The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1907-02-04
WHAT CONGRESSMAN AND SENATORS
ARE DOING At THE NATIONAL CAPITAL

WASHINGTON, D. c., Feb. 4. (Spe-
cial Correspondence THE coast art
illery bill which is now being consid-
cred by the senate provides for an in
crease during the next five years of
296 officers of all grades and an in
crease Of 5043 in the number of coast
artillerymen, together with an increase
Of S5S field artillerymen. The number
of electrician sergeants is increased
from 100 to 14S. These one hundred
electrician sergeants now draw $34 per
month each with allowances. The one
hundred and forty eight provided for
in 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 the cost for these special services
will be $3O,24O. An additional master
electrician is provided at a cost of 5000.
Sixty engineers are provided at $3.50
each per annum, total of $46,SO0.
y
are provided for, the total cost being
$17,136 also sixty firemen at $3.50 per
annum a total of $21,600. Slight in
creases of pay are given as follows: A
chief casemaker electricians, sos per
annum; 40 observers, first class. sos
per annum; 40 plotters. sos per an
mum; A chief planters $4S per annum,
"A chief leaders, S4S per annum: ITO
observers second class. $4S per annum; ;
37S gun pointers. $34 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 it is worth noting
that a gun commander in the coast
artillery receives $24 per month while
to $40 per month. Gunners in the coast
artillery stationed at guns of eight inch
or larger caliber, receive 81 per month
extra for the first class, and 81 per
month for the second class. For guns
of four to seven inches in the navy the
gun pOlllclS ItCtlNe 20 pei lIOIlllI IOI
the first class and Sc per month for the
second class, and for three inch or
smaller .caliber, first class gunners get
81 per month and the second class 81
per month extra. The gunners for the
coast artillery for all calibers of guns
receive only 81 per month extra for
first class gunners and 81 per month
for second class. These figures show
that the most poorly paid naval gun
pointer receives the same additional
compensation as that given to the most
highly paid coast artillery gunner.
"Of the forces authorized by law
said Senator Warren, chairman of the
senate committee on military affairs,
1.-The artillery corps is short from thir-
ty to forty per cent because of the
inability of the recruiting department
of the army to keep the artillery sup
piled with so much in consequence of
a shortage of men, and get such little
compensation for their labor that they
will not enlist. Many Of them desert
before their time expires and the Of
ficers are becoming somewhat discour-
aged Congress has been adding to the
defenses from time to time and turn
ing over to the artillery new fortifica-
tions and new works, new accessories,
new power plants, new electrical in
stallations and new Searchlights until
it is about to give way under the burd-
en-. 1t can not properly meet the re-
sponsibility that is accommodating about
it,
The war department has ruled that
the expense of procuring or prepar-
ing abstracts and title papers to lands