Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-09-29
INCREASE IN NAVY
PAY BASIS URGED
Board Suggests Uniform
Schedule to Combat Loss
of Service Morale.

Upward revision of pay schedules Tor
NAVY and Marine Corps officers to COM
bat loss in the morale and efficiency
was recommended today to Secretary
Wilbur by a pay board headed by Rear
Admiral Luke McNamee. The board,
which was convened to consider the ell
feet upon the naval service of the joint
service pay act Of June 10. 1922. laid be-
fore the Naval Secretary number OF
recommendations and submitted pro-
posed pay schedule. 1t reported that In
the time available 1t was unable &C
curately to determine the costs involved
in the adoption of all of its recon-
mendations. but had estimated the cost
of the proposed enactment introduced
by Representative Hale of New Hamp-
shire at $748250 annually.
The board suggested that officers
without dependents, on sea duty or over
seas expeditionary duty. should receive
the same pay and allowance as are paid
to officers of the same rank and service
with dependents Immediately.
Hold Plan Tried Fairly.
Declaring that it was forcibly i'm
pressed by the patience with which the
service has borne the unjust discrimina-
tions of this law for six years in order
that it might have a fair trial" the
board said it was likewise impressed "by
the fact that some of the most promis-
ing of officer material, young graduates
of the Naval Academy of recent years
upon whom the Government has spent
considerable in their equipment for serV-
ice to the Navy, seem unwilling TO de-
vote their future to the Navy"
The surprisingly large number OF
designations of graduates in the past
six years represents a distinct loss to
the Government of many millions of
dollars it invested in their preliminary
education" the board asserted.
The board delved into an exhaustive
history of pay legislation and living
costs and laid before Secretary Wilbur
these general basic principles: Com
pensation should be based fundamental
~ on responsibility borne and service
rendered: a base pay should be estab-
lished for each rank, with an incre-
ment in each grade below flag rank
after approximately one-half the esti-
mated time an officer will serve In
the rank, with some exceptions, COM
pensation should offer an incentive to
seek promotion, with maximum COM
penSation ordinarily not exceeding the
minimum pay of the next higher rank;
compensation and pay should not con-
tinue to be disguised by the introduc-
ton of allowances in any form, partl-
cularly allowances for dependents: wnen
Government quarters, heated and light
ed, are occupied, their rental value
should be returned by suitable deduc-
ton of fiat percentage of the officers
total paw, the details to be set out In
regulations promulgated by the Secre-
tary of the Navy, and officers on sea or
overseas expeditionary duty should re-
ceive higher pay than those of corre-
spending rank on shore duty.
Pay Schedule Suggested.
Recommending that the depart
ment's immediate consideration be
given TO an entirely new schedule OF
paw for officers" the board suggested
this schedule:
Admiral Navy. $4,000: vice admiralS
Navy. Sl3.500: rear admirals. upper
half chief of bureaus Navy. $4,000;
major general Marine Corps. $4,000;
rear adrnirals. lower half Navy. $10.-
600: brigadier generals Marine Corps,
1000: captains, staff corps Navy,
eligible for promotion. $4,000, colonies
Marine Corps. equally eligible, with
eight years service. $9600; captains
Navy and colonies Marine Corps,
after four years. $4,000; on being COM
nissioned. SS,400; commanders Navy
and lieutenant colonies Marine
Corps, after four years. $1,000; on
being commissioned. $1,000; lieutenant
commanders Navy and ma jors MARINE
Corps. after four years. $500; on be-
ing commissioned $4,000: lieutenants
Navy and captains Marine Corps,
after four years. $500; on being COM
missioned, $4,000; lieutenants. junior
grade Navy and first lieutenants
Marine Corