Evening star., 1924-04-06
SEEKS TO COMBINE
FOREIGN SERVICES
Continued from First Page.)

change. therefore. is the first OF -four
chief features in the Rogers BILL
The present salary scale on the
consular side runs from $4,000 to $l2.,
600. The present maximum for secre-
taries, corresponding positions on the
diplomatic side, Is $4,000; and yet nc
one would wish to assert that The
work OF our conselor of embassy in
London or Paris during the war was
less valuable than that OF the consu
general. Still less would any one wish
to assert that n proper reward FOL
the training and ability which the po.
sition required was represented BY
any such sum as $4,000.
Suppose the interchangeability
features were effective, and it were
desired to send the consul general a.
London to be conselor at the embassy
at Paris, a position certainly not less
in Importance. Today, this would in.
volve reduction in salary from S12,.
900 to $4,000. Manifestly such a sit,
uation would be complete bar to the
exchange.
vi ACdSoiiS VI 1dlfucSSs anu III OF
der to make the interchangeability
feature workable, the Rogers bill as
similates the two salary scales, by
creating a single foreign service OF
the United States" in which every
diplomat and consul is assigned to ar
appropriate class. The salary scale
of the new service thus created runs
selor of embassy and a consul general
of the first class would both reappear
as foreign service officers of class
at a salary of $4,000 Abroad, how.
ever, the diplomat and consul would
continue to be known as before anG
in accordance with the practice ot
other nations.
Purpose of Amaigamation.
The new amalgamated foreign serv-
ice would be simply a domestic ar.
rangement for the purposes of salary
classifications and ready facilitation
Of the interchange feature. The ay-
erage salary increase over the pres.
ent will be about Is or 16 per cent. Nc
thoughtful inquirer will feel that q
maximum salary Of $4,000, which
comes to mature men after years OF
admirable service, is too high. espe.
cial1y when the financial demands up
on our representative abroad are
? taken into account.
Former Ambassador John W. Davi.
told the House committee on foreign
affairs that when he represented the
United States in London, although
living unostentatiously, with ex
change in his favor and at a time
when financial demands upon hin
were at minimum. he was, neverthe.
less, obliged to spend from his owr
pocket from $5o,ooo to 100000 a year
He said that was not fair. Yet it i.
true of practically every man repre-
senting our country abroad today.
Part of Expenses Cared For.
It is proposed for the first time II
the Rogers bill to make provision fol
at least a portion of the expenses o.
representing this country worthily
abroad Our ambassadors and min
listers do not entertain because i
gives them pleasure, but because tt
do their duty by their country the,
must see people. If they stay at theil
desks they are little better than her.
mits. If they are entertained. they
must accept And a man cannot al
ways be entertained and never enter.
tain
Our principal rivals in world trade
the British. recognize this. They pa,
their ambassador to Washington +;
salary of $4,000. We pay our am
bassador to London $4,000, but tina
is all he gets to defray every kind Of
expenditure. The British ambassa
dor at Washington, on the other hand
has a suitable embassy building fur
nished him for his residence In ad
dition, he receives a representation
allowance, which brings his tota
emoluments up to just under $780,.
900.
The yearly appropriation for a suit.
able sum for representation allowanc,
for the first time contemplated IL
In1S Dlli-Wlll UG al c4Ccilchk LuN6k i
ment for the United States.
Retirement Plan Contemplated.
Our Army and Navy officers are re-
tired on three-fourths pay, withou
any contribution by them. Ou
judges are retired on full pay with
out contribution. Our civil servic,
employees are retired, subject, to tn,
requirement that they shall have pais
in two and one-half per cent Of thei
salary during active service. Their
seems no reason why our foreigl
service officials only should be ex
cluded from retirement system.
Such a retirement arrangement 4
contemplated in the Rogers bill, pred
icated, however, upon a contribution
of five per cent of salary. This con
tribution will make the retiremen
almost self-supporting. Su,h a pro
gram will keep in the service the bes
men and would also insure retirement
without unfairness, of the superan
puateds