Evening star., 1926-04-04

10 solve, as there
has been no definition of dependents
and disbursing officers have been in
doubt as to payments that might
be made on that account, which
situation made it necessary to
send to the controller general all
such questions for advance decision.
Gen Walker pointed out that many
of the bachelor officers supported de-
pendentS who did not come within the
provisions Of the law, including rela-
tiveS other than the mother, and based
on necessity and justice to individuals,
they were entitled to the allowance
for dependents no less than the cases
that involved the mother.
The three proposals which Gen
Walker believes will remedy the situa-
tion are: % To authorize the Secre'
tary of War to decide finally as TO de-
pendenCy. but this was not favored by
him on the ground that he did not
think il wise to take authority from
the controller general (2l To elm
mate the dependent mother feature
or to make her automatically lnde-
pendent as in the case of the wife.
t3( To place pay and allowances on the
same basis, regardless of dependents.
The third suggestion was favored by
Gen. Walker as being emlnently talr
TO all officers concerned.
II WAS tSllllldlSb DA vi. L " NoAN
man, assistant chief of finance, that
the actual addition to expense for es-
Tahlishing uniformity of allowances
for the military establishment would
he $500 600 a year, which takes into
account the disallowanCeS that have
been reversed. He was very conhdent
Nhat the present expense of admins
tration under the law would offset, ap-
proXimately, the additional draft on
the public funds. and he pointed out
that the advance decisions, referred TO
above were obtained at cost OF at
least $50 in each instance.
Chairman Wadsworth of the Senate
military committee, who took proml-
nent part in framing the joint pay act
of 1922, frankly stated this week that
he was of the opinion that the provl-
sion was a mistake and gave intlma-
tions that he favored a change, TO
which statement there was agreement
on the part OF the other members OF
the committee. In requesting Gen.
Walker 10 take up the subject with
the Secretary of War and obtain the
, departmental recommendation on the
subject accompanied by statement
of additional cost, Senator Wadsworth
remarked that there must be
change in this law sooner or later.
either TO do away with the distinctions
in the allowances or define dependent
mother.
The situation long ago became in
tolerable, and 1t has now reached the
stage, where something drastic will
have to be done. Col. Coleman, who
has made a detailed study of the entire
dependent allowance question, without
verifying the estimate, pointed out
that he thought the total additional
eXpense of establishing uniformity IN
allowances throughout all the services
no thin 81 00n 600.
He made the suggestion that officers
should be paid for the service they
render and not make the military
naval personnel an isolated example OF
allowances for dependents, observed in
no other direction in governmental
compensation The majority OF OF
fcers Of all the services have had, at
one time or another. adverse decisions
from the controller general on the
payment Of dependent allowances. and
great interest has been aroused in the
opening up of the question which
points to either the elimination of the
distinctions in the allowances or
definition of dependent mother.
Eight Army officers We're designated
by the War Department this week TO
constitute the Army team in the Ma
tional Elimination Balloon Races at
Little Rock, Ark, to be held April ~
They are: Team No. 1-PhllpS Field
Md. First Lieut.. James +. Powell,
pilot, and Second Lieut.. James +.
E,arly aide Team No. Langley
Field, Va. First Lieut. William A
Gray. pilot, and Second Lieut. Rowland
KieburtZ. aide. Team No. 3-Scott
Field, H.. Capt. Hawthorne c. Gray.
pilot and Lieut.. Douglas Johnston,
aide Team No. 4-McCOok Field,
, Ohio, Capt. Laurence +. Stone, pilot,
ID nof it-
ice Reserve, aide.
NAVY.
Interest is being evinced through
out the entire naval service in the
draft of the new line personnel bill
which has just been made public. The
board of officers who framed this new
draft was composed Of Rear Admiral
f. H. Campbell, Judge advocate gen
eral of the Navy. president OF the
board; Capt. Roy c. Smith, retired, as
member and recorder, and Comdr. j.
S. Mccain, on duty in the Bureau OF
Navigation, as member.
From all indications, it is very ap-
parent that no action will be taken on
this proposal before the adjournment
of Congress, which is apt to occur by
June /, and 1t is quite certain
that the proposition will go over TO the
short session of Congress meeting in
December. Taking all these facts into
consideration. it is safe to forecast
that the siXty-niuth Congress will not
enact into law this new line personnel
measure, and that the probabilities are
that il will be presented to the sew
entieth Congress which meets in De-
cember of 1927.
Perhaps one Of the most interesting
sections of the new line personnel pro-
posal is that relating to the selection
boards, which fixes the principal meet
|, ing of these all-important boards in
June of each year and others as the
Secretary of the Navy may direct as
vacancies may warrant. 1t is without
doubt that June is the logical month
FOR the boards. being not only the last
month Of the fiscal year and also the
month i'm which the new class gradu-
ates from the naval academy, but the
month In which the eligibility of Of
ficerS for selection at the end of the
seven-year service periods terminates.
The procedure of the boards is in
accordance with existing law, except
that the number OF recommendations
for promotion to fill prospective va
cancies is fixed at an average mini
mum number for each grade for each
year. This minimum number to be
selected for promotion is arrived at as
follows: With 7-year periods of SerV-
ice in the grades, and disregarding
attrition. one-seventh the number in
the grade would pass in and out OF
each grade each yeah which is about
IA per cent. BY reason of attrition
about 16 per cent actually pass into
the grade at the bottom, and about
II per cent actually pass out of
the grade at the top. BY projecting
the working of the law about 20 years
into the future, it is found that with
the existing Navy list 10 per cent of
the grade is a safe minimum annual
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