The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1913-11-06
PAY IS TOO SMALL
Impossible for an English Army
Officer to Live on Salary.
He tiuEt Have a Private lncome-lt
Costs So Much TO Hold Commits
sicn That Vacancies Show
Alarming Increase.

The problem of the death of Off
GERS is still far from solution What is
the cause of the trouble? Can We
put tho army on a proper footing in
this respect? l will endeavor to show
that the evil is not necessary and is
therefore curable," says a regime1tal
officer il the London Mail.
In every blsiness concern the ex-
show a balance in favor of the latter,
otherwise bankruptcy follows. But
the army, were it not assisted from
private sources, would have become
financially impossible long ago. The
commissioned ranks are supported by
voluntary contributions. UnfOrtu-
nately, the method by which these
are subscribed has the effect of rem
dering them not more, but less eff
cient.
The problem should be understood
to concern primarily, if not exclu-
sively, the lowest commissioned rank.
1t is the financial situation of an of
ficer during the first ten years of his
service which renders the army an
absolute bar to many young men who
would otherwise make soldering their
profession. AS matters stand, they
have to obtain the right to sit on an
office stool in the city or elsewhere.
An officer is paid through a recog-
niZed agency monthly. When he joins
he is credited with a sum of 97 los
for the following month. The actual
amount for SO days pay would be 81
It's I'd, but deducing income tax, the
first figure is fairly correct. From
the initial payment we must deduct
30s, being the price charged by the
treasury for the piece of paper call
ed @ commission, leaving Sc for the
expense of joining. At the end of
will receive a mess bill, which in
the more expensive regiments is not
much under SO. This covers the
cost Of food, drinks, tobacco and sub
scriptiOns to the funds of the mess.
In most regiments even a moderate
drinker will find that $40 will not
pay the bill; neither does the bill in
cluGe the pay of a soldier servant,
laundry and other necessary expenses.
Should we put these as low as 93,
the expenditure, without counting
tailors and other bills, travelling, etc.,
therefore exceeds the receipts by
abous So los.
The regulati223 bristle with sump-
tuary laws, which if they are OBJ
serve in the letter are treated with
contempt in the spirit For this there
are two causes. In the first place, the
ineptitude of mess authority for the
work Of the house or lodging keeper.
The meals provided might be mex
pensiye, considering that fuel, kitch-
en- utensils and Offices are provided
by the government, but in fact they
are supplied at rarely less than 81 IS
a week, and more often at So Is or
GO SIS, without counting wines, to-
bacco, Or even afternoon tea.
The second contributory cause OF
the high rate of living is the provision
Of meals which would do honor to
good London restaurant. They are
provided to suit the taste Of senior
officers who are epicures. Moreover,
the waste in most lnesses is very
great; the mess president. who IS the
responsible. person, has his millinery
duties to perform, which take up the
best part Of his time, and the mess
sergeant is not likely to be con-
demned for want of thrift. No one
would dream of accusing the mess
staff of inefficiency because GER
tain amount of waste was suspected.
/ know this will raise protest, but
/ affirm from personal experience that
this is generally the case. There is
no caterer, conversant with his trade
who could not provide wholesome
and palatable fare for half the price
for which it is at present furnished to
the members of most messes, taking
into consideration the particular cir
cumstances and the constant mem
bers to be provided for. Messing in
the navy costs two shillings a day.
1t should be remembered that an
OulCCI Is All OOtISdIOIs iuStuUSl VI IhC
mess, so he cannot evade the cost of
his daily food.
Another item of expense is mess
subscriptions. According to the let
ter of the law. these should not ex
coed ten shillings a month under Or
binary circumstances and Is shillings
in exceptional cases. Actually this
represents only a fraction of the con-
tributions. There are band and other
funds to be kept up, to which the
young subaltern is not asked, but is
told to subscribe The mess, consider
ed as a club, is as costly as the col
lective membership Of two or three of
the best London institutions of that
description, yet there is no rent to
pay for mess quarters and cost is
free
we say we want gentlemen to Of
ficer the army; what we get is the
brainless son Of the wealthy parvenu
This is not an aristocracy but a mill
tary plutocracy.
1T has been said that the nff,cGc,
like the other members of professions,
should be prepared to live at his own
eYneose during the first wears of his