The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1916-1920, 1919-09-27
DANIELS BLOCKS
NAVY PAY RAISE
Would Substitute Own Plan
for 80 Per Cent. Increase
Asked by Officers.
WILL RESULT IN DELAY
Secretary Wishes Men of Low
er Ranks to Get Larger
Share of Salary Fund.
Specil DespatcA to THn srN.

Special DespatcA to TIE son
WASHINGTON, Sept. 28.-The fear in
the nav that Secretary Daniels would
consciously or unconsciously upset the
generally indorsed plan for increasing
pay for officers and men in the service
has come true even sooner than expected
Mr.. Daniels announced to-day to news
paper men that he had decided against
the legislation now pending in Congress
TO provide for the army, navy, Marine
Corps and Public Health Service to
enable the personnel to meet the in
creased cost of living.
Instead Mr.. Daniels proposes to talk
things over informally" with members
of the Senate and House Naval Affairs
Committees on Monday and propose a
substitute plan OF his own.
In these circumstances, naval officers
say that this substitute will be about
as useful as a puncture In an automobile
tire and controversy of unforseeable
proportions is likely to follow with nv.
Daniels standing for his ideas against
the combined opinion Of the War and
Treasury Departments, the Republican
majority in Congress and the naval ser
vice almost to the last man.
Younger Men Need 1t.
Mr.. Daniels said to-day that he did
not like the 80 per cent. fiat increase for
naval officers because he thought officers
% higher rank did not need 1t as much
as the younger men. He favors, there
fore, a SPECIFIC increase applied to each
rank. He says that Congress would not
pass the 80 per cent. fiat increase and
apparently he desires to tell the Senate
loot
should be and then have this opinion
supported.
At first blush this Daniels plan seems
reasonable, officers-say but in reality 1t
represents action of a most detrimental
and demoralizing character.
1t establishes a different rate of pay
for the navy and the army. which brings
back the old unwelcome situation that
existed prior to 1899. 1t took thirteen
years Of the hardest kind of effort to
eliminate the decentralization and i'll feel
ing caused by this difference in pay.
1t Is commended in the army as well
as the navy that the strongest point in
the present plan for pay legislation is
the fact that equality is provided all
round
To Begin Over Again.
But the most serious aspect Of Mr..
Daniels's desire TO direct the efforts of
Congress in the present matter is the
fact that It punctures a plan which has
already matured and been generally
sanctioned and means beginning all over
again. The Stiness pay bill, as 1t is
called, has been officially sanctioned by
Secretary of War Baker. by the Treas
ury Department, by Franklin Roosevelt,
Acting Secretary while Mr.. Daniels was
away: Senator Page (VtD, chairman of
the Senate Naval Committee: Senator
Newberry CMich.), formerly Assistant
Secretary Of the Navy: Representative
Butler (PaD. chairman of the House
Naval Committee; Admiral Wilson. in
command of the battleship feet; Ad-
mirals Mayo. Sims and virtually every
ranking officer in the service,
1t Is contended In the navy that 1t is
not necessary for Secretary Daniels to
take on himself the burden of deciding
whether or not Congress will sanction
the proposed legislation, because that is
the function OF Congress and not OF the
Navy Department
Daniels Backs Bill.
In line with his plan TO direct Con-
gress on the right path, Mr.. Daniels APP
parently has confided his ideas 10 Rep
resentative Kelley (Mich.) and asked
him to draw up a new bill AS Mr..
Kelley is a Republican. ii Is likely that
his conferees will persuade him to keep
clear of this threatened complication,
and it may be that Mr.. Daniels will be
asked to choose some one else to act as
Interpreter Of his individual ideas
The statement that 80 per cent. Is too
much for the older officers will be char
lenged by the Republican majority, who
will point out that Great Britain has
Increased the pay OF her naval officers,
including the older men who hold re-
sponsible positions, an average OF rs
per cent Both France and Italy have
repaid their navies by similar increases,
and It Is not understood in Congress
why the American navy should not be
given consideration or why the Older
men whose work in the war may have
saved the Government billions Of dollars
should not be given 80 per cent. on the
ground that II is too much
An unusual and embarrassing situa-
ton has naturally arisen through the
action OF Mr.. Daniels in taking a stand
precisely opposite to that of Mr.. Roose-
' cit and the officers in the navy.
Mr. Roosevelt whole heartedly in
dorsed the present pay bill. and said in
a recent letter TO Representative Butler
Instead Of presenting a definite bill
TO the naval committees OF Congress,
believe that the time and effort would
be saved II the Completes on Naval
Affairs could appoint subcommittee to
investigate the subject in close coopera-
ton with committee representing the
officers and men of the navy"
He adds that he believes that some
thing must be done at as early a date as
possible"
Sims for New Increase.
Admiral Sims says that a just cause
Tor discomfort with attending lowering
of morale exists, is beyond question"
Admiral Wilson says: 1T is difficult
to overestimate the grave situation"
officers in many instances are already
not only because the ships
are practically empty but because the
class Of recruits is OF little value The
only men who enlist with enthusiasm or
in any numbers apparently are young
men or boys OF about IT years old who
want adventure.
Secretary Daniels says he does not
fear for the future because there are
500 900 men on the Naval Reserve list
who could be called back in any emer-
gency. This statement is, however,
"a "a