Perth Amboy evening news., 1910-12-19
GUARDSMEN TO
RECEIVE PAY
Bill to Pay Them For
Participating in Drills.

sFroD1 the NE VS. Correspondsnt.)
Washington, Dec. 19;-If Senator
Penrose, of Pennsylvania, is success
full in getting favorable consideration
on q bill he has introduced and 1t
should become a law every national
guardsman in New Jersey and
throughout the country, as a matter
of course, will be paid for participant
ing in drills. For several years, or
since the national guard has been an
auxiliary of the regular army, there
has been considerable agittion for
some compensation for the men for
their attendance at drills but nothing
has ever come Of 1t.
| The bill introduced by Senator
Penrose provides that all such men
in the ranks who attend f~orty-eight
drills In the year or such an eQuiva-
lent of duty as may be prescribed,
shall receive twenty-five per cent. OF
the pay of a man In the regular army.
No allowance will be made when
less than twenty drills have been at
tended, and between that number
and forty-eight drills the pay shall be
a proportionate amount of the
twenty-five per cent.
The bill Is comprehensive in it's
provisions and the officers in the ma
tional guard will also be taken care
of. All officers below the rank of
general will receive fifteen per cent
of the pay that is received by an Off
Ger Of corresponding rank in the
regular army. General officers will
receive five per cent of the pay of
like grades In the regular army.
No militiaman can receive the al
lowance during the first year of his
enlistment unless he shall make a
record score with the arm of his
branch OF the service at rifle prac-
tice. Hence, the bill, If enacted,
would also be an incentive to better
shooting among the soldiers in the
national guard. A bill of this sort
would affect every man in the SER
vice In New Jersey. 1t is estimated
that the pay for an enlisted man in
the national guard would be about
70 cents for each drill attended. A
Second Lieutenant would receive
about $40 a year; a First Lieutenant
about 500 a year and a Captain $125
a year. This would tend to make
the service more attractive and en-
able the commissioned officers to
meet the expenses incident to the
purchase of uniforms and equipment
without finding it q tax upon their
private incomes.
Pensions throughout New Jersey
will all favor a bill which has been
reported unanimously by the com
mite on Invalid Pensions. The re-
porting Of the bill is a shrewd piece
of playing politics." 1t was under
stood that the democrats proposed to
report q big pension bill in the next
Congress that would simply brighten
the Senate and President Taft and
when 1t failed to become a law the
democrats could place the blame
upon the republicans. In an effort
to ~forestall this move the commit
tee has reported the bill which will
give veterans of 81 years, SIS a
month; IS years, $20 a month; 10
years, $25 a month; and rs years,
$36 a month.
Representative Hughes, Of New
Jersey, who is one Of the ready de-
baters on the democratic side, start
ed another fight on the rules or
Wednesday. The s%quabble lasted
1boob an AOalD aAtCA WhiSh ShO
House took the matter In hand and
settled 1t In a n contrary to
the wishes of Mr.. Hughes, and Mr..
Fitzgerald, Of New York, who was
his ally In the fight. The House had
taken up the bill covering the codi-
ication and revision of the laws. This
measure has had every calendar
Wednesday thus far, and will occu-
Ply the time on all subsequent calen-
dar Wednesdays for the remainder of
the session. Mr.. Hughes objected
to the procedure, on the ground that
it would exclude all other bills that
might come up on that day. Speaker
Cannon ruled that the House must
settle the matter itself, which 1t did
by voting to go ahead with the bill
of the Judiciary committee.