.

St. Vincent's Orphan Asylum.—This institution was established about 1825, and was incorporated by the act of February 25, 1831. It receives no support from the Government. Only on one occasion has it received an appropriation, and in that instance a gift of lands of the supposed value of $10,000 was made to it. St. Vincent's receives the female children who come from the St. Ann's. It is under the control of the Roman Catholic Church.

St. Rose Industrial School.-This institution receives girls from St.

See History, p. 115.

Vincent's Orphan Asylum. The title to the land is in Sister Clara (Nora Maloney). It has received Congressional appropriations for buildings and other improvements amounting to $20,000 and private gifts of lands, or money expended for lands, to the amount of $2,500. It provides for between 60 and 70 girls, who learn dressmaking. From Congress it receives an annual appropriation of $4,500. Practically the entire support of the institution comes from Congress, the private donations for the school in 1896 amounting to $287.50. It is under the control of the Roman Catholic Church.

The Church Orphanage of St. John's Parish owns property to the amount of about $40,000, about $10,000 of which came from Congressional appropriations. It has an endowment of $22,000. It receives from Congress an annual appropriation of $1,800 and private gifts to the amount of about $2,000, the total cost of maintenance being $4,454 in 1896. The institution is conducted under the auspices of the Protestant Episcopal Church, the rector of St. John's church being the warden of the board of trustees. The trustees (except the treasurer) must be laymen communicants of that church.

The House of the Good Shepherd was organized in 1884, and occupies property valued at about $70,000, of which $23,000 came from Congressional appropriations. It received in 1896 an income from Congressional appropriations of $2,700, besides $282.93 received from the Board or Children's Guardians, the total income for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1896, being $6,869.23. Inasmuch as the income from the work of the inmates was $2,770.05, and a legacy of $1,000 was received, while the total cost of maintenance was $6,869.08, it would appear that the institution is supported practically by the District. It is under the control of the Roman Catholic Church.

The Association of Works of Mercy, under the control of the Protestant Episcopal Church, receives an annual appropriation of $1,800, the cost of maintenance of the institution being about $3,000 a year. The value of the property occupied is about $35,000, of which amount $8,200 came from Congressional appropriations. The amount received from private gifts during 1896 was $823.82. It would appear that about two-thirds of the annual income comes from the District funds.

The Home for the Aged, conducted under the auspices of the Roman Catholic Church, occupies property valued at $260,000, of which amount $55,000 was appropriated by Congress. It receives no appropriation from Congress.

FOR THE RELIEF OF THE POOR.

The annual appropriation for the relief of the poor is $13,000. Of this sum $7,200 is expended for the services of 20 physicians at $30 each per month, and $3,700 for medicines and printing prescriptions. Eighteen druggists supply medicine by contract, the average cost of prescriptions being between 15 and 20 cents. The physicians to the

poor are appointed by the Commissioners of the District of Columbia, and are under the supervision of the Health Office. The Health Office cooperates with the physicians in all cases of contagious disease, making the necessary bacteriological examinations, and furnishing assistance in the use of antitoxin.1

DUTIES OF THE PHYSICIANS TO THE POOR.

The physicians to the poor are required to attend promptly the poor of their respective districts, to vaccinate freely such of the poor as need vaccination, to investigate cases of death occurring without the attendance of a physician, or cases where it is impossible to obtain a physician's certificate. The physicians in person are required to make weekly returns of their work on blanks provided by the health office.2

The physicians are required to give prompt attention in all obstetric cases of emergency. Other cases of that character are to be referred to the health department, which makes such arrangements as may be possible with one of the out-of-door lying-in dispensaries operated in the city.

DRUGGISTS TO THE POOR.

The druggists to the poor agree to furnish, at prices not to exceed 15 cents for each prescription, medicines of the best quality, properly prepared and put up, upon prescriptions of the physicians to the poor. Where special prescriptions are ordered, where their constituents are expensive, or the quantities are greater than those designated in the contract, a price proportionate to the standard price is allowed.

ALLOWANCES TO INSTITUTIONS.

From the funds for the relief of the poor an allowance of $500 was made to the Women's Dispensary, and an allowance of $300 was made. to the Aged Women's Home. The Women's Dispensary is located at the corner of Four-and-a-half street and Maryland avenue SW. It is a free dispensary, having no salaried officers except an apothecary, who receives $10 per month. The Aged Women's Home, located at 1255 Thirty-second street NW., has an income of $144 a year from invested moneys, making, with the public funds received, a total of $444, the annual expenditures being about $600.

EMERGENCY FUNDS.

Also from the fund for the relief of the poor, $300 was paid for coffins for the indigent dead; and $1,000 was paid out for emergency relief

'Hearings, pp. 7-9, and 384.

