Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 43 Part 1.djvu/1169

 1138 SIXTY-EIGHTH CONGRESS. Sess. II. Ch. 460. 1925. which said order shall remain in full force and effect until modified by proceedings under section 20 of this Act, or until the patient shall be discharged from said institution, and the court committing _ such patient shall be notified of such discharge. _ m§§ cg§u§,h§f,*j Sec. 15. If the order for admission is as a public patient and the ble for support <>f1>¤— court finds that the patient has not an estate out of which the muh Government may be fully reimbursed for his maintenance, and if it appears that there are relatives who are legally liable for his support, the court shall issue to such relatives a citation to show cause why they should not be adjudged to pay a portion or all of the expense of maintenance of such patient in the said institution. The citation shall be served at least ten days before the hearing on Qfd¢¤’f¤r1>¤Ym<¤t¢¤ said citation. If it shall, upon such hearing, appear to the court b°5Su€d` that such patient has not sufficient estate out of which the Government may properly be fully reimbursed and that he has relatives who are parties to the proceedings and who are legally liable for his support, and who are able to contribute thereto, the court may make an order requiring payment by such relatives of such sum or sums as it may find they are reasonably able to pay and as may be necessary to reimburse the Government for the maintenance of Duty ot Boarder such patient. Said order shall require the payment of such sums §,l{,’{,Y‘§§,,,§§_ '°°°"’° to the Board of Charities annually semiannually, or quarterl as the court may direct. It shall be the duty of the board to collect the said sums due under sections 14 and 15 and under this section, and to turn the same into the Treasury of the United States to the credit of the District of Columbia and the United States in the E°‘°'°°¤°¤*°*°'d°’- proportion required by law. Any such order may be enforced against any property of the feeble—minded person or of the person liable or undertaking to maintain him in the same way as if it were a judgment or decree for temporary alimony in a divorce case. pu§’j1Fg°I§18;°,{{§;°(j{dgj Sec. 16. If any person shall be admitted as a public patient, his charged to prepare pa; order for admission may be changed to that of a private patient by {l§§a,t{£Zf‘ my ° executing and delivering to the court the bond and advance payment for his support mentioned in section 14. Thereupon the court shall make an order changing the admission of said person from a public to a private patient. nacnmgesresa-need. Sec. 17. No feeble-minded person admitted to the said institution pursuant to an order of court as herein provided shall be discharged therefrom except as herein provided, except that nothin herein contained shall abridge the right of petition for the writ oi habeas d,;g§;;¤e;g cgggjvggf corpus. At any time after the admission of the feeble—minded person ' " pursuant to an order of court as herein provided, any of the relatives or friends of the feeble-minded person, or any reputable citizen, or the superintendent of the institution having the feeble-minded person in charge, or the Board of Charities, may petition the court that entered the order of admission to discharge the feeble—minded person, or to vary the order of the court sending the feeble-minded person to A¤¤¤¤ ¤f¤<>¤r¢- the institution. If on the hearing of the petition the court is satisfied that the welfare of the feeble—minded person or the welfare of others » or the welfare of the community requires his discharge or a variation of the order, the court may enter such order of discharge or variation wfgaxisesfor discharges. as the court thinks proper. Discharges and variations of orders may E be made for either of the following causes: Because the person adjudged to be feeble—minded is not feeble—minded; because he has so far improved as to be capable of caring for himself; because the relatives or friends of the feeble—minded person are able and willing to supervise, control, care for, and support him, and request his discharge, and in the judgment of the superintendent of the institution having the person in charge no evil consequences are