Evening star., 1907-08-28
GENERAL INCREASE OF PAY
CONCLUSION OF DELIBERATIONS
OF A JOINT BOARD.
Proposed Salaries in the Army, Navy
and the Revenue Cutter Service.
Bill Prepared for Congress.

The joint board. composed of Acting Sec
retary Newbury. representing the navy;
Maj. Gen. Ainsworth. representing the
army. and Assistant Beekman Winthrop,
representing the Revenue Cutter Service as
an attachment of the treasury has at
length reached the conclusion OF their
labors and has made public the text of a
bill to be laid before the next Congress pro-
viding for general increase in the pay OF
the officers and men of the three services.
The task was a delicate one, and the board
found that 1t was not possible to undertake
to rearrange salaries generally and reduce
the inequalities which now admittedly exist
between the rates of pay of soldiers, sailors
and revenue cutter men. Therefore it was
decided to provide for a general increase
of existing rates of payo not uniformly. but
on sliding scale ranging from 10 per cent
increase in the highest grades up to - per
cent in the lowest grades The basis of the
new bill Is one introduced last session In
the Senate by Senator Dick OF Ohio and in
the House by Representative Capron Of
West Virginia.
In explanation Of the terms of this bill it
should be stated that the law at present
authorizes the President to fix the rates of
pay for enlisted men in the navy, but does
not permit this to be done in the case of the
army. The result is that already naval pay
has been raised considerably above that of
a private In the army, so the bill proposes
to extend the principle to the navy and
revenue cutter service. In that way 1t Will
be possible to meet at once. upon the pas
sage Of the act the present conditions IN
the army which make it impossible to NIL
the ranks and man the sea coast defenses
The bill provides that hereafter the pay
and allowances, except forage and mileage
which shall be governed by existing law,
of officers on the active lists of the navy.
Marine Corps and Revenue Cutter Service
shall be the same in every respect, accord
ing to rank and length of service. as the
pay and allowances OF officers of corre-
spending rank and length Of service on the
active HIST of the army.
Sec. 2. That the, pay of officers Of the
army on the active list Is hereby Increased
as follows: OF generals and lieutenant gem
erals, 10 per centum; of major generals and
brigadiers, Is per centum: of colonels. Ieu-
tenant colonies and majors, 20 per centum:
Of captains, first lieutenants and second
lieutenants, 25 per centum; and the pay OF
cadets of the Military Academy, OF MD
shipmen and warrant officers OF the navy
and Of cadets of the line of the Revenue
Cutter Service is hereby increased 20 per
centum: Provided. that section 1857 of the
Revised Statutes Of the United states IS
hereby repealed.
Sec g. That the provisions of section
1869 of the Revised Statutes of the United
States are hereby extended so as to apply
to the pay of all enlisted men Of the army.
navy. Marine Corps and Revenue Cutter
Service.
Sec 4. That the pay Of all officers. war
rant officers and enlisted men of the army
navy, Marine Corps and Revenue Cutter
Service on the retired lists shall hereafter
be based on the pay. as herein provided for
Of officers. warrant officers and enlisted
men of corresponding rank and service on
the active lists
Sec s. That nothing herein contained
shall be construed so as to reduce the pay
or allowances now authorized by law for
any officer warrant officer or enlisted men
on either the active or retired list. and all
laws or parts Of laws inconsistent with the
provisions of this act are hereby repealed