The Leavenworth echo. [volume] (Leavenworth, Wash.) 1904-current, 1918-01-11
HOW MUCH DO WE PAY OUR
SOLDIERS; DO YOU KNOW?
Private Gets $33 per month and Up
Depending Upon Size of Family
Gets More Pay When He
Goes Abroad


Ask the first ten people you meet
what Uncle Sam pays his soldiers.
1t will be safe to bet they don't
know.
Half of them may have some hazy
idea about a "dollar day." and
you will find lot of people who
think Uncle Sam still pays the old
seal of $13 month.
The whole pay system of the Uni
ted States army has been revolu-
tionized since the war started.
A private in Uncle Sans armies
regular National Guard or National
army, receives in cash, as long as
he is in the United States, $S3
month, in addition to good clothing
and medical attention.
When he is sent to Europe he gets
20 per cent extra, whether in train
ing or in the trenches, which brings
the minimum cash pay up to $3.50
a month, or s1.30 day
The revolutionary part of the pay
system, however, about which most
people are ignorant, is the scale of
allowances made by the government
to the soldiers dependents.
Under the new scheme if "there's
a wee wife waiting" she receives
each month directly from Uncle Sam
S15 a month, which is virtually an
addition to the fighting mans wage
and brings his total compensation
up to $4S month while he is in the
United States and to $5460 abroad.
If there is one child with the wife,
the allowance is $25 month; two
children, $3.50 and so on up to the
point where with wife and six
children, Uncle Sam pays $50
month in cash to the family.
Allowances are also provided for
dependent parents, $40 month for
each, and for brothers, sisters and
grandchildren, SIS month for each
with the proviso that in any case
the government will not pay to the
dependents of any man more than
$50 month.
No mawkish prudery entered into
the drafting of these provisions; by
acknowledging his illegitimate child,
a soldier may secure for it the full
governmental allowance, the only
provision being that if it is born
after Dec. 81, 1917, it must be born
in the United States.
So in the case of wife, there
need be no legal marriage, if there
is proof that they have lived to-
gether as man and wife for two
years prior to enlistment.
Uncle Sam also sees to it that his
soldiers do not throw all the burden
of caring for dependents on his
broad shoulders, by making it COM
pulsory for each man who has left
a wife or child behind to pay over
to them thru the treasury, at least
s15 a month, and as much more as
will equal the allowances which
Uncle Sam makes, up to half a
mans pay.
Thus for the man in service
abroad who has left wife and child
behind, the man will have to assign
to them at least $3.50 month, to
which the government will add $25,
making a total of $44.80, which they
are sure to receive.
The old pension system is wiped
out by the new and far more equit-
able system of compensation for
death and disability.
This compensation differs from
that provided in any other law. 1t
takes the family as unit that is
serving the nation, not the individ-
ual man. 1t bases the compensation
on the size of the family from time
to time. While a totally disabled
bachelor will get only $50 month,
the man with wife and four chill
dren will get $75. Twenty dollars
is added if a nurse is required, $40
more if there is a dependent wild
owed mother, but if he loses both
hands or feet, becomes totally blind
or helplessly bedridden, he gets 500
a month as long as he may live,
whether he is married or not.
If he dies from injuries or dis
ease received in line of duty, the
widow, children, and widowed moth
er receive sums ranging from $50
to $75 a month, according to size of
family. No distinction is made be-
tween a private and the highest of
ficer.
In addition every man may take
out insurance up to $4,000 at the
actual cost of furnishing such in
surance in peace times-the entire
nation thru the treasury, bears the
war risk. This insurance is wisely
safe-guarded to protect it from cred
itors, shyster lawyers and loan
sharks.