Under the system recently adopted by the health officer these returns are very complete.

S. Rep. 700-2

cases investigated through the police department by order of the Commissioners of the District of Columbia, on recommendation of the superintendent of charities. The sum was distributed in provisions, fuel, and clothing by the police.

SUGGESTIONS AS TO PHYSICIANS TO THE POOR.

The committee suggest to the Commissioners of the District of Columbia the advisability of the appointment of a smaller number of physicians to the poor, and the payment of salaries more in accordance with the duties they should perform; also that calls for physicians be left at the police stations, under regulations prescribed by the health officer, in order to have some record of the attention paid to such calls. COMMISSIONERS' GRANTS TO INSTITUTIONS NOT REALLY HELPFUL.

If the Commissioners had no power to grant moneys to institutions, it would in some degree prevent the duplication of charities. In the case of the Women's Dispensary there would seem to be no good reason for adding another to the number of dispensaries now operated in this city. In the case of the Aged Women's Home, while without question the Home has done a good work, still the Washington Asylum has been provided to take care of the very class of cases that the Aged Women's Home proposes to care for, and there are a number of other institutions in the city for the same purpose. If it is intended to establish homes for the aged, the work should be undertaken in an adequate manner.

The committee has been called upon often to see the ill results of a small amount left to establish a charitable enterprise, only to have the charity in question come on the public for almost its entire support. The number of charities already existing, and inadequately supported, offer an abundant opportunity for the charitably disposed to bestow their gifts in a more effective manner than by the establishment of institutions without provision for their support..

DIRECT RELIEF FROM DISTRICT FUNDS NOT ADVISABLE.

In making the recommendation that no appropriation be made for the relief of cases investigated by the police department the committee does so in view of the fact that there is already a fund amounting to $33,000, yielding an income of about $2,000 a year, which is under the control of the Commissioners of the District of Columbia for the relief of the poor. This fund has been created from gifts from the executive committee of the inaugural ceremonies of March 4, 1889, and March 4, 1897. Of the total amount $7,000 was received since the last appropriation for the relief of the poor was made, and if this amount shall be

invested at the same rate of interest that other portions of the fund are now drawing the income should be $420 per annum.

The committee believe that it is unwise to have any considerable sum of money at the disposal of the authorities for the relief of the poor, because where such sums are disbursed by Government officials, persons making application regard themselves as entitled to be numbered among the beneficiaries, regardless of the fact that they may be in no real need. Moreover, each year the central relief committee is organized to provide for destitute cases. During 1896 and 1897 a little over $8,000 was raised from private contributions for the relief of the poor. The persons making application for this relief had their cases carefully investigated, and it is believed that this committee was able to relieve all cases where such relief was deserved.

HARMFUL RESULTS.

In this connection the committee calls attention to the testimony of Mr. George S. Wilson, the secretary of the Associated Charities, to be found on page 25 of the hearings before the committee. Mr. Wilson says:

Two or three years ago Congress made an appropriation of $10,000 to relieve suffering, and there are many people who think that it did more than $10,000 worth of harm. The applicants for relief did not come and ask charity. They would say: "We want a living, and here is the money to give us a living."

During ordinary times we have almost two applicants from colored people to one white applicant. Let an emergency come where there is a little excitement, the number of white applicants will not materially increase; that is, the white people do not come in a rush, but, on the other hand, the number of applicants from among the colored people will increase enormously; we have had them increase twentyfold. Now, we have these people here; they live here at all times, summer and winter, from hand to mouth. If you establish a public outdoor relief fund they come around in the winter and say "I am out of work; I have nothing to do; I want relief, and there is money here to give it." You say you will investigate. You know these people are within forty-eight hours of starvation most of the time. You go to the house and see absolute destitution. The money is there for relief purposes and it has to be granted. By having such a fund you take all the backbone out of these people.

Mr. NORTHWAY. Suppose you do not have any money; they starve then?

Mr. WILSON. No, sir; they work then. These people can not come to you then and say this money has been appropriated by Congress for relief, and that they are entitled to it; that is, they can not claim it as a right.

Mr. PITNEY. No; they could not claim it as a right.

Mr. WILSON. The very worst cases are these people who have an idea that we get money from Congress. Yet if you supply it, we can not say no. These people receive it naturally, and expect it. It is not so in regard to white people. The great majority of them would rather struggle to get along. The colored people are childlike, and if we had a public outdoor relief fund their condition would be doubly distressing, we think. Besides, there has never been any difficulty to raise money when needed. Washington institutions, more largely than those of any other city in this country I think, are supported to a great extent by public money.

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