(a) When on leave of absence with pay a nurse will receive commutation of rations at 25 cents per day.

(b) When traveling under orders from competent authority a nurse will be allowed commutation of rations at the rate of $1.50 per day. On Government transports nurses will be provided with meals free of charge.

LEAVE OF ABSENCE.

11. The total duration of leave of absence with pay granted a nurse shall not exceed thirty days for each calendar year.

(a) An additional leave without pay or allowances not to exceed one month may be granted when the service will permit.

(b) The commanding officer of a general hospital, or officer in charge of a hospital, may grant a leave of absence to a nurse when it can be done without detriment to the service. No leave of absence will be granted unless requested by the nurse in writing. The original paper granting the leave will be given to the nurse and the facts reported to the Surgeon Gen⚫eral.

(c) Nurses on foreign service can not be granted leave "to take effect after arrival in the United States," but nurses assigned to transport duty may be granted leave after reaching port.

(d) A nurse on leave of absence in the United States will report in writing to the Surgeon General at least one week prior to the expiration of said leave.

(e) At places where the services of trained nurses are not otherwise obtainable a nurse may, if she so desires, and with the approval of the officer in charge of the hospital, be granted a special leave without pay or allowances in order to take a private case, such leaves not to exceed sixty days.

(f) An extension of leave of absence may be granted by the officer granting the original leave or by the Surgeon General, provided that leave with pay shall not exceed thirty days for each year.

ILLNESS.

12. A nurse is entitled to receive medical attendance from an army surgeon and medicines when ill. This will be provided for at the hospital where she may be serving, but when it is reported as desirable the Surgeon General, or chief surgeon within his department, may give orders for a nurse's

transfer to and treatment in some other army hospital. Bills contracted by a nurse for medical attendance can not be allowed, nor will extra leave of absence with pay be granted because of illness.

(a) A nurse will not be discharged for disability contracted in line of duty until after reasonable time has been allowed for treatment unless the case requires immediate action and at her request. Full reports in all cases of nurses under treatment in hospital should be promptly forwarded to the Surgeon General for his information.

CHIEF NURSE.

13. The chief nurse will render efficiency reports of the nurses serving under her on the 1st day of March, June, September, and December of each year. A special report will be made also when the chief nurse is about to be relieved from duty at a hospital. Special efficiency reports of an individual nurse will be made whenever she is ordered away from the hospital. Only matters which relate exclusively to the efficiency of the nurses will appear on these reports. Blanks for efficiency reports will be furnished by the Surgeon General. (a) Nurses who prove themselves possessed of marked executive ability, good judgment, and tact may be recommended for promotion at the discretion of the commanding officer and the chief nurse.

(b) When a vacancy occurs in the grade of chief nurse the Surgeon General (or if in the Division of the Philippines the chief surgeon) will assign an eligible nurse to that duty. All assignments or reductions, with the reasons therefor, in the Division of the Philippines will be promptly reported to the Surgeon General.

(c) When required by climatic conditions the chief nurse may, with the approval of the officer in charge of the hospital, substitute the eight-hour day for the usual ten or twelve hours of ward duty.

(d) If a hospital is large enough to require it one or more nurses may be assigned to duty as assistants to the chief nurse without extra pay.

REPORTS AND RETURNS.

14. On the last day of each month the officer in charge of a hospital will forward a return of female nurses to the Surgeon

General through the chief surgeon on blank form furnished by the Surgeon General. On this should be noted all the changes, with dates, which have taken place in the status of the nurses since the last report. These returns should be carefully prepared, and furnish full information of the actual status of the nurses, including leaves of absence.

(a) The officer in charge of a hospital will forward to the Surgeon General through the chief surgeon the quarterly and special efficiency reports prepared by the chief nurse, stating whether or not he concurs in the grading reported by her. He will also indorse thereon his report of the efficiency of the chief nurse, specifying in detail the character of the services rendered by her. (See paragraph 13.)

UNIFORM.

15. The uniform of the Army Nurse Corps will consist of a waist and skirt of suitable white material, adjustable white cuffs, bishop collar, whfte apron and cap according to patterns and specifications in the Surgeon General's Office.

(a) A nurse provides for the laundry of her uniform.

(b) The badge of the corps is the cross of the Medical De partment in green enamel with gilt edge. This is pinned on the left side of the collar of the uniform or on a corresponding part of her dress when she is not in uniform.

(c) When a nurse is appointed she will be supplied with detailed instructions on this subject and will immediately procure her uniform. It will invariably be worn during her hours of duty.

(d) Nurses not in uniform will not be allowed in the wards without special permission of the chief nurse or officer in charge.

(e) No changes in the prescribed uniform of the Nurse Corps will be made without authority of the Surgeon General.

RESERVE NURSES.

16. A nurse who has served faithfully and satisfactorily for at least six months and received an honorable discharge will be placed on the reserve list.

(a) Each reserve nurse must sign an agreement to enter active service in time of war or national emergency, or whenever she may be needed, and to report by letter to the Surgeon General on the 1st of January and the 1st of July of each

year. Reserve nurses wear the badge of the army nurses, but are not entitled to pay or allowances except when on active service.

(b) When called into active service they will be subject to all established rules and regulations and will receive the pay and allowances of nurses on the active list. They may be granted leave of absence with pay at the rate of two and one-half days per month of active service, not exceeding thirty days during any calendar year.

(c) A nurse will be dropped from the reserve list upon reaching the age of forty-five years, or if she ceases for five years to practice her profession, or if she becomes permanently incapacitated from ill health, or for other good and sufficient reason. But a nurse shall not be dropped from the reserve list without due notice of the cause for such action and an opportunity to reply to any charges which may be made against her.

BY COMMAND OF LIEUTENANT GENERAL MILES:

THOMAS WARD, Acting Adjutant General.