The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1907-12-26
NAVAL BUREAU
CHIEFS 'CLASHED
\ CONFLtcT OF AUTHORITY OvEH
~ A HOSPITAL SHIP.
SURGEON GENERAL RIxey
Gives but a Statement Which Leaves
1t to be Understood that This Row
eliminated in Admiral Brown
son Resigning. t~ H

Washington, Dec. 2G.---That a ssri.
o,is breach exists between the bdreau
of navigation and the bureau of medi.
cine of the navy, involving the ques.
ton of the responsibility of the latter
bureau was made apparent last night
In a statement issued by Surgeon Gen.
eral Presley NJ Rixey, of the navy. in
which he touches upon the circum.
stances leading up TO the probable Sc.
lection by the president of a medical
officer to command the hospital ship
Relief over the protest of Rear Admi.
raj Willard H. Brownson, chief of the
bureau OF navigation, who on Tuesday
sent his resignation TO the president.
While disclaiming exact knowledge as
to the cause of Admiral Brownson $
resignation, the surgeon generals
statement leaves little room for doubt
that the controversy he reviews was a
potent factor.
General Rixey maintains that hos.
pital ships, as rule, always have been
commanded by medical officers, with a
sailing master and civilian crew for
purposes of navigation. This particu-
lar vessel, he says, formerly belonged
TO the army and always was command
ed by a medical officer when used as
hospital ship. In attempting to unity
the medical services of the army and
the navy, he says that a Joint army
and navy board of medical officers
which was convened by executive or
der more than year ago recommend
ed that hospital ships should be COM
manded by medical officers, and that
that recommendation was approved by
both the secretary Of war and the sec
retary of the navy in general orders.
Since the civil war, he says, all hos
pital ships and medical transports of
the army have been placed under the
surgeon general of the army
He says that Japanese naval hos
pital ships were commanded by naval
officers after having tried line officers.
Those ships, he said, are simply float.
ing hospitals, properly under the con-
troll of the medical department and
should be conducted in peace exactly
as In time of war. This is especially
so, he adds, because during war time
line officers cannot be spared and do
not and should not desire the COM
Inand of these ships.
He maintains that 1t always has
been doubtful question II the Geneva
and The Hague agreements could
guarantee the neutrality of these ships
II combatant 0ine) officers and crews
were aboard. and II was this doubt
which prevented the Japanese during
the recent war with Russia from using
line officers on hospital ships.
"The internal administration of
the bureau of medicine and surgery"
he says, has been in my opinion too
much interfered with by the bureau of
navigation. This interference has at
times caused grave concern as to how
could meet the needs of those under
our care
The hospital ship Relief, he says,
should now be with the battleship fleet
on its cruise, but he adds that the bu.
reau of navigation thought otherwise
and the fleet OF 5000 men, with its
auxiliaries, will be without a hospital
ship until ii arrives at Magdalena Bay,
more than three months from now. He
adds that he cannot understand how
Admiral Brownson should be spe cially
Interested in the officering of hospital
ships. as his duties lie In another di
rection and that he should not inter-
fere In a matter pertaining entirely
TO the bureau of medicine and surgery,
aud therefore to be decided by the sec.
retary OF the navy.
General RiXey's statement was
shown to Admiral Brownson, but he
declined to make any comment in re-
gard to IT,