Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1920-01-07

nn1ing \ kAfd y ~ alsag % pss-vss ~
ariss. Of coarss tAs nsa Who Asys bssn n
~ service fsS pssiod u ysars havD besn
fairly ven faksn care Of by ~ adsaacs IN
raat. hi TIE aet providing for is0eo ollesrs
b 81 forcs only TIL June 20. next, and then
drop hack n rank to somewhere hsar Tho ne
vious sta4ns y h psospset for most q ths msa
With co1nnisfons.
Bass'pay 81 second lieutenant for the 1fst
Eve years Il sl.7eo: tor = second lisutsnant.
5000: for oAstain, $1Aoe; fw major.
ysaee; for hsntsnant colonel. $500. and
for I colonel, $4,000. Approximately 10 psr
cent d addsd for each fvs years service. but
the maximum pay for . major - &l.o0e. for
lieutenant colonel $500 and for colonel
5000.
In addition there 10 room allowance whore
quarters are mot furnished. 1t the rate Of $15
per month per room. second Lieutenant II
allowed for two rooms. first lieutenant for
three, captain four. major I'VE. lieutenant colo
mel six and 4 colonel seven. There II also
variable allowance for light and heat based
upon average costs 1t the various seasons Of
the year.
Under the Gregg bill in the house and the
wadsworth bill in the senate it il proposed to
increase tho base pay 10 per cent and to give
in addition ration allowance Of IS cents per
day per room. Thus captain, for instance In
his first i've years would receive 5000 advance
on his base pay Of $1,000. plus $7s: ration al
lowance, or $ss2 all told. The increase would
be little greater for each additional 1--WE years
service
After June 80 the present commandant at
Rock Island arsenal probably will be reduced
to major and members Of his STAFF to cap
tains or lieutensntG The one Of the latter as
signed to the general management Of the man
ufscturing establishment would then receive
less pay than any one Of about a score Of the
better paid civiliEn employees. 1t is hardly to
| be expected that officers would be contented
| and do their best work under such circum-
stances
! Cost OF living has approximately doubled
for army officers, the same as for the rest of
u.s. Civilian pay has advanced somewhere near
| In proportion, SO the temptation to leave the
! army is strong for the more able among the
commissioned men, the very ones which the
service most needs. Some of them probably
will give up their commissions even if pending
legislation is adopted, but If it is not there is
| likely to be stampede.
When the United States went TO war three
years ago it found that its first need was Off
GERS, and plenty Of them. With the regular
staff as q nucleus 1t proceeded to get them. the
allies considerably holding the enemy back
while 1t did so. The Importance Of the trained
men We then had, imperfect as they were in
the details of modern warfare. cannot be over
, estimated
Now, after the lesson that has been pre-
scented to US. we are on the verge Of adopting
financial policy 80 drastic as to threaten the
very foundations Of our military organization
and leave US even worse of than we were three
years ago.
One needn't be a militarist to see the need
for an army, that an army must have leaders
and that men fit for leadership cannot be re-
tanned unless the compensation is kept some
where near the standard for places of similar
responsibilities in civilian pursuits.