Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1919-09-15
GBy l.. G. Dougherty.1

Washington, Sept. 1S.-The war de-
partment this week took steps to pro-
vide special inducements for enlist
ments in the national guard by draft
ing special bill, which will soon be
presented to congress, providing a sys-
tenn of pay TO officers and men which
will reward individual efficiency ana
penalize failures. Coming as it does
upon the heels of the announcement by
the war department that infantry COM
panies must be recruited to strength
of 100 enlisted men before federal rec
ognition will be granted, the proposed
pay system will doubtless be generally
We'> omed by promoters of new nation
al guard companies in Iowa and other
states.
Details of the pay bill were present.
ed to Senator Frank Il. Kellogg. OF
Minnesota, in q letter received today
from Maj. Gen. Jesse Mel. Garter. chief
of the military bureau. General Car
ter made known his plans In response
to a request from Senator Kellogg for
an opinion on the bill now before con-
gress to increase the pay of national
guardsmen to ne-fourth the present
pay of enlisted men in Sic regular
army. The armorypay plan, now in
use, is declared by General Carter to
be unwieldly and unbusinesslike.
The existing plan" General Garter
wrote. penalties the efficient man who
regularly attends drills and is denied
pay because his organization some
times fails TO qualify because Of the
for, do Of rhn NJ nj
regular in their interest"
Pay For Drills Attended.
Under General Carriers plan "a MEM
Der of tine guard will be paid one thir-
tieth of the present monthly pay of n
man of corresponding grade in the
army for each drill attended. the pla''
to provide that any change in the pay
Of the army to be correspOndingly APP
piled TO the pay Of the national guards
men,"
The drill period will be one and one
half hours and there will be not to ex-
coed five each month. Enlisted men
will receive not less than 81 for each
drill. Loss of all compensation for the
month would result from failure to at
tend 60 per cent of the drills ordered
or failure to perform other military
service ordered by the secretary of war.
Under this proposed plan" General
Carter explained, the guardsmen
would know that money once earned
by him would not be forfeited by rea-
son OF the non attendance of irrespons-
ible members of the organiza tions and
that the money will be received at the
end OF the period. Likewise. when he
misses drill, he would know that he
has lost a certain amount of money.
pay. and the rolls would be easily CAL
culated."
The new scheme makes officers re-
sponsible for the good performance OF
duty by their men. Each officer"
General Carter wrote Senator Kellogg,
will receive a certain amount of pay
for each and every drill which he at
tends, provided re secures sufficient
attendance Of enlisted personnel. In
other words it makes the company Of
ficer's pay dependent upon the applied
ability which he has for drawing en-
listed men to drill. 1t would afford
him the privilege of increasing his pay
by holding five drills"
Under the existing procedure, he re-
ceives a certain amount Of pay when
he attends forty eight drills OF even
less; it gives him no reward for ct
tending more than forty eight drills a
year. Under the proposed plan, he may
receive pay for attending sixty drills,
which is none too many if progress as
an organization is to be secured. The
presentation of a certain amount for
each drill attended instead of so much
per year will. it is believed, be very
beneficial upon attendance. The Off
GERS pay will depend on attendance OF
his men. This will interest the Of
ficers in discharging men who foil to
train and in eniiSting better mon"