Evening star., 1922-05-25
Better Pay to Ease the Burdens
OF Officers in Defense Services

affairs to camps in various sections
Of the, country tp ascertain the con-
ditions prevailing in households OF
officers of rank. and it was sought to
learn, for instance, how many could
employ domestics and in how many
cases was the work done by the OFF,
GERS wife. 1t was learned that even
in the higher grades "in much more
than half the cases the wife has been
doing all the housework." OF AZ colo
nels who answered the QUESTIONABLE
only 90 could afford to employ
servant with the present base pay,
longevity pay and all the allowances.
OF 81 lieutenant colonels only Il
could afford to employ a servant Out
of 3O2 majors 1875 employed servant
Out Of 692 captains only 1fl coulo
employ servant. and when 1t came
to the lieutenants it was found that
of $50 who replied only 81 could en-
ploy a servant.
The pending legislation adopts
some new features in fixing the pay
of officers. Up to this time the base
pay of an officer in the Army. Navy
or Marine Corps has been entirely de-
pendent upon his rank. This bill de-
termines the base pay by a combina-
tion of rank and length of service. In
stead of setting out rigidly the pay,
grade by grade. for commissioned OF
| ficers. there has been set up what Is
called pay-period system The hrst
pay period is normally. the period in
| which second lieutenant in the
Army, an ensign in the Navy and the
| corresponding officers in the other
services will find themselves. Then
! the periods run along. first leuten-
| nj n
, grade, in the Navy. a captain In the
Army and lieutenant in the NaNy'a
major in the Army and lieutenant
| commander in the Navy. lieutenant II
/ colonel in the Army and a comma nd
er in the Navy. and soon until the
| colonel in the Army and the captain
in the Navy. with the corresponding
grades in the other services, find their
pay equalized
Two highly commendable features
are found in the bill. the protection
against abnormally rapid promotion
in some grades and utter stagnation
in others. As Senator Wadsworth
pointed out, the bill asks the young
man in his early twenties to be satls-
! fed with a comparatively low pa!
while holding out prospects for the
future. encouraging him to remain IN
the service and assuring him that as
his experience ripens and his value 10
the government increases his growing
obligations. largely due to his domes-
tic relations, will be met by adequate
compensation.
y
! In this legislation Of Congress theFe
is distinct note of encouragemeht
to all government employees. and II
comes none too soon. If Uncle sam
really means to care for his workers.
men and women, as this legislation
indicates. the iutimation should cheer
many dropping spirit IN DINER
branches of the government service,
! burdened in the past few wears oS
increasing costs of living without
corresponding increase in pay FOR
services rendered.
\ notably hopeful sign in this oi-
rection was the spirit manifested IN
Congress toward this bill. All proau-
! minded citizens will cherish the nope
that il may further expand ana soon
spread to the civil branches OF the
government. put into practi'ai erect
by reclassificatiou and Increases.
The government of the United states
is the biggest business enterprise in the
land The men and women VINO carry
il on should ne encouraged TO enter u
and TO stay III il.