Dr. PILGRIM: I am not quite clear in regard to the first amendment. What is the status now of that section, the first amendment you read?

Commissioner MAY: In re-enacts the Insanity Law which takes precedence over Section 3 of the Labor Law regarding hospitals and the prevailing rate of wages.

Dr. MABON: Are we still likely to have a suit for back pay for those mechanics from the date of the change made in the Labor Law until this becomes a law?

Commissioner MAY: I do not think we ought to settle that until the Attorney General has expressed an opinion. It is possible that such suits will be brought, but the Attorney General will conduct them for the Department.

Commissioner MAY: Senate Bill No. 1807 amends the law pertaining to officers in State hospitals. This amends Section 48 and authorizes the maintenance of the families of assistant stewards in hospitals having more than 4,000 patients.

In connection with that it might be well to say that the Attorney General has ruled that these sections of the law refer to the daily population, excluding paroles. He has given that opinion on several occasions.

Senate Bill 1973 amends the Insanity Law regarding patients' money. This amends Section 98, and reads as

follows:

Section 1. Section ninety-eight of chapter thirty-two of the laws of nineteen hundred and nine, entitled "An act in relation to the insane, constituting chapter twenty-seven of the consolidated laws," is hereby amended to read as follows:

Section 98. Disposition of unclaimed personal property, including money, of discharged or deceased patients, and of interest accruing on patients' funds. All articles of personal property. belonging to a discharged or deceased patient of a state hospital for the insane and in the custody of the superintendent or other proper officer of such hospital, may, if unclaimed by such discharged patient, or the legal representatives of such deceased patient, for a period of six months after the discharge or decease of such patient, be disposed of in such manner as the commission shall prescribe. Any moneys remaining to the credit of deceased or discharged patients, if unclaimed by their legal representatives, or such discharged patient, for a period of one year after the decease of discharge of such patient, and the interest

accruing on the moneys belonging to patients still in the custody of the hospital may, subject to the approval of the commission, be paid into the amusement fund or the occupation fund of such hospital. Section 2. This act shall take effect immediately.

This allows us to use the interest on patients' funds which the Attorney General ruled could not be done, legally, under the old law.

Commissioner MAY: The Commission may authorize the superintendent to appoint as officers, a dentist, pharmacist, and the principal of the training school, under the provisions of Assembly Bill No. 2138.

Dr. WAGNER: I would like to ask, Mr. Chairman, if that law does anything more than confer upon the Commission the power to authorize a superintendent to appoint an apothecary as an officer, leaving it discretionary with the superintendent to make such appointment or designation if he sees fit. As I understand the bill, it merely confers authority upon the superintendent, through the Commission, to make such an appointment if he sees fit, but it is not mandatory.

Commissioner MAY: In addition to what Dr. Wagner stated, pharmacists may elect to remain as employees.

Dr. MABON: It is discretionary with the Commission to say whether or not they are officers.

Dr. HOWARD: In regard to training schools, I move that this conference request the Commission to designate. the principals of training schools as officers and state to us the salary that is allotted to that position. In appointing new principals, it is very important that we do it right.

The CHAIRMAN: Is that motion seconded?

Dr. HOWARD: It has not been seconded. I move that the Commission be requested by this conference to classify principals of training schools as employees, the estimate for their wages being submitted in Estimate No. 2.

The CHAIRMAN: In what grades or classes?

Dr. HOWARD: I want to get it settled whether they are officers or employees.

Dr. WAGNER: Has not the Attorney General ruled who

are officers and who are employees, and that principals of training schools are in the class of employees and therefore contribute to the retirement fund?

Dr. MABON: I move that the Commission receive from each hospital an opinion as to whether or not they desire to have the principal of training school designated as an officer.

Dr. Mabon's motion was duly seconded.

The CHAIRMAN: The motion is made and seconded that the Commission ask each superintendent to state whether he desires to have the principal of the training. school at his institution classified as an officer or an employee, after having conferred with this employee who may have contributed to the Retirement Fund.

Dr. SOMERS: I would like to be clear regarding one point; in talking with the principal of the training school, what shall we say as to her status in relation to the money paid into the Retirement Fund?

