Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-07-18

Iwere on account Of disbursements
made to officers claiming allowances
| under the mother dependency" clause,
due TO certain decisions of the con.
tFoller general liking the requirements
for determination OF what shall con.
Istittite mother dependency" under
the act, and applying thoee decisions
made BY the War Department in good
| faith prior 10 rendition of those de.
cisions. Provision was made, how,
ever, under the act OF May %, 1925,
| for the adiudication Of those dieburse-
ments by the War Department prior
TO July 1, 1923, whose propriety has
been questioned by the controller
general
Three solutions were submitted by
Gen. Walker as to just what was the
fundamental trouble and the remedy
which would correct II. They are: IA
Eliminate entirely the dependent
mother from the act of June 10. 1922.
Oh Place the determination OF what
constitutes dependency in the hands
| OF the secretary Of War and make
such determination final and conclu.
sive upon the accounting ofticers. tcl
Eliminate all dependency from the act
OF June 10. 1922, and pay the oiicer
for the services he renders - SUCH,
of service to be that now prescribed
for officers with dependents.
The only difficulty of any conse-
uuence encountered by the War De.
DartInent, In the opinion Of the Secre-
tary of War, is Ia connection with
the disbursement to officers on ac-
COUNT of dependent mothers, but this
trouble, 1t is contended BY Secretary
Davis, has, been removed by the act
OF May &c, 1926, which defines very
specifically the requirements for de-
termination OF what constitutes
mother dependency.
There appears 10 exist the idea,
the Secretary said in discussing this
subject, that the pay act OF 1929
is discriminatory in character, since
officers with dependents receive mora
money from the Government than
officers OF similar or higher rank who
have no dependents. And this appears
to constitute the principal argument
in favor OF anendatory legislation
that would change the pay act 50
that all officers, regardless OF whether
or net they have dependents, would
receive the same amount of money
from the Government. Such idea
send such argument are. in my opin.
ion, without much merit. The basic
pay Is the same, regardless OF wheth-
err or not they have dependents II is
the allowances--rental and subsist.
ence allowan noes on account OF de-
pendents-that makes the difference
in the amount OF money received by
different officers in the same or diff.
ferent pay periods.
The additional annual cost on
account OF all the services that would
be entailed by this proposed amend.
atory legislation would amount to
$I.50O, 900, and in view OF the Govern.
ment's economy program. the seere,
tary feels that 1t would be unWise 20
seel. this additional appropriation Tor
the pay Of the Army at this time. Y
With the announcement of gen.
eral policy relative to applications OF
West Point graduates to resign from
the service Immediately following
their graduation, or prior to the ex.
piration OF the eight years they have
has served solemn notice on the pres.
ent undergraduate body at the United
States Military Academy that they
will be held TO the strict observance
OF their agreement. only under very
exceptional circumstances are the res
ignations of newly graduated cadets
accepted by the War Department. Az
was pointed out last week. II 10 felt in
the department that any cadet who
requests that he be separated from
the active rolls of the regular estab-
lishment following his graduation il
not only breaking his contract with
the Government to serve for eight
years, four years as cadet and four
years as commissioned officer. but
that he is woefully unappreciative of
the fact that he ID rendering no re.
turn to the Government, which has,
for four long year,, at considerable
expense, maintained him at the acad.
envy and given him an education
which few educational institutions in
the United States can provide.
The 1926 Army golf Championship
tournament win be held from Octo-