STATEMENT OF GEN. GEORGE H. WOOD, PRESIDENT OF THE BOARD OF MANAGERS, NATIONAL HOMES FOR DISABLED VOLUNTEER SOLDIERS. Gen. WOOD. I think probably about the best way to bring this thing before you and to show you just exactly what the White committee are asking in this matter would be a physical illustration. I have before me now a picture taken from an airplane of the Pacific Branch of the National Military Home. Now, by the terms of the sundry civil bill last year we were authorized to make additional improvements, and additions to take care of patients. One of the emergencies that developed in that connection was in connection with tuberculosis. We have put up right here [indicating] a tuberculosis plant which will take care of 300 patients. We are using for that our existing power plant. We are using our water, we are using our organization and everything else, and here is a picture of the building that we are putting up. It is at Los Angeles, Calif. We broke ground in February, and that is its condition the middle of April, about 75 per cent complete. That is reinforced concrete and steel. That is a good illustration of what I can show you of what Dr. White is trying to accomplish. Mr. ELLIOTT. You say that will accommodate 300. Gen. WOOD. Yes, sir. Mr. ELLIOTT. Is that big enough to take care of all the demands in that region. Gen. WOOD. It will be big enough to take care of the tuberculosis situation to-day. Mr. ELLIOTT. What is the nearest home you have to that? Gen. WOOD. The nearest we have to that is at Leavenworth. Gen. WOOD. Yes, sir. Mr. ELLIOTT. You have nothing down south in Arizona? Gen. WOOD. We have not. As a matter of fact the original location of most of our homes was largely geographical due to the unpleasantness between the States. They were usually located in the north. We have one now at Johnson City, Tenn. Mr. ELLIOTT. This hospital in Johnson City, Tenn., is located in that immediate territory needed for treatment of tuberculosis. Gen. WOOD. Well, sir, I have got a little document on that subject, from which I will read to you a short quotation. Mr. ELLIOTT. Is that hospital at Johnson City, Tenn., with 1,000 beds sufficient to take care of all the tuberculosis patients that would belong to the territory in which it is located? Gen. WOOD. In addition to that hospital there are hospitals of the Public Health Service at Oteen, N. C., and one in South Carolina, in the same area, for tuberculosis; so that we have three hospitals in that region climatically available for taking care of tuberculosis. I might say here, in reference to Dr. White's testimony, everything he said was borne out in our experience in the home in two years' treatment. One of the greatest features that he mentioned was the ambulatory feature. They are absolutely the greatest globe trotters you have ever seen. We have one man that has been with us about eight years, and he has been in eight or nine different homes. His name is Chester Baxter. I can never tell where Chester will show up. He is at Johnson City now. Before that he was in Maine; before that he was in Valmont, S. Dak. I can never tell where Chester Baxter is going to stay put. I have other men in mind in the same situation. It is absolutely a question of wandering around, with a certain predilection for the West, and I have found them to have a mania for wandering. The greatest problem in tuberculosis is the treatment more than climate. I have studied it for the last two years. But unless a man makes up his mind to rigorously follow the instructions laid down by his doctor you are going to have very serious consequences. It is rest, contentment, a good surrounding, and good food. That we have found will bring a man out as well in Maine, where we have a tuberculosis hospital, as in Johnson City. If the man has the mind to pay attention to the doctor and stick to his treatment, stay in at night, his chances for recovery are very good at any place. If he will not do that, his chances for recovery are nil at any place. Mr. PRINGEY. As a matter of fact, doesn't the medical fraternity recommend sleeping porches, open air, and the sunshine? Gen. WOOD. Yes, sir; you have got the thing. Mr. PRINGEY. Then where is it except in the West? I live at an altitude of 1,500 feet. Gen. WOOD. Well, sir, it is pretty hard on me when you nail me down as a doctor, because I am not. I will say this much, sir, that I haven't the slightest doubt in the world that where you get such a delightful climate as you have in the great and glorious State of Oklahoma it is helpful to a man as an incident to the cure. But I don't think it is a very important part of it. I said to the gentleman from Oklahoma that, in my mind, rigorously following the instructions laid down by the doctor was most valuable and important in the treatment of tuberculosis. Dr. WHITE. Yes, sir. Mr. PRINGEY. I think I can find, when I go back to my office, that the per cent west of the Mississippi is much less than it is east of the Mississippi River. I am referring to men who live there-residents, not men who were overseas. Dr. WHITE. That is explained in this way, that the hardiest of our race went West, and their progeny has been stronger than those who remained in the old, populated areas of the East. Mr. PRINGEY. I admit that they have small physiques in the East. Gen. WOOD. I have nothing