New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-03-08
NAVY OFFICERS INTEREsTEDIEAPAYBiLL
A PROPOSITION NOT ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS sUd'
GpsrED IN PEhsONNEL AND PAY

. ppopostTrox NOT ApPpOvYp-cHANGEs sUG.
GpsrED IN PERSONNEL AND PAY.
wAsHISoToS. March s.-The now Navy Pay bill,
which "Tho Tribune, recently published, proposing
al increase pay tho lower grades Of tho llno and
making waiting orders pay ono half OF tho sea pay
has occasioned more than ordinary Interest among
Congress men and Navy officers aud has caused much
III feeling among line officers themselves, and no
opened tho old controversy between the line and the
staff. Ono Of tho engineers, who, in response IT,
Congressman Hcrberts request gave to him tables
and statements 70 prove that tho limo get moro J.,
for tho length OF service than do the stat Officers
Is threatened with orders to foreign cruise for In
tcrmeddlIng' A number Of limo officers, rho COM
plain that they arc not favored with duty, but
kept on waiting orders, protested against tho rcduc-
ton OF waiting order pay to ono half Of the sea pay
upon the ground that 1t In tho nature OF punish
mont which could only bo inflicted by court MARTIAL
and in most instances tho pay would not be equal to
that OF an ordinary clerk shore and would not
support them
Tho committee, OF which Commander Eobley ID.
Evans chief Inspector OF steel for the nov cruisers,
Is chairman and Lieutenant Richard Rush, OF the
bureau OF Navigation Is secretary, have been forccu
to abandon tho original bill. and now bill has been
framed by the committee. But IL Will not 10 urged
upon its passage until expression OF opinion Of all
officers of tho Navy, asked for by tho committee, Is
received Some opposition has already boon SHOWN
upon tho part OF officers OF, and below the rank OF
lieutenant ander, whose salaries will 10 reduced
from 5000 to 5000 year Tho argument produced
by these officers Is that tho Government gives them
the barc salary, instead Of supplying thcm with ra-
tons and uniforms many suppose. Tho cost OIL
seven different uniforms, including full dres
with epauets, etc., 500 to F400; tho expense
OF bedding and room furniture; tho mess expenses,
amounting to about $40 q month, and often an Increase
for the OF foreign naval officers and other
guests, which tho Government docs not provide for
cut down a small figure tho amount LEFT for the
support az tho officers family on shore Ihon, ZOO
must have suit Of citiZens clothing, as no docs
walks OF e These expenses, that arc not lnoumbenr
upon citizon probably seldom suggest themselves TO
tho average Congressman who is always STRIVING "
cut tho officers pay down.
The new bill provides for ono admiral and one
vice admiral, which positions shall cease 10 eNls upon
tho death OF Admiral Porter and Vice Admiral Rowan
an increase OF admrals from soven TO ten TN.
abolition OF the grade OF commodore and the ncreaso
of captains from forty five 10 fifty tho number OF
10 be increased from seventy four 10 eighty
five lleufcnants to DO reduced from go TO 200 sub
lcutenan.s Increased from seventy FIVE TO ono hundred
and cnsi gns from 1873 to 200 Tho following chahse,
in the sea-pay suggested: Vice admiral from
90 600 to 100000 rear adm!rals from 10000 10
ST 500: commanders from $500 to 1000: lieu
tenant con- manders from 50 400 to $500; euonahts
from So 100 to 81 500 subleuenants from 81 500 10
ri COO and cnslgns from 81 200 to ~ 400 II Is also
provided that officers on waiting orders shan recoNo
seventy five per cent OF their sea pay: Al present
Is about sixty six per cent. ono excellent provision
OF the now bill Is that which rids tho service OF any
officer who Is not faithful and mertoiiOu,.