Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1907-02-01
SECRETARY TAFT'S REPORT.
Officers AT Naval Academy Elated Over
Letter To Senate On The
Dick. CaprOn Bill.

Officers at The Naval Academy and
Marine Barracks are elated over Sec
retary Tafts' report on the Pay Bill.
The bill provides 5000 for the mid
shipmen and cadets, also rations at
| 30 cents per diem, which is not pay,
but an allowance.
This view was not taken by Secre-
tary Taft, who recommends only $500
as pay. 1t is hoped it may be passed
at 5000. The following is an extract
from the Washington Star of Jann-
ary rs.
Secretary Taft has sent a letter to
the chairman of the Senate military
committee indorsing the Dick-Capron
bill to regulate and equalize the pay
of officers of tbs Army, savy, Ma
rine Corps and Revenue Cutter ser.
vice.
II will confine myself says Sec
retary Taft, ''to so much of the meas
ure as relates TO the Army, since 1t
is understood the pay OF the Army
forms the base of pay Tor the other
branches affected by this bill.
''The present pay for officers of fhe
Army was fixed by the act approved
July 10, 1870. A comparison of the
present rates with those given for the
corresponding grades by the proposed
measure shows an intention To make n
uniform increase in pay of 20 per
cent. which calls up for consideration
the question of the necessity for such
an increase. If desired statistics can
be transmitted showing that the cost
of living has increased more than ~
per cent. during the past 20 years, and
that during this time there has been
great increase in wages by civil cor
porations and employers of labor,
skilled and otherwise, to meet the ad-
vance in prices; but, as these facts are
so well known, such data ara not SUBJ
mitted, as no repetition or amplifica-
tion seems necessary.
A change in situation involving
move of family and household goods
is always expensive and makes n
heavy demand upon the officers pay.
Where the changes are few and at
comparatively long intervals, eondi-
tions that obtained prior to 1898, some
opportunity was given for savings to
meet such expenditures. The service
today, however, requires frequent and
at times unexpected changes of station,
W ith insufficient time interval for ac-
cumulating sufficient money TO meet
the expenses of the move. Again,
service in Alaska and in the insular
possessions in many cases necessitates
the maintenance of two establishments
one for the officer in the outlying
post and the other for his family in
the United States, in which the most
rigid economy must be practiced IN
order to make both ends meet. The
education of children is necessary and
expensive charge against pay. The
nofficer has no fixed habitat and IN
the majority of cases is so situated
that he cannot take advantage of the
public school systems of the country.
The increased cost of officers uni
forms and equipments calls for heavier
expenditures than formerly, and an
officer must be supplied at all times
in these respects for any duty that one
may be called upon TO perform, and
must also be provided with suitable
civil ian clothing. In seditl0n, SER
vice il, tae ttnaies neccss,tates pay
ment OF extra pie.niuins on life insuT-
ance policies.
The foregoing demands upon the
officers pay are applicable TO all
grades, and the uniform increase
throughout is more equitable ar
rangeme1t tIlan HAS Yet bSCh SohoAVOA
ed.
The pay of the cadets of the United
States Military Academy was fixed
by the act of June 2S, 1902, when, by
the addition of a ration commuted at
80 cents per day, the pay was in
creased about 10 per cent. Cadets
and their pay were affected by the
advance in price of food products and
clothing. In the question of the in
crease of pay on a uniform basis of
20 per cent. the increase of lyO2
should be considered and, therefore,
to make the full 20 per cent, ii is
suggested that the pay of the cadets
be fixed at $3.50 and the ration au-
thorized by law, instead of 5000, with
no allowance for the ration, as the
proposed bill provides.
The bill under consideration pro-
yides for an increase of 20 per cent of
the pay now allowed by law for all
on-commisisoned officers and enlist