further to say to the committee unless they have some question they would like to ask me. The CHAIRMAN. The question of Dawsonsprings came up a while ago. Congressman Kincheloe is here and desires to be heard regarding Dawsonsprings. STATEMENT OF HON. DAVID H. KINCHELOE, A REPRESENTATIVE IN CONGRESS FROM THE STATE OF KENTUCKY. Mr. KINCHELOE. Gentlemen of the committee, I just want to detain you for a short time. I will say for the benefit of the new members on this committee that on March 3, 1919, a bill passed Congress to locate one of these hospitals for discharged and disabled soldiers, sailors, and marines at Dawsonsprings, Ky. It passed the 48215-21-2 House in 1918, as a separate bill. It then went over to the Senate and there it was incorporated in what was called an omnibus hospital bill, including the Speedway at Chicago, and others, and that omnibus bill became a law in March, 1919. So far as the Dawsonsprings feature of this bill went it just authorized the appropriation of $1,500,000 for the building of these buildings at Dawsonsprings, contingent upon two facts, and that is, that the citizens there would donate the land in fee simple to the Government on which this hospital is to be erected, and it must produce 500 beds and be as near fireproof as possible. Pursuant to that, the Bureau of Public Health notified the citizens of Dawsonsprings that it would require 5,000 acres of land. The people in and adjacent to Dawsonsprings have raised the money and contributed this 5,000 acres of land, absolutely gratis to the Government on which to erect this hospital. Between 300 and 400 acres of that land is the finest coal land in western Kentucky. That was owned by the Simmons Hardware Co., of St. Louis, Mo. I want to say that it was a magnanimous act of Mr. Simmons to let us have that land. Maj. Perry, of the Public Health Service, said that they could absolutely coal all the Government buildings in the Central West at a saving of from $1.50 to $2.50 a ton cheaper than if purchased at private sale. So when they went to Mr. Simmons he declined to sell this land. After they went to him and told him of the purposes for which this land was to be used, he asked, "Who is to make any profit?" They told him no one. He told them that "if that was to be donated for the disabled soldiers, sailors, and marines, to go back and fix your price on it and I will take it." They fixed a price of $15 an acre, and he sent his abstracter over there and deeded the land. The original hospital, as I say, under this act was to produce 500 beds. The contract has long since been let for $680,000 for these buildings. This site is located about 24 miles from Dawson Springs, consequently, they had to build a Government road out there, and it has been built, a good one. They are working 200 or 300 men down there every day. I talked with the Chief Architect of the Treasury the other day and he said he didn't know of a hospital activity in the country where they are making better progress than at Dawson Springs. But they have found out that a million and one-half dollars is not sufficient to complete the hospital fireproof and they have recommended these amounts. I have introduced this bill-did it yesterday which is as follows: Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That the limit of cost heretofore fixed by Congress (40 Stat., 304), for the United States Public Health sanatorium at Dawson Springs, Ky., be, and the same is hereby, increased $750,000 to enable the Secretary of the Treasury to erect the principal buildings of fireproof construction and as originally designed. That from and after the passage of this act the completion of the buildings and approaches for the sanatorium at Dawson Springs, Ky., shall be under the supervision and direction of the Supervising Architect of the Treasury, the compensation of the superintendent of construction, and such technical and clerical assistance as may be necessarily employed in the superintendence of the completion of said buildings and approaches to be chargeable to the appropriation for the field force of the Office of the Supervising Architect. You will note that there is another feature that I have embodied in this, the second paragraph. I talked with Mr. Wetmore the other day. The reason he wanted that feature put in is because of the fact that there are large sums of unexpended moneys to pay for this kind of services, for the erection of public buildings generally throughout the country that are now available. It is available because of the fact that there hasn't been any post-office bills passed in a long time, and under this provision he wants so much of that money to be available for this purpose, and that is the reason for that simple provision there. Mr. CHINDBLOM. Have you any estimate of what that will be? Mr. KINCHELOE. No, it is very negligible, and they have never had but one man down there, a Mr. Ward, as superintendent for the Government. When this bill was originally introduced, Col. Banks of the bureau was sent down there, and he came back and testified before this committee and recommended it as the central hospital for the Middle West. The main line of the Illinois Central Railroad from Louisville to New Orleans and the main line of the Louisville. and Nashville from Chicago to Jacksonville cross within 12 miles of Dawson Springs at Nortonville. It is within 40 miles of the center of population of the United States, and as I say with as fine railroad facilities as anywhere in the world, those two trunk lines. I didn't know till Col. Banks went down there that the report of the Weather Bureau shows about 80 per cent sunshine throughout the year; and I think Mr. Langley, who has been there, and Mr. Cantrill, who is still a member of this committee, can tell you of the medical properties of that water. As Col. Banks testified here, there is no water any where on earth that is in any way approaching it except Carlsbad, Bohemia. Mr. ANDREWS. If we finally decide to remove the limitation on public act 384, as I understood by Dr. White, it is expected that the Dawson Springs proposition would be taken care of out of the proceeds of that appropriation. And if so, that would come up for consideration in connection with this bill we have under discussion. The CHAIRMAN. I was just going to say I was wondering if that wouldn't confer abundant authority to complete this Dawson Springs plant. Mr. KINCHELOE. Well, I have no doubt but that they have abundant authority. Mr. ANDREWS. I think it would expedite the purpose that Mr. Kincheloe has in mind, if that provision were made. It would save us from the trouble of going and asking for an enlargement of this appropriation at this time. Mr. KINCHELOE. Three or four weeks ago I went down to Dr. White's office and asked him about it. He sent his man there last week. I haven't seen him, I don't know what he reported. The city of Louisville gave $25,000 to help pay for this land; the city of Evansville gave $15,000 to help pay for this; the city of Paducah gave $15,000 to help pay for it. I was down there at one time and I saw negro porters and bell boys at those hotels contributing $5 and $10 to help pay for this land. They intend to have a dairy there, and they ought to have a 1,000-bed hospital there without any trouble. I want to say this, without something is done, this has got to be completed by some system of firetraps down there. I remember something was said about Walter Reed out here being a fire trap; I happened to break my leg here a while back, and I was at Walter Reed. I don't think there is a greater hospital in the world than Walter Reed. I do know that those buildings out there are fire traps. It is the fault of Congress. But I say that if these people in Indiana and Kentucky and Illinois contributed this land, 400 acres of which is of the best coal land in the State of Kentucky, and the title is being made good as fast as it can, and located in the Middle West, with the best of railroad facilities, with the medical waters that are the best, it seems to me that there ought not to be only fireproof buildings, but there ought to be beds for 1,000. And after you complete the sewerage system and the power plant, administration building, etc. after you complete those, every dollar you then put into that hospital you are getting beds. With this authorization they can complete it practically fireproof. Mr. CHINDBLOM. Will this $750,000 increase the bed capacity? Mr. KINCHELOE. I don't think it will over the 500 beds. Mr. CHINDBLOM. Let me ask Dr. White if this Dawsonsprings proposition would come in under this general proposition? Dr. WHITE. If the bill were passed as suggested, certainly Dawsonsprings would come under it. Mr. KINCHELOE. I want to make this a part of the record, the letter of the Secretary on this bill that I have introduced for an increase in authorization. This is a short letter from the Secretary that was sent up after the bill was sent down there. The letter is as follows: TREASURY DEPARTMENT, Washington, May 2, 1921. The CHAIRMAN, COMMITTEE ON PUBLIC BUILDINGS AND GROUNDS, House of Representatives. SIR: Reference is made to your request of April 21 for a report in connection with the above-mentioned bill which provides for an increase in the limit of cost of the United States Public Health sanatorium at Dawson Springs, Ky., in amount $750,000, 66* * to construct said sanitorium in accordance with the original plans." * The amount carried by the bill is sufficient to make the important buildings fire proof and as originally designed, which is understood to be the object of the increase, but if the present prices of labor and material continue it may be necessary to construct one or two of the less important buildings of nonfireproof construction, or possibly omit them. Therefore, it is suggested that the wording of the bill be charged accordingly. A form of bill which will satisfactorily cover these points is inclosed and it is suggested that it be substituted for that introduced. If, however, the legislation suggested in letter of April 29, in connection with public act 384, is enacted the above additional amount for the Dawson springs sanatorium will not be necessary as a separate authorization. Respectfully, A. W. MELLON, Secretary. As I say, I don't want to detain the committee. I have not had the opportunity or the pleasure of seeing Dr. White since his representatives have been to Dawson Springs, and therefore, I couldn't answer the question whether any of this money under your immediate consideration this morning would be considered for that. Of course, this has got to be given immediate consideration. (Thereupon, the committee at 12 noon adjourned.) |