Evening star., 1926-05-30

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Army War Col q Ss.ssssSzs2S'
lege. 1t was re- Mai. G.. r. Thompson
called that Maj.
Thompson directed the activities OF
this section about two years ago. Maj
Hall has been assigned to duty in the
office of the chief Of Engineers. An
other change in this office is that of
First Lieut. Harry G. Dowdall, In,
fantry, who less than a year ago was
assigned to duty in the War Depart
ment from the Hawaiian Department
Lieut.. Dowdall will stand relieved
from his present duties on June 80
and will then proceed to New York
,ity, where he will report to the
commanding general Of the I'd Corps
Area for duty in connection with re-
cruiting. Mai. Carl f. Mckinney, In
fantry, now a student at the Army
War College, has been assigned to
duty in the War Department general
staff, effective August 16. Lieut.. Col.
Harris Pendleton, jr., who has been
on duty in the general staff, has
been assigned to the Infantry
School at Fort Benning, Ga. for duty
as director Of the department OF
experiment. Col. Pendleton will as
sumo his new duties at the infantry
School August 1.
Though It is recognized in the War
Department that the proposal to
place certain non-commissioned Of
ficers in the first grades is equitable
and Just, the opinion Is held by Secre-
tary of War Davis that this will not
cure all of the errors which exist IN
The grading of retired enlisted men.
In the event that this proposal Is
adopted, the following would be placed
IN the first grade: Retired post ord
nance, commissary and quartermaster
sergeants; quartermaster sergeants,
Ouartermaster Corps. retired prior to
June 8, 1915; retired electrician SER
yeants. first class, Coast Artillery
Corps; sergeants, first class, Hospltai
Corps, retired prior to June 8, 1912
and hospital stewards retired prior 10
March 2, 1903.
It is assumed that the controller
general in arriving at the present
grading of these enlisted men based
his decision on the fact that retlreo
enlisted men must be regarded exactly
as enlisted men on the active list
were regarded by G.. o. No. 36, war
DEPARTMENT. 1920. In arriving at this
conclusion, the controller did not take
into consideration that many enllsted
men on the active list were reduced
in grade by that order solely because
Of the percentage limits placed by the
law on each grade of the active hSt'
whereas, on the other hand, no such
percentage limits applied to the re-
iired list. AS the result of this deci-
sion, approximately 100 retired enlisted
men were prevented from getting the
increase in retired pay to which, the
War Department believes. they are
entitled. Another class of men to
whom relief should be given is that
group who were retired prior to June
80, 1922, who served as commissioned
officers ut some time during the world
War and who are entitled to less pay
under the law than the same class OF
enlisted men retired subsequent to
July /. 1922.
IT is pointed out in the War Depart
ment that there should not be any dis
narity in the retired pay Of this class
of men, and it is insisted that the
above proposal will remove the dis
provision may be made for all retlreo
nav which now exists. That suitable
provision may be made for all retred
enlisted men, the Secretary mas sus-
gested that he be authorized to nix the
nav grades Of all enlisted men OF the
regular establishment retired prior
10 the operation of section 4b OF the
national defense act as amended, ana
that he shall also fix the retired pay
of this personnel The Secretary FUR
ther suggested that retired enlisted
men who served honorably as COM
lnissioned officers of the Army at some
time between April s, 1917, and NO
vember II, 1918, shall receive the re-
tired nav and allowances which are
prescribed for warrant officers on the
retired list.
To regrade enlisted men and to
euualize the pay of those retired en-
listed men who served as commis-
stoned officers at some time during the
World War would cost, it is estimated,
S3S3,720.16 the first year. This
amount would decrease each year, as
deaths occurred, and in about 20 years
the normal death rate would eliminate
it completely.
DESPITE the fact that no appropria-
ton has been provided for the holding
of the 1926 national matches at camp
Perry, Ohio, steps have been taken
to prevail upon the President to re-
consider this decision. From all lndl-
cations, it appears that the matches
will be held every other year, which
plan comedies with that Of the War
Department General Staff. This is
the first time in years that the Ameri-
can shooting classic has not been held.
and though it does not sound the
death knell to rifle shooting among
the citizenry of the country, it does
bring to an abrupt stop the impetus
in rifle shooting that has taken at
least a quarter of a century to attain:
The local matches will be held
throughout the country as usual, but
the same high degree of interest
which. always has attended the local
elimination trial matches in anticipa-
ton of the Camp Perry matches Will
be thing Of the past.
NAVY.
OF considerable interest to the entire
naval service, especially to those OIL