The Cordova daily times., 1923-01-19
SEEK NEW BLOOD IN CONSULAR
 SERVICE


 American consular service will shortly
 be reorganized to create greater in
 ducements to men of ability and am
 bition to serve Uncle Sam abroad, members of the House Foreign Affairs Committee declared recently. The committee members said they realize the urgent necessity of bring ing into Americas consular fold young men capable of maintaining the
 nations standing abroad, but who hes, itate because of the uncertainty and uuattractiya salaries attached to for
 eign service. They are impressed with the need of making consular pay at tractiye salaries to talented men Of poor financial circumstances and, ac-
 cordingly will expedite legislation making salaries more pro0ortionate, reducing the higher ones and incraas- ing the lower ones.
 Urges Better Pay
 For some time Secretary of State Hughes has been urging such a salary rearrangement He recently told the committee the service "offers little to poor young men highly qualified for
 the work by natural ability and odu- cation"
 Suppose" Hughes said Ca young university graduate, with predilection for the consular service, with knowl- edge of French, Spanish, German. It2lian. shou'd come to me anG ask what chance there was for him in the consular service, I would have to tell him, if ha had no private means of his own, he would have to put away from him all thought of marriag deny himself most of the things a young man naturally likes and craves and resort to the most self-sacr.ficing eE- ieteuce in order to live on th7 ray
 of beginner in the consular scr vice"
 This. the Secretary declared, do s not tend to enhance the efficiency cl
 the service and is harmful to tn" | country and it's foreign interests. He
 urged eoualization of salaries. sug
 gesting a reduction from $1200o tc S9 900 in the annual salaries of the
 consuls general at Paris and London
 the present incumbents not to be al
 fected by the decreases.
 Not Partisan Plan "You have got to democratize selec . tiOn of men for the diplomatic Eela' Huehes continued, "and l want to em nhasize that this proposal has no par tisan or political aspect whatever. NY sole desire is to use both the dlplo : matic and the consular services to tht highest degree and to put them or : the basis where they ought to De- "e have got to give the young men ell !: tering the field the assurance that h' can live, get married and suppor : bimself along reasonable American standards
 For the diplomatic service to be re
 cruited wholly from young men O. wealth, Hughes asserted, IS not oon ducive to it's best interests. "I am the last man in the "orlo' he declared, "to deny credit to young men of fortune in the service. de not know what we could do unless we cou,d draw on men of culture and re finement who could afford to 1olh uF abroad But it would be great ms fortune and undemocratic for thi' Government to arrange it's atfalrs II way which would exclude th' 2 others"
 5 Hughes advocated establishment O retirement fund and retirement ant mart pay of men of lengthy service Il the consular field. The found woul' he made up of contributions from thf consular pay, the amount belng 1lAe' .. at 5 per cent. He recommended o'
 l. as the retirement age.