The sun., 1919-09-04
NAVAL OFFICERS HIT
BY SOARING PRICES
Rents in Washington and An
napOlis Prove Unbearable
Burden.
MANY TRY TO RESIGN
One Man Has to Pay $115 for
House in Capital
Suburb.
MANY TRY TO RESIGN
Special Despatch to TIE sun.

WASHINGTON, Sept. 3.-Officers OF the
navy are being hit about as hard as
anybody by the tremendous height Of
price levels. inquiry here has disclosed.
Forced to get along at rates Of pay
which have not been changed since 1908
a great many naval officers. particu-
larry those with families, are unable to
live within their incomes.
One result of this has been that resig-
nations have piled up In the Navy De-
partment almost faster than they can
be handled. These designations have
been almost uniformly refused. as the
Navy Department is afraid to permit
these trained officers to go out of tho
service despite their present plight.
The situation at the Naval Academy
at Annapolis is as bad IL not worse
than in Washington. Almost $50 Off
GERS have been ordered there to sup
plement the officers for whom quarters
are provided on the naval reservation.
House owners Of Annapolis are demand
ing and receiving rentals which make
an enormous dent in their incomes and
far in excess of the allowance granted
them by the Government for quarters.
Situation Worse.
The situation at Annapolis is not new,
but is more acute now than 1t has been
in the past. For one thing, a greater
number of officers are forced to rent
from home owners there, and as houses
are few rents are for the most part
greatly excessive.
Not only are there requests that res
lgnations be accepted, but requests for
transfer to posts other than Washing
ton or Annapolis are pouring in on the
Navy Department here in such numbers
that 1t would be impossible to comply
with a twentieth OF them and not de-
stroy the efficiency Of the service.
According to one ranking officer OF
the navy cases are frequent where young
naval officers now ask to be transferred
from billets in Washington because they
cannot stand the expense. Before the
war the Washington billets were re-
garded as the plums in the service and
were frequently given for meritorious
work performed.
Only this week young naval officer
with a wife and two children applied
to one of the bureau chiefs to send him
and his family anywhere they could
make both ends meet"
One Landlords Greed.
This officer saw service in the war.
but returned from duty TO find ne could
not live on his pay despite strict econ
omy. He managed to find a small house
about a mile from Chevy Chase, but has
to pay s115 month rent. He says that
by doing without the nurse for his chill
dren he could come out about even, but
he would prefer to be sent away so his
family may be properly cared for.
Naval officers have not had an in
crease in pay since May IS, 1908. At
that time their pay was raised approxi-
mately rs per cent. The base pay Of
naval officers is now as follows:
Ensigns, S1.70o year; Lieutenants
(junior grade). $4,000; Lieutenants, s2,-
400; ant-Commanders. $4,000 !;
Commanders, $500; Captains. $4,000 /;
Rear Adrirals. $4,000 and $4,000, ac-
cording to rank; Admirals, $4,000.
In addition naval officers receive 10
per cent. extra for five years service up
to twenty years. While at sea officers
also get 10 per cent extra.
THE Communication and quarters al
lowance for naval officers amounts to
practically nothing-s24 a month for
Ensigus and slightly more for each
higher grade. The heat and light al
lowances amounts to only about 81 a
month for Ensigns.