The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1914-04-09
TO REORGANIzE THE SERVICE
Life Saving Crews Will be Thing of the
Past When New Law Is Passed and
Members of Crew Will All Be Part
of the Lake Marine Service.

The present session of congress is
llkely to see the passing out of exis-
tence, so far as names go, of the Life
Saving Service and the Rvenue Cutter
Service, both of which have done yeo-
man work IN the way of rescuing ship
wrecked persons. These two services
will not be abolished but will be com
bined into one federal service and be
known by the name of the Coast Guard.
A bill creating the Coast Guard, by
combining these two services, has al
ready passed the senate and the
chances of the house acting favorably
upon it before the present session Of
congress closes are said to be good.
When this bill becomes law It
will%give to the members of the life
saving service their long sought long
evity, pay. For years the friends of
this service have sought congress to
grant members of life saving crews
the right to retire upon reaching an
advanced age or upon being disabled
in the performance of their duties
Congress never saw fit to grant this
unless this branch of the government
was given military standing, which
il will have if the pending bill should
become a law. The measure places
members of the Revenue Cutter service
and the Life Saving service on the
same footing with the officers and
enlisted men of the army, navy and
marine corps.
The Revenue Cutter service and the
Life Saving service are now under the
direction of the secretary of the treas.
ury. The bill just passed by the SEN
ate does not change this order of
things so long as this country is at
peace, but does say that in time of
war the coast guard shall be subject
to the orders of the secretary of the
navy. In this way they become part
of the military forces of the United
States, with all the privileges attach
ed thereto. This carries with it the
right to retire after thirty years of
service ON three-quarter pay
None OF the present positions in the
revenue cutter service is done away
with by the bill and all the places in
the life saving service, with the ex-
ception of the general and assistant
general superintendent, are allowed to
remain the same. 4 provision in the
bill directs the president to retire the
general superintendent on three
quarters of his present salary and to
appoint no one in his place At the
same time, the Office of assistant gen
eral superintendent is to be abolished.
The offices of district superintendent,
keepers and surfmen are to be made
like positions in the coast guard and
the incumbent officers and surfmen are
to occupy these positions in the new
service. The military features of the
bill however. make it necessary that
the superintendent shall be commits
stoned as such, the keepers to become
warrant officers and the surfmen en-
listed men, of which enlisted men the
number one surfmen shall become
petty officers.
All the duties now performed by the
revenue cutter services and the life
saving service are to continue the
same under the provisions of the bill
This is also true of the present rate
of pay of the members of the service.
A new rate for the increase of pay is
contained in the bill, however. This
provides that the commissioned officers,
warrant officers and petty officers shall
receive ten per cent increase of pay
for every five years of service, just so
the increase does not exceed forty per
cent of the pay of their grade In com.
pairing the length of service of mem
bers of the coast guard, all creditable
service in the army, navy and marine
corps are to be included. In the case
OF members of the life saving service,
where station has been opened only
part of the year, service at that sta,
ton is to count as a whole year.
Whenever vacancy occurs in the
grade of keeper of a life-saving sta
tion or house of refuge, it is TO be
filed by man from the next lower
grade, that OF surfman A vacancy in
the position of district superintendent
is to be filed by promotion and APP
pointment from the grade of keeper.
The coast guard bill is now before
the house committee ON interstate ana
foreign commerce. This committee IS
now busily engaged in framing the
president 5 interstate trade commission
bill just as soon as this completed
the committee will take up for consid-
Grafton the coast guard bill. Friends
OF the measure in the house hope for
an early report on the measure, 50
they may use their best efforts 80
have it become law during the
present session.