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Show "ME OF MAP CDHPSJSPRDBLEM j Congress May Be Asked to j Make Organization Per- ; manent One. i General Staff Now Consid-j Consid-j ering Advisability of j Proposal. i ! The future of the sanitar corps of H,e medical department of the Fuitcd States i army Is in doubt, but the army Ken era! staff is now considering the advisability of recommending- to congress that it make the corps a permanent branch of Hip regular nrmv organization, according tr, information received by The Tribune yes- . terdttv from Washington. I . t During the war period this corps shown great efficiency, it is stated. anFV the prevailing sentiment In the general staff Is that the organization should he I M made permanent. In view of the fact that w there are a half dozen commissioned of-t of-t leers of this corps on duty with the arniv general hospital at Fort Dougla. . whose fin ure is affected by whatever 13 done with the sanitary corpy, this in- t formation is of interest here. A dispatch from The Tribune's Washington Wash-ington correspondent says: "The future of the sanitary corps is in doubt and will depend upon action which congress may , take during (lie coming- session. Fnder tly existing law the snTitary enrpa can-riot can-riot be carried permanently as a part of the regular armv establishment. Mm, during the war, this corps has shown great efflciencv and there Is considerable sentiment in favor of its retention. Soon Mustered Out. "'The general statf is now considering this along with other questions of rcor-ganizal rcor-ganizal ioji. If the staff decides that Hip corps should be con I in tied as a fixed I art of the army, a recommendation to this effect will be sent to congress hy the secretary of war. "Officers commissioned in the sanitary corps for the emergency, whose service are no longer ren. "i red, "'ill shorl ly he mustered out. Hut those actively engaged in essential work will continue pending determination of the future of the corps." Tiie sanitary corps is an emergency organization or-ganization organized after the I'nlte.l States entered the war for the purpose of raiting- over the administrative work of hospitals, thus relieving medical officers from this duty. Men especially qualified as adjutants, registrars, mess officers, medical property officers and the like were commissioned for the emergency ns officers in the sanitary corps of the medical medi-cal department and were assigned to duty with the various military hospitals. Previously these' positions at hospitals had been filled by commissioned medical officers who, bv the new plan, were released re-leased for staff" duty as medical officers. May Be Permanent. I The existing law does not provide for permanent commissions for sanitary corps i men, hence. If this organization is to be V made permanent and the men now com- I missioned in it are to be given opportunity t to secure permanent places in this brancti of the medical department work, congress must amend the law so as to create a permanent sanitary corps and authorize the issuance of permanent commissions ln this branch. There are thousands of business men who gave up their business and took com- v missions in Ihe sanitary corps for tiie period of the war to do their bit for tluyj ' govern ment. Now these men either de- J sire to be released so thev may return to ' their former businesses or thev desire to secure permanent commissions in the army in their lines of work. The period of emergency for which thev were commissioned, it is indicated, will continue so long as their services are needed and mep who are engaged in active ac-tive ".work now will continue in that work tint II filial decision is reached as to the future of the corps. Those not actively engagd now are to be mustered out as soon dfa arrangements can be made. |