The Calumet news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 1907-1938, 1912-03-14

! this end has pursued policy of APP
pointing revenue cutter officers In
place of district superintendent in the
life saving service. and has failed to
recommend appropriations for the sal
aries of the superintendent. These
and other charges of like character are
not true, but are made plausible
through a misunderstanding of the
laws governing the life saving SER
vice.
Law as to Revenue officers.
Each of the thirteen life-s saving dis
tricts is under control of superin-
tendent who under the law of the last
few years, must have been promoted
from the ranks after a competitive eX-
animation. Previously. however, these
superintendencies were regarded as
political berths and few men are now
filling them whose appointments were
made solely on political grounds. Tho
law requires also that associated with
the superintendent as an inspector and
performing exactly the same duties,
with the exception of making up the
payroll, shall be q revenue cutter ofh-
Ger. These are practically dual posi-
tions, and in many cases the work can
be satisfactorily performed by one
man. With the desire TO economize
the treasupry department instituted
policy of ceasing to make appointments
where vacancies in the Office of super
intendent existed and of placing upon
| a.. NNl a
Inspector the duty of making up the
payroll and assigning clerk to assist
him. For example, vacancy existed
in the district of New Jersey and the
revenue cutter officer was directed 70
take charge of the Office and the SUI
perintendents clerk was instructed
to make up the payroll, the same to be
approved by the inspector. In its
!, recommendations for the salaries for
superintendents the treasury depart
ment omitted only the salary item re-
lated to this vacancy: all the other
salaries for superintendent were rec
commended as usual.
The keepers and men in the life saw
ing service took fright at this action OF
the department because il was m!sun-
derstood. They argued that as they
were not eligible for pensions, as the
= linen OF the revenue cutter service are,
, they should not be deprived OF the
privilege of competing for the superin-
, tendencies. which pay $4,000 year
The men also have long been pleading
, for law pensloning them
, Pensions for Life Savers.
Z The treasury department has not
been insensible to the justice of PEN
, sions for life-savers. On the con-
trary. Secretary MacVeagh urged tn.
passage of the Frye bill i'm letter to
r Senator Frye written May :. 1910. and
T. tracing the history of like bills, point
e ed out that they had failed in previous
congresses because of the disinclina :
ton of congress to grant retirement To
= tho life saving service. on the ground
that IL would operate as an entering
wedge i'm the creation of a pension lis'
4 for the benefit of all civil employees
4 of the government. So doubtful, In
fact has the department been of tho
likelihood that congress would enac'
the Frye bill. or anything like it. thai
: the department has tried to secure
pensions for the life-savers by another
method-all il is on this point that an
other misunderstanding has gained
wide currency.
The treasury department is now ad
vocating that the life-saving service
! superintendents and all, be transferred
v TO the revenue cutter service thus
giving the service and its pensions
a semi-military status. Not only ha'
the revenue cutter service not beef
irving TO absorb the life-saving ser
vice but the officers of the former hav'
rrumbled loudly over the secretary
plan, or al least one feature of II
Their complaint is that the superin
tendents Of the life-saving service de
sire to be ranked as lieutenants OF tn
n revenue cutter service. and the officer
y of the latter object, on the groun
that the life-savers have not bee
m trained for the revenue cutter servic
~ and 10 confer upon them the rank an
emoluments of their own officers /
unjust. Thus IL is true that the treas
ury department has been trying I
, cover the life-saving service; but IL !
> not true that the latter has been try
!. ing TO absorb the former or that tn
treasury department has been tryin
To dspIace life-save with revenu
cutter men. Whether or not the life
savers are covered into the revenu
cutter service. the department vii
continue its policy Of abolishing tn
superintendencies. providing a pension
scheme that will be fair and just TO tn
N Iife-savers as instituted.
AhinL ID 4 ife. Saxera Prefer2