Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-08-24
Army and Navy News

under one head. who Ito quote the
words of Senator Thomas) should
then be held responsible for efficiency
of tho Office.
Brig. Gen Hines explained that. un |
der him now an director 81 Amy
Transportation are embasxa.lo99,
fic Grail and canal and river transpor- |
tation), and horse-dr-wn vehicles |
Each of these divisions is under the
direction of chief; and a we'll |
qualified chief of a motor service |
director of transportation as he could |
II reporting directly to some other |
officer. |
Meantime army transportation is !
out of control of one of it's most i'm !
portant branches with inevitable con-
fusion and considerable loss of eff !
ficiency. He pointed out that the |
maintenance of separate division |
required the addition of a brigadier
general Two colonies and officers of
lower rank.
No sound argument, now that the
purchasing of large numbers of mo
tor trucks and officers automobiles
mas come to an end, appears to have
been given for the continuance of
| this division separate from Army
| transportation.
| Inc collection of naval war records in
tine United States Naval Library is sur
prising complete. and
Housing Naval their preservation is
rup, of singular interest
war necoros. to people of the
| country. Not a day passes without an
application from some part Of the
country for information. Sometimes
| the query comes from a historian
seeking data for his work; sometimes
| claimant who needs information to
| complete the record which he must
present to the department.. and again
! person who has served on some of
the older ships whose names reflect
! the glory of the American Navy. Filed
away In carefully kept cases are the
records of the vessels that broke Brit
ish commerce in 1912 quite as effec-
! tually as German submarines did in
1914-1S. All the logs of the Navy of
61-65 are available to him who seeks
them. All these old documents, which
cannot be replaced, have for years
been kept in the State, War and Navy
building in Washington and have been
placed in operation with the Naval
Library.
The reading room of the library
| is one OF rare beauty It's ceiling,
| two-stories high. is vaulted; its floors
are covered with old English tiles
| the gift Of Great Britain; its walls
are panelled in marbles presented by
the French government; and it's gal
| laries are ornamented with onyx, sent
i'm happier days by Mexico. Some
forty thousand volumes are in the
| racks of the reading room and the
stacks Of the adjoining storerooms
A rare collection of old prints and
lengravings of naval heroes and the
ships they commanded are to be found
there. These pictures alone give an
| illustrated history of war activities
of the Navy, even as the old logs tell
| the story of its operation.
This war has wrought many
changes. 1t has sent the chief Of
ficers of the Navy Department from
| their old quarters to the new build
ing it occupied shortly before the
wanted to have these records and the
books from the library where they
could get at them quickly and in
the midst of things a Senate COM
mittee assigned the old quarters of
the library to another branch of the
government. The galleries of the old
reading room were to look DOWN upon
q collection of little desks on which
lup-to-date fluffy clerks were to write
out passports for the State Depart
the digntfied personnel at the threat
ened dissertation Of their institution;
and loud protests found their way
to the high authorities. who as soon
as they found out what they were
about, to do. rectified the, little mis-
nation and restored the library to the
Navy. where it belongs ,s-.<.
The Secretary Of the Navy has des-
tgnated Capt. Charles c.. March as
head Of the historical section in the
intelligence bureau of the Navy. and
as such he is put in charge of the
library, and with the aid Of library
personnel will operate 1t to the ad-
vantage OF outsiders and Of the ofii-
GERS who are stationed in the new
lance from the library. The old books
and records will remain in their PRES
ent harbor Of safety. whore they will
be available for public information.
The records Of the Navy likely to
be most needed in an Official way will
be sent to the new building. where Capt
March and his assistant, Commander
Beck, will. have them classified and
filed as rapidly as the work can be
accomplished. With funds that heI
can add many needed technical books
to the annual purchases for :, the
library. The volumes that will be
most in demand will be kept in a
room in the new building: and Capt.
March has provided a special messen-
ger service to take books as they are
required. This ARRANGEMENT has
saved the whole situation, and old
friends and new of the library are
rejoicing that 1t will remain the old |
attractive room, full Of inspiring mem.
cries and all the dignified quiet that |
should be found there.
4 y X
A forthcoming report of the visiting
board appointed to examine the condi- |
tons at ST. Eliza |
Conditions at beth's. the federal |
g. r,..,, asylum for the in |
w. A1AA~a"s'n O. sane. Washing ton. |
D. c., will show that owing to unavoid- |
able wartime troubles the asylum has |
suffered good deal. But the fact will |
also appear that thorough inspection |
showed where the trouble lay. The
action taken by the president OF |
the board, Rear Admiral William II:
Hraisted, U. s. N. with the approval |
and support of Congress. will result IN
making the Institution more efficient |
than ever before. The trained head of |
[ the naval medical bureau knew where
to look for troubles and. more i'm i
portant, how to Hnd the remedy. /
The main cause Of the gradual fall 4
ing off of the institution were the |
need of some changes in organiSat ton |
and the loss Of the trained personnel i
in the way of physicians, nurses and
attendants by reason of the war with |
Germany Many members Of the