The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-12-28
Admiral BroWRson Loses Consid-
 sfabIe Pay In Retirement
HE L0SES ALL ALLOWANCES
Retiring Chief of Bureau of Navigation Is Sustained By Senator Hale, Who Says BroWnson
 Acted Wisely.

Washington, December 27.-The orders assigning Surgeon Charles F. Stokes to the command of the hospital ship Relief are expected to be signed soon, it having been definitely decided according to Sec retary Metcalf, to appoint him to that po- sition. With this end in view, every eff fort will be made to obtain a merchant crew and master for the vessel.
 Failing to man the Relief with crew from the merchant marine, the enlisted force of the navy will be drawn on and a line officer assigned as captain. The scheme of having a medical officer conn mand the Relief in the event a merchant crew is secured is to have trial for at least six months and if the experiment. proves satisfactory then the expectation is that the assignment of a surgeon to command hospital ships will be a perma- nent feature.
 Admiral Brownsons reinqushment of his position as chief of the bureau of navigation. carrying with 1t as it does the eX-officio connection with the naval general board. will result in consid- erable loss of pay to the officer Being entirely without duty and reegated to the retired list. his income will be dlnin- ished by the loss of 25 per cent of the full pay of an admiral on the active list. namely S750O a year.
 Loses Allowances.
 Also he will no longer receive the al- lowanee of $l500 a year for quarters and $500 for heat and light. It so happens. however that Admiral Brownson Is man of independent means and able to disregard financial considerations
 Staff officers of the navy have dscov- cred precedent for placing one of their kind in command of a ship This prece- dent was found in the period of the civil war, and long before the passage of the navy personnel act upon which the line officers rely to support their contention that such assignment to comrgand is H. legal
 The civil war records show that Nfnian Pinkey, naval surgeon, was in absolute command for considerable time of the Mississippi steamboat Red Rover. em- ployed as a hospital craft during the war
 The formal order. dated December 26, detaching Rear Admiral Brownson from duty as chief of the bureau of naviga- tion was made public at the navy depart ment today. The same order detaches him from his membership in the joint army and navy board.
 Commander Winsow is to act as the head of the bureau pending the selection of a permanent officer
 Senator Hale Talks.
 Senator Hale, chairman of the Senate committee on naval affairs, when seen to- day spoke very frankly in support of the admlral's course.
 'I think that Admiral Brownson has acted with praiseworthy courage and promptness in rendering his resignation, said Senator Hale. II have always sus- tained the staff officers in their fight for positive rank and complete recognition, such as are received by their peers In the army, and l now have a bill pending which gives them such a recognition throughout the service. But fin that meas ure there Is precautionary pro- vision against giving them actual com- mand of any naval vessel This Is the continuation and an extension of the fight between the two branches of the service. That fight Is the crux of the present con- tIoversy, and because l think he Is right my support is given unreservedly to the admiral as against the contentious Of Surgeon General Rixey.
 Tt may be that on some occasions staff officers have been in command of vessels, but l know of no instance when such officers have been given command after the point was raised and both sides were heard. I do not believe that tho contention for command by staff officers has been pressed seriously at any tim, in the present controversy. Indeed, l am of the opinion that the old staff officers would never have asked for such recog- milton.
 Think what might happen if the com mand of the vessels should be turned over to a chaplain or even to pay master, and it Is just reasonable to put the crews of naval vessels under tho charge of those officers as 1t Is to place them under the command of a surgeon. Evidently Admiral Brownson recognized this fact and being a man of character and decision he did not hesitate to resign his position when as the active head of navigation his view of the law and of the best policy in the interest of the serv- ice was overruled. He will not lose any thing by his manly course. either in tho navy or with the public"