Evening star., 1919-03-16
THE SUNDAY STAR, WASHINGTON, D.

medical officers. hospital men, nurses,
cooks. medicines; surgical instru,
first class hospital-S03,303 beds ready
for the reception of the sick and
wounded Of the Army. Patients occu-
py 56,112 of these beds. so that. after
turning over nearly 10000 beds to
plus five months after the cessation
of hostilities of more than 10000
beds.
This showing does away with the
report that the surgeon general had
neglected to arrange for hospital ac-
commodation for returned sick and
wounded of the Army. If the Germans
had not taken refuge in the armistice.
which came earlier than was ex-
pected. more hospital space would
have been necessary. That was a sit
uation we'll understood by the surgeon
general. who had made provision for
such a contingency and always had
in sight a reserve of equipment and
personnel sufficient to-neet any erner-
gency. The hospital sectien of the
surgeon generals office was under
Brig. Gen. Robert S. Noble recently.
when he was ordered to France, and
after him under his former assist
ant, Col. Smith. who, in civilian days,
was the director of Johns Hopkins
Hospital of Baltimore.
known and the truth about the work
Of the physicians and surgeons of
the country here and in Europe is
told. then it will be found that. in
view of the neglect of the authorities
to prepare for the threatened emer-
gency. the record of the Army medical
department, composed. as it was, of
80 per cent civilians. is bright and
shining mark in itself and not merely
by contrast.
Col. John S. Fair has been detailed
as assistant director of purchase, stor-
age and traffic, the position vacated
by Mai r. A. Burr when he succeeded
Maj. Gen. Goethals, retired. At the
outset of hostilities Col. Fair had the
rank of captain in the regular serv-
ice. with the record to his credit of
having created the animal reserve and
Mexican fuss. With the declaration of
war much against his will, for he
sought active duty, he was assigned
to the head of the division of Army
remount service in the Quartermaster
Corps. There he furnished the Army
with all the animals it has needed for
the war. Also. when the Secretary of
war was telling Congress that it was
impossible to buy leather for harness,
he had bought all the leather he need
ed and had delivered 100000 sets of
harness to his section. besides all the
non-motor vehicles it had called for.
When Gen. Goethals came in, he
said that division was going all right
and added to
Notable Changes Col. Fairs
in Army Personnel. vision Of
Army reclamation in the United
States, That went all right; SO Gen.
Goethals put him in charge of pur-
chasing fuel and forage for the Army,
and that went all right, too. Then, on
his insistence for active duty, Col.
Fair was appointed colonel of an ar
tillery regiment, and was ready to go
to France, when Teutonic influences
led to an armistice that deprived him
and thousands of others of the oppor-
tunity of going across. Then Gen.
Goethals took him as his executive
officer and kept him there until he
was ready to quit and the elevation
to which Gen. Goethals recommended
the appointment of Col. Fair. The po-
sition heretofore has been filled by a
brigadier general, and it is a distinct
honor to an officer of the lower grade
to have such an appointment. Col.
+ Oil 10 d oio otiHS ulSHcO GRADUATE VI
the school of the line, graduate Of
the Staff College, and War College
and was an instructor in the War Col
lege.
Col. Harry c. Smither has returned
from France and been assigned to
duty in the Office of the division of
purchase, storage and traffic. In
France he was in charge of Ca of the
service of supply up to the close of
hostilities, and he has now been as
signed to be head of the storage and
issue branch.
Brig. Gen. William Mitchell has re-
turned from France. where he was
at the head of the air service. He