Evening capital and Maryland gazette. (Annapolis, Md.) 1910-1922, 1919-05-26
LOCAL
PAY
Congressman Interested In Bill
Which win Establish Rate III
Keeping With Services
PAY or OTHER BANDS

I
An effort II bsing made 30 cossect
the lnadeuuacy 0e the pay Of members
0f the Naval Academy band, and q. s..
Senator John walter saith Represen
tatiye sydney r Afudd and other pub
llc men are interested In the move
nlent. The Fay og these skilled musi~
clans. all citizens Of Annapolis and vi
entity. II on scale far below that
which Is received hy other service bands
.og the same rank, and Il ~ admitted
that the unfairness should be corrected
as soon as possible
A statement of what the musicians
sOf tho Naval Academy hand Teceive
and The pay pg members II the band
III west Point and thc Marine Band 81
Washington, two organisations from
which much the same work il re-
ouiYed. shows how unfair the present
arrangements Ii 10 the Local musicians
IN fact, IL III wonder that the stand 4
ard az the Academy band has been
maintained Id view of the fact that
musicians can receive SO much better
pay elsewhere
The base pay for musicians. first
class, lii the Naval Academy band Is
S35 per month, and for musicians, sec
ond class. s33 per month, and 70 that
Is added monthly sums OF sia for COM
mutation of rations and S. for quar-
tiers. lii other words. the full pay IL
SIS and SIS per month. and nearly all
Of the bandnmen are men OF fanally.
They are. Of course. compelled 70 Sc
cure other employment, as musicians
or in other lines, when the pay should
be sufficient to supply their needs.
AT West Point. the members Of the
military Academy band are paid sol
d month Tor musicians, arst class. and
SAg for musicians. second class They
receive uniforms and other wearing
apparel. quarters and rations, and ex-
ira pay for all hops and other social
entertainments. They receive suffi-
cient ID live upon from their profess
sional work alone.
The members Of tho Marine Band at
Washington are the aristucrats Of the
service musicians DO far as pay and
cin0Iusnents 80. They arc divided into
lomr classes, paid aa follows, per
month E'irat. $I25: second. 800;
third. SIS f0nrth. $40 They also re-
ceive SIS per month for TatiOns and 81
per month as d peraaiatte for playing
at White House aunctioas They are
f1aid for all social. or ether entertain
nents til which they take part, and
their opportunity for highly kemunera-
tive employment around Washington
Els large. 1t Is not an extreme state
lncnt ID make that the Compensat lon
#of these musicians. no better than the
local ones. Iii easily more than twice
las great, nor arc house rent and other
living expenses greater In Washing
ton than III Annapolis
Intereat In The increase 0f pay for
these musicians ii general III Annapo-
lis, III there Is great appreciation Of
The many services which they perform
lar the local public. For private af-
fairs, II ii great privilege To have
the services ot such competent nnsi-
Eciang az hand. while III the Interest
uf public movements, the bandsmen
have tsine after time given their serY-
ices absolutely free, both In Annapolis
and in Baltimore and Washington.
Often this Is az great Inconvenience
Ito themsalvea. and actually III some
expense, as there have been two re-
cent instances where the hand played
iii connection with Liberty Loan meet
ings one in Baltimore and one In
Washington whore the members wore
not even provided with supper and
had 10 huy Ii
AnotheF irnpDrtant elelnent in the
movenens for Increased pay lies In
the fact that the members Of the hand
have to pursue other calllnga In order
TO make d living. and come ID CONF
petition with others who have % rely.
entirely upon the one line e the
musicians received adequate pay. this
would Doa Be necessary, and would be
TO the henafk of Annapolis business
men ana mechanics, against whom the
musicians compete in various lines,
and uould also tend to Improve the
baad ~ permitting the membcrs to de-
yote their time exclusively I'd their
pr0feasIon 81 music
many people of Annapolis. In addi-
ton To- the bandsmen. are interested
81 the move foF betler pay for these.
men. ana Il i understood that de-
termined effort vii be made TO secure
action Ut the coming term III Congress.
EVERYBODY WANTED