Arizona republican., 1907-01-30
PROPOSED INCREASE
OF COAST ARTILLERY
Altogether the Pending Bill Provides
For an Additional 5000 Men to This
Arm Of the Service.

Arm Of the Service.
Washington. Jan. %, Especial Cor
respondence of The Republican)-The
coast artillery bill which is now being
considered by the senate provides for
an increase during the next five years
of 296 officers of all grades and an in
crease of 5.O43 I'm the number of coast
artiilerymen. together with an increase
of S5S artillerymen. The number
of electrician sergeants i'm increased
from 100 To AS. These one hundred
electrician sergeants now draw $34 per
month each with allowances. The one
bundled and forty-eight provided for i'm
the bill are divided into two classes;
seventy-foUr OF them will draw $35 per
month. and seventy-four will draw $45
per month each, allowances being made
| for both classes. The total increase in
cost for these special services will be
| 5000. An additional master electric
ian is provided at cost of $500. Sixty
I engineers are provided at $3.50 each per
| annum, total Of $3.50 FOrty-two
master gunners at S409 each. are pro-
| vided for, the total cost being S17,1S6;
I also sixty fremen at 1850 per annum.
total Of S2l, 500. Slight increases Of
pay are given as follows: Al casemaker
| electricians. Sos per annum; 170 OBJ
| servers. first class, sos per annum; 170
/ plotters, SOS per annum; "A chief
/ planters. $S4 per annum; "A chief
| leaders. sS4 per annum; 40 observers,
| second class. sS4 per annum; 37S gun
! pointers. $50 per annum. all in addition
/ To their present pay. which is that of
| a sergeant or corporal. or SIS and SIS
per month. respectively. with certain
| allowances for length of service. In
| this connection il is worth noting that
a gun commander in the coast artillery
/ receives S24 per month while a turret
/ captain in the navy gets $50 10 $40 per
/ month. Gunners in the coast artillery
/ stationed At guns of S-inch or larger
! caliber. receive s. per month extra for
| the first class. and 81 per month for
/ the second class. For guns OF four 10
| seven inches in the navy the gun point
! ers receive IS per month for the first
| class and Sc PEI month for the second
! class. and for 3-inch or smaller caliber,
| first class gunners get 81 per month
and the second class 81 per month ex-
ira. The gunners for the coast artil-
/ lery for all calibers Of guns receive only
! 81 per month extra for first class gun
ners and 81 per month for second class,
! These figures show that the most poor
/ ~ paid naval gun pointers receives the
| same additional compensation as that
glyen by the most highly paid coast
artillery gunner.
"Of the forces authorized by law
said Senator Warren. chairman Of the
1 senate committee on military affairs.
THE artillery corps is short from
! thirty To forty per cent because Of the
inability of the recruiting department
n Of the army TO keep the artillery sup
lery supplied with recruits. This IS due
TO the fact that these men are called
Il on 10 do 50 much in consequence Of n
shortage Of men. and get such little
COMPENSATION for their labor that they
will not re-enlist. Many Of them de-
sert before their time expires and the
4 officers are becoming somewhat dis
4 couraged. Congress has been adding
to the defense from time 10 time and
turning over the artillery new fortifi-
cations and new works. new Access
series. new power plants. new elcctri-
| cal installations and new searchlights
until il is about to give way under the
burden. 1t cannot properly meet the
responsibilities that is accommodating
about it,
The war department has ruled that
the expense Of procuring or preparing
abstracts and title papers TO lands 10
be purchased for target ranges and
/ shooting galleries. the cost Of necessary
service and any other legitimate eX-
penses entailed in securing the consent
! Of owners to sell are proper charges
against the amount allowed the state
for rifle practice. provided the pur-
chase Of the land involved in accomp-
lished. Any buildings essential fol-
storage or for housing caretakers or
a state rifle range would be legiti-
mate charge against the rifle practice
appropriation. but the>erection of bar
racks for the accommodation Of the
state militia is a matter for the state
to take care Of.