Dr. MABON: I take it if she wants to become an officer she will be willing to become an officer and lose the money.

The CHAIRMAN: Perhaps some one who thoroughly understands the advantages to be gained by persons classified as officers will explain.

Dr. PALMER: One of the things that I think will be considered an advantage by the principal of the training school and also by the apothecary, who comes under this law, is that they would at once be entitled to the accommodations accorded officers in the hospitals. One superintendent has already spoken to me in regard to the matter and asked, "What will you do with your principal of training school and apothecary as they are now officers?" It may be somewhat difficult to provide the accommodations required. There is no doubt that the apothecaries and superintendents of training schools who are not now supplied with officers' quarters, will look upon them as an advantage. As regards the money paid into the Retirement Fund, if they haven't been a great length of time in the service, the amount they lose will be very small as compared with the advantages they gain.

Dr. MABON: I beg to say this does not say resident officers; it says officers. Furthermore, it seems to me it is entirely in the discretion of the superintendent as to whether or not he will provide those accommodations. We have no better accommodations and they would have to take the accommodations we have. I know of some officers living in wards.

Dr. PALMER : The law states officers shall reside in the institution.

institutions.

At

Dr. PILGRIM: That varies with Poughkeepsie the principal of the training school and some of the physicians live in the nurses' house because, no matter how they are classed, we can not give them better accommodations.

Dr. HOWARD: I think the great point is where they eat, whether they eat at the officers' table. They care a great deal about it. I think the principal of the training school ought to eat at the officers' table and be classed as an officer, because she can do much better work in the training school for the pupil nurses if she is so recognized.

Dr. ASHLEY: I agree with some of the others that it would be desirable to have the principals of training schools rank as officers. I know of one instance where a principal of a training school has contributed to the employees' Retirement Fund and has been in the service fifteen years. In ten years this person will be eligible to retire under the existing statute on half salary and half maintenance. It would be a hardship to her to deprive her of that privilege. In the case of a new appointee to this position, it would appear to be to her advantage if she could be classed as an officer, and I would suggest that the matter be left to the individual institutions, to be worked out as advantageously as possible.

Commissioner MAY: I would like to ask Dr. Ashley if he thinks it would be wise to designate principals of training schools in some institutions as officers and in others as employees.

Dr. ASHLEY: I do not think it would as a general proposition, but it would seem desirable, perhaps for the present,

to permit principals of training schools who are now in the service and desire to remain as employees to do so. Those who do not may be permitted to rank as officers; but all new individuals appointed to the position to be considered as officers.

Dr. PILGRIM: It seems to me this whole thing could be settled by having officers contribute to the Retirement Fund. Dr. MABON: The whole matter is in the hands of the Commission.

Dr. HUTCHINGS: With reference to Dr. Ashley's suggestion, why would it not be possible for the Commission to arrange it so that hereafter all new principals of training schools shall be appointed as officers and those now in the service who so elect may be designated as officers, but those who prefer to remain as employees need not be disturbed. But of the two alternatives I think it is far better that they all be designated as officers than as employees, for the reasons stated by Dr. Howard.

The CHAIRMAN: If there are no further remarks I will call for a vote on Dr. Mabon's motion.

The motion was duly adopted by the Conference. Next on the program is a discussion on supervision of institutions for the insane in the State of New York.

Dr. MABON: Are we to have a meeting this afternoon? If so, I ask that this paper be read this afternoon. I must be away, and if it could be put over until this afternoon I should prefer it as I am very much interested.

Commissioner MAY: The only point is, that it may require a great deal of discussion and may take up the larger part of the day. It is so late, however, it could very well be postponed until afternoon.

The CHAIRMAN: We will then pass over this order, and take up the report by Dr. H. M. Pollock on the State hospitals' exhibit at the Panama-Pacific Exposition.

(Dr. Pollock's report was printed in the May number of the STATE HOSPITAL BULLEtin.)

The CHAIRMAN: We will now have a paper by Mr. William J. Nolan, assistant statistician, on "Statistical Studies of the Insane for the Year ending September 30, 1914."