Evening star., 1918-08-04
Army and Navy News

call them to Ill positions IN fts activs
man maj, Is able to to fiiI All suoh under
graduate students Of the right Ags who
desire to enroll should apply for infoe.
nation to the PERSONAL of1cer Of their
local naval districts.
Il
THE amendments incorporated in
= the Army appropriation bill for
the benent Of the Army Nurse Corps
did not result in the relief which
was expected and which had been
indicated by the separate bills that
each Of the houses Of Congress had
enacted before the legislation was
transferred to the larger bill. which
was passed in record time.
The act increased the base pay Of
nurses from $50 to $50 a month,
where SOS had been recommended and
expected. The advance of SIS Q
month. when compared with advances
in pay to enlisted men Of the Army.
life. to say nothing Of that to skilled
labor. especially II organised. in any
field of activity. was q moderate re.
quest. Under the regulations nurse
now must purchase her own uni
forms. and. with the advance IN the
cost Of clothing materials, VIII have
to meet an initial outlay OF some
thing more than 5000 for her OUTFIT,
SO the increase will hardly buy the
special dress which the Army now
requires. The pay Of q CHIEF nurse
was $50 a month In addition to her
base pay. and, although her expenses
are heavier than ever. and. with the
war, her responsibilities multiplied.
the new act cuts down the additional
pay to $50 a month, SO that the mead
of thousand-bed hospital receives
smaller pay than she did before the
act was passed, though then her po-
sition might be one of small I'M
portance.
Congress declined to authorize any
assistant chief nurses for the corps,
although the need OF them is obvious.
chief nurse can hardly make the
and have any time to look after the
many details of her position. and In
consequence the patients must suffer.
Congress made no provision for tho
payment OF nurse in case she should
became a prisoner of war and o re-
nurses under the present law are not
entitled to receive pay while not on
active duty.
The Nurse Corps also asked for q
retirement clause for its members
after twenty years actual service in
granted. Usually graduate nurses
only are selected for the Army Nurse
Corps, and as a rule some experience
is required as condition of their
acceptance. hence, as few women are
able physically to stand the strain OF
the number to seek retirement Is
very limited. On the present base
there would not be more than six in
the next five years. But such q pro-
vision. especially for the older and
more experienced women. Is an In
ducement to them to remain TN the
service and is altogether In keeping
with the approved doctrine of making
provision for those who have served
in public position for period OF years
and until they are no longer capacf.
tated for hard work.
d ECENT discussions have again
IN raised the question, which It was
believed Secretary Of War Baker had
put at rest. as to who will succeed
Maj Gen. Gorgas when he retires for
age next October as the surgeon gen.
era1 of the Army.
Secretary Baker some weeks ago in
dicated that the only medical officer
to be considered in this regard was
Gen. Gorgas himself and as far as
known he has expressed no inten-
tion of making q change However.
1t has been asserted that there may
be some legal objection to appointing
retired officer to active duty in such
a position as surgeon general
One of the medical officers men,
toned as a possible successor to Gen.
who is at the head Of the medical or
ganization Of the American expedi-
tionary force. His work in that con-
nection Is SO important and has been
so satisfactory that 1t Is hardly pos
sible that he would consider with IA
vor an exchanges to the more purely
administrative duties Of the office of
the surgeon general in this country.
The recent legislation for the Medical
Corps contained in the Army appro-
priation bill provides for the appoint
ment from the Regular Army Medical
Corps of an assistant surgeon general,
with the rank of major general, for
service abroad during the present war
and for two assistant surgeon gen.
erals with the rank Of brigadier gen.
eral. Hence. in case Gen. Ireland
should be appointed surgeon general
OF the Army 1t would be necessary that
he should return to this country, or
both the surgeon general and the first
assistant surgeon general would be on
geon general. like the Office Of chief
Of staff, should be located near the
seat Of the government. where he can
gather material and personDa1 for fba