New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1920-04-04
Officers Urge
Service Paw
Bill Passage
Hope of Enactment of Fa-
vorable LEGISLATION Holds
More Than 1000 at Posts.
Petitions to Congress Say
Measure Is Held Up
Republican House Leaders
Opposed TO Granting
increase to the. Army

From The Tgt6uae's Washington Bureau
WASHINGTON, April 3.-Hope Of
relief through early enactment by
Congress OF Legislation increasing the
pay Of officers and enlisted men in
all branches of the military and naval
service, is holding more than 1000 of
tbs best army and navy officers in the
service, 1t is asserted IN petitions sent
to members of Congress.
The petitions ask Congress to pass
the service pay bill that is being held
up in a conference committee, after
the House had passed q bill increasing
the navy pay and the Senate had
the service. The Republican House
leaders are opposed to granting any
increase to the army, and the House
con1erees nave refused to meet the
Senate confereeS since they were an
pointed on March 10.
The pay OF officers in the army and
navy OF the United States is the same
now as it was in 1908. France and
Great Britain have increased the pay
or the officers in their armies and
nav,es from 25 to 200 per cent since
N'it NAtH lAC WAX Win tIcfOlAnV
started. Officers in the British navy
were granted an average increase Of
100 per cent a year ago.
Pay Stationary; Living Scars
While the pay of officers in the Amer
lcan service has remained stationary.
inc cost OF living mas increased I16 per
cent over 1913. Based or the purchas-
ing power of a dollar in 1913, a lieu
tenant who &c maid co nOO .,o,.,.. 49,.
ally receives only $50.
What is an officer going to do who
has a wife and perhaps children TO u D
port" the petition TO members Of Con-
gress asks. Being an Officer, he can-
not very we'll live in tin can alley and
nave MS wife take IN washing. He has
spent seven or eight years in the serv-
ice and has been educated at a cost of
10000. Surely he is worth more to
his government than a hod carrier or
street cleaner"
The petition informs the members of
Congress that the officers of the army
and navy have chosen the service as
their life work, and they are unwilling
30 leave 1t so long as they can support
themselves and families. Orcers are
leaving both branches of the service
almost daily. however, and entering
other fields that offer them living COM
~pensation.
Eject on the Navy
The effect the failure of passing the
service lay bill will have upon the navy
alone is set forth as follows:
Il. Loss Of so many officers and men
that our first line of defense will cease
Iunctioning. to all wintents and pun
poses.
"2. The country will suffer a great
loss in material due to deterioration.
1t must be remembered that vessels,
unless carefully looked after, deterio-
rate rapidly, and particularly so if
they have inexperienced crews.
"3. Instead of having 191 900 men
now as authorized by law We have 1922
600. While enlistments were keeping
the enlisted strength of the navy IN
round numbers at 102. 900 mon, about
20 per CEN of the first cnlistments
have been those of boys under nineteen
years of age, without previou. military
service. The loss in skilled men is
growing so rapidly that We have only
enough men IN the artificer and engine
room branches proYortionate for a
navy OF $4,000 men, and it is these men
who make it possible to efficiently
operate the machinery and boilers Of
the ships with safety to human life
and make 1t possible to prevent de-
terioration of very valuable ~installa
tons. thereby preventing great loss Of
government property. Efforts to in
crease the service by recruiting skilled
men have failed, due to insufficient
pay. and there is a steady loss from
week N week"