Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1918-01-16
BILLION TO SOLDIERS
OF U. S. YEARLY
Tstal Pay to Men and Officers Of Ar
my i'm December Reaches Sum
of SIS, $3.50, 800.
NiBh IRVING IN FRANCE
lD in FRENCH CURRENCY
Efgrares l. e Not Include Family Al
Iowances I'd Compensation for
Disability .ovided for in Re-
Gently a! sed Act Gre
'ating Il War Risk
Blu III.

Washington, Jan. 14.-The total
pay of the United States army in
December was approximately $751;
5S0,S00, the committee on public in
formation announced Thursday in the
second of its series of statements on
the pay of the army and navy and
the operation of the war risk insur-
ance bureau. This is at the rate of
nearly 81, 900, 100000 a year.
The tStal does not include family
allowances or compensation. for dis
ability of soldiers provided for by the
insurance act and paid through the
war risk bureau.
The intricate task of paying the
officers and men of the army, made
more difficult by the wide expansion
of the past six months is being sat
isfactorily accomplished" said the
committees statement. "To prevent
failure to meet the monthly compen-
satiOI of every man il the service, no
matter where he may be located, lib
eral sums are furnished the various
disbursing quartermasters in order
promptly to meet the army pay rolls
with their extraordinary demands for
funds"
Men serving in France are paid in
French currency or by United States
check, as they may elect, and all sol
diers are paid at the end of each
month, or as soon thereafter as pos
sible.
The base pay of enlisted men ran
ges from the $50 a month received
by a private on entering the service
to the SS1 per month received by
senior grade quartermaster sergeants
of the quartermaster corps. band
leaders, master electricians, master
engineers of the senior grade and
master hospital sergeants.
Service pay for enlisted men in.
Guiding non-commissioned officers
ranging from SO to s24 month, is
allowed for continuous re-enlistmelts
and in the coast artillery extra pay
ranging from 50 month to 50
month is allowed men when on spe-
cial- assignments.
Enlisted men, if serving in for
eign country, receive 20 per cent in
crease in pay computed on the base
OF the pay and service prevailing
prior to June /, 1917. when an act
of congress increased for the period
of the war the pay of all enlisted men
in amounts ranging from 8 per cent
to 10 per cent. Enlisted men on de.
tached duty where no army quarters
are available are allowed SIS pei
month to cover housing expenses and
also suitable allowance for subsist
ence and for heat and light.
officers pay ranges from the
$141.67 initial pay received by second
lieutenants each month to the $1O,'
900 a year for a general. officers oi
the rank up to and including colonel
receive an increase of ten per cent
known as longevity pay for each per-
iod of five years service, provided that
such increase shall not exceed forty
per cent. Brigadier generals, major
generals, lieutenant generals receive
no increase for continuous service but
all officers while on foreign service
receive an increase Of 10 per cent In
their base and longevity pay.
All officers are entitled to be fur
nished public quarters, with fuel AID
light, but if these cannot be provided
the officers receive quarters allowan-
ces ranging from $24 a month for a
second lieutenant, exclusive of allow
ances for heat AID light.
Aviation officers of the signal corps
or attached to that corps while on
duty which requires them to partici-
pate regularly in aerial flights, are
entitled to an increase in the pay OF
their grade ranging from twenty-five
per cent for aviation officers to twen-
ty-five per cent for military aviators.
For deeds of valor recognized by
acts of congress, officers and enlisted
men receive certificates of merit en-
titling them to an additional compen-
sation of 50 per month.
Both officers and enlisted men are
retired at rs per cent of the pay of
the grade held at the time of retire
meat, enlisted men being entitled to
Continued On last page)