Omaha daily bee., 1917-08-19
OFFICERS ARE POOR
ON ACCOUNT H. G. L.
Must Spend Two Months Sal
ary Gathering Effects That
Are Necessary on the
Battlefield.


The cost of army officers uniforms
and equipment, which has been rising
steadily for years, has taken such a
decided jump within the last six
months that it will cost most of the
officers being graduated from train
ing camps at least two months OF
their salary to purchase the necessar-
les of army life when they enter upon
their new careers.
While uniforms and equipment are
furnished free to privates and non
commissioned officers, commissioned
officers make their own purchases in
the retail market at prices necessarily
far above those which might be OBJ
tanned If the equipment were manu-
featured by contract with the War
department.
No change has been made in the
pay of officers to meet the increased
cost of equipment and the rising cost
of living generally.
The salaries of officers are: Major
general, $4,000 year; brigadier gen
eral, $4,000; colonel, $4,000; lieutenant
colonel, $500; major, $4,000: captain,
$2,400; first lieutenant, $1,000, second
lieutenant, $l,700. Officers below the
rank of brigadier general receive an
increase of 10 per cent in pay for each
five years spent in one rank.
Subsistence Provided.
Army officers are provided with
heat, light and quarters, or in some
cases receive an allowance to provide
for them. Mounted officers receive
Sl00 year for feed of ore horse, or
$3.50 year for two horses. Officers of
the aviation corps receive 50 per cent
more than the usual pay for their
rank
The price asked for officers uni
forms, consisting of coat and trousers
vary from about $50 to $3.50. Few
makers of officers overcoats ask less
Than $45 at retail and prices go up to
a5 and $l00. Leather goods of all
kinds have at least doubled i'll price in
the last year. Ordinary army shoes
have jumped from $3.50 to $3.50 and
leather puttees in some cases have
trlpled in price.
At the army stores it was said that
the high-grade army overcoat which
sold six months ago at SIS is now
priced at 500, while the officers uni
form of olive drab serge that sold for
$3.50 six months ago now sells for
S43. The following explanation was
given of the rise i'll prices:
..= Rapid Rise in Prices.
The increase has not more than
kept pace with the advancing prices
for civilian clothes. All kinds of
woolens have gone up. The Aus
tralian yarn which was used in an Of
ticer's equipment a year ago is not
obtainable in this country at all, be-
cause its shipment outside of the
British Empire has been forbidden.
An Amcrican-made substitute has
been placed on the market at higher
price than was formerly paid for the
Australian.
I'VE are paying S. yard now for
materials which cost only $3.25 few
months ago. The manufacturers have
been rushed with orders for this kind |
'of material and cannot turn it out
fast enough to meet the demand. Of |
ticers' uniforms have always been ex-
pensive because good cloth and the |
best kind Of workmanship have gone
into them. Ready-made uniforms
have been practically unknown in the
past, IS an exceptionally good fit is
necessary, especially to the breeches.
if the garment is to be comfortable"
Because of the great immediate de-
mand for them, large number of
ready-made uniforms has been placed
on the market recently by dealers who
have not been in the uniform business
heretofore. A representative of one
of the best known clothing firms in
the city said yesterday:
I'VE are selling uniforms at from
$50 to 500. and army overcoats from
$45 to SIS and are carrying ready
made garments in stock as we'll as
making them. These prices are about
20 per cent higher than they we're six
months ago. In ordinary lines of
clothing the increase in that period
has been about 20 per cent This is
due even more to the rise in cost of
labor than to the rise in cost of ma
terials. We have always figured on
smaller profit on uniforms for army
and navy service than for ordinary
clothing. |