| Show STAFF OFfiCERS r AS Correspondence Regarding Ques Question lion tion in the Navy is Laid eve Before Congress CONVERSE WITH BROWNSON i 1 q Cu II In lu III for fill Jird iii i ii q laid kal Ki to i Coin j i n t Sato In Ills IlI Oust OHM Corps Cj J I Washington R Jim Jun 23 The l laid b before tho Muse house of ot lt 1 today day tho iho response of Secy Seey of t q Navy N V to the tho resolution Introduced by hy Representative for f I the tho cor correspondence relative to of ut stair sian to io naval lI commands s Tho i correspondence Is IH voluminous and In Includes etudes Admiral lottor of ot oft t resignation r and the two taro letters lettel s oC or tho A president A teas also a mas muss of ot 1 matter malt tho tha army In muter matter of o hospital ship and mICI al td orders order j In ht the tho navy t s by Secy SueY will wilb t by Iw bureau um ulft coral cors till ith upon this An Interesting paper among the tat Ier lella is an III In by hy Admiral Conse Conr Con v r se c tIn then chief of oC o tho the navigation nut bu hll bureau J reau Nall delivered Junta lun 1 un 14 1901 upon n a that thai originated with h the tho Joint 1 of mull 0 nl officers cots ls of or it the e 1 y nU and t l 1 m to yI lace hospital h spinal ships j jIn I In of naval natal a surgeons ADMIRAL CONVERSES CONti S Admiral Convert j recommended ded tho Clio placing of oC hospital ships In commission in lu time of i peace euce and also against tho the placing of or In III command even with civilian crown croWl Admiral A Converse held that It II Will wan 1333 necessary essary to discipline and that tho ibo officers nud crow CN of such ouch ships should bo be subjected to naval laws lases and nud regulations and Inti that tho the In III InY command should be he 1 1 e fitted by 1 be y P 4 m C n and training to navigate m and c ch command commanda rand a II vessel all conditions of weather lulu and The Tho now new no mutter matter In tho the correspondence about ab ut which Congress particularly de Ilc desired I sired Information consists of or a 0 long Ions Admiral A lira n n prepared by uy n Brownson then thell chief of or the bureau Nov No 18 IS 1 lust h I thereby tho this Admirals resignation by liy b nearly a Ll month WHAT BROWNSON Admiral on holds hat or 1 hospital or not ant such auch vessels vessel II at as atthe the thu Relief must accompany a n Heel to their purposes and to la do o so must mist h I und and handled hand 1011 In the tho same sarno manner r which is iH required of or orull all ull vessels to safety on till the high seas lieas Thero Thoro Is nothing In 18 tho the training of or a rL medical officer tho th admiral con COli contends contends tends which Us him for such corn com command nand mand It H requires just as s skillful a nav navigator to pilot a hospital ship shill as a It does 1803 to 10 pilot Allot a n flun of warthe the are arc wholly Independent Ind pon enl of ot tho the Internal arrangements of tho the vessel or tho the uses to which It may bo be put To fo call cull It a hospital ship docs 1001 not nOI fully tully describe bIJ tho the ship It would be more nearly correct to state a hospital ship l Is a 0 seagoing vessel easel having a largo hospital on onboard board regulations give glo medical me of or officers nil necessary authority to con control con control control and Iud care for tor their department on Oil onboard onboard board such Ruch ship Yet tho the eral erns suy ays Admiral Brownson seems seems to that the navigation lion sato sate con can conduct duet duct and general administration of a n vessel are secondary as us re regal regardS gal gardS ds tho the re responsibility po to command Telegraph operators or cable engineers are not put In command of ut cable ships nor 1101 postmasters In command of or mall steamers Admiral Brownson next enters Into an nn analysts analysis of oC tho statutory law bear beur bearIng h ur Ing on this subject quoting the acts ot or March 3 I 1871 and of Aug 5 D 1864 and section 7 of the tho personnel act of March 3 1899 1893 all 1111 of ot which he Ise declares prohibitive of the tho full of com coin command mand by medical officers Admiral nl Brownson concludes t hist his memorandum by summarizing his t ob uh objections to tl tho the proposed pro order in tho the case etUe of tho the as its follows 1 it H Is directly contrary to law In for forthe tho the medical officer cr to military command In hl any other than thun hits his own awe corps 2 Z Divided responsibility lends to and anil poor administration 3 l e both with tho t 11 1 Solace In Iii tho iho Sp nn t war i nol and with auxiliaries on an the tho Asiatic station SNOW show conclusively that the only organization fur for I Iho 1110 ho auxiliary is III to 10 t have havo hUVIL m i full folk naval crow crew anil nud 4 1 i A seagoing ship to ho be efficient must mast of oC necessity bo be commanded by 11 a u at t ca YS HE REPLY PLY Tho ho last chapter In tho the correspond correspondence ence once a new one also Is hi a reply by Sur Surgeon geon em General to Admiral Brown sons memorandum under date dato of ut Jan Jail 22 Tho The surgeon general denies demos that he ever asked that medical officers Lu hl b t with the tha navigation of hospital On the tho contrary ho hu had asked that the tho bureau of navigation select u a sailing master and crew to t nav ha navigate the tho ship shill all orders to and und front from the tho th sailing master muster to pass through thu the senior surgeons who will be lH In Incon com eom command mand murd I lilli d File Thu as its an all army hospital hO ship was WM w as commanded by a II medical ot 0 and there con can e JI bo ho no question nn h 11 says lIas that medical are 1110 woo wen qualified Tho Iho surgeon Burgeon general states that thou neu neutrality of the thu hospital that lint line and lighting SIghting crews should not liCIt bo ho put aboard Ho lIo contends that n a merchant muster and merchant sailors allora its efficient In and navigation as lino line officers and a n tight lug crow clew Hu Flo cites Ibo tho army transport service commanded by civilians as ua notably ef cf efficient Ir III u their administration ministration lid Naval al t ts ho hI points out met for Ihl lie r from the iho lino 1110 In lh their claim ti In hospitals hJ on shiw shirt yil t when tills this question Hl tiled In rat f favor vor of tills this sustaining of or thin tho bureau In to ligard to the command In 11 the thu hospitals lin ha been most t satisfactory In tI Attention Is I Culled called lo to the lie lh fuel fact that Iho the Solan de dr destroyed h hll i claims lo to l on ou sev iv iCY cral and Veil oven laid liLt II chin lo to money tn In conclusion till tite nut sul UI goon general Kays U Jl Is 11 tint tho tic medical of C COce heels Oce have authority In III their own corps and nud further that authority II II t be he recognized In III nil ail of ot s Hospital ships ship shoula be Ic run lilt lo Io laid down n II 01 ago u o by hl 1 the tho th oi of the tho navy and tills this should be II done In III lino ot of lieU and triad tiled lu 10 tin tIll K ti fa Ita 1103 of tin the department anil the tho country so eo that Ihal In line limo of war the till medical of uP peers lifers inny know where whore they stand In lh tine tho cure care or of the tho thousands who nitty hr In entrusted to L their earl carl |
