Announcement that Commissioner of Accounts Higgins will visit all of the principal city maintained hospitals to investigate conditions in those institutions was made at a hearing in the inquiry Mayor Walker is conducting into the allegations of racial discrimination at Kings County Hospital.
The announcement came when the Commissioner of Accounts, who for five weeks past has been conducting a secret investigation of conditions at Kings County Hospital, appeared before the Mayor to explain he was not ready as yet to file his report. On Commissioner Higgins’s assurance that he would visit eighteen other institutions, and would endeavor to have his full report in readiness by Sept. 15, the Mayor announced a postponement of his own inquiry until after that date.
Dr. William Frank Jacobs, Superintendent of Cumberland Street Hospital, Brooklyn, was called as a witness to explain why applicants for positions as internes at his hospital are required to state their religions.
“My reasons for this are divided into three parts,” Dr. Jacobs explained, “First, my personal preference would be a God-fearing man to an Atheist; second, in case of sudden illness or injury I should like to know the religion of an interne to give proper spiritual services; and third, to keep the staff balanced on Christmas, Good Friday and on Jewish holidays.”
Asked if the next batch of application blanks for posts as internes will contain questions as to the religions of the applicants, Dr. Jacobs said he would like official advice, as he did not want to do anything contrary to the city’s policy.
The Mayor indicated after the hearing that he would favor elimination of the religious question in internes’ applications.
Harris Koppelman, New York lawyer and member of the Executive Committee of the Federation of Polish Jews in the United States, arrived in Warsaw. Mr. Koppelman conferred with the Polish-American Chamber of Commerce and the Association of Jewish Merchants with a view to measures being taken for strengthening commercial relations between Poland and the United States in accordance with the suggestion made by Dr. Isaac Gruenbaum during his visit to the United States.
Utica, N. Y. has just been selected as the place for the next annual convention of the Young Men’s and Young Women’s Hebrew Associations of New York State, it is announced. The convention will be held November 12 and 13.
Joseph Hormats of Troy, state president, will preside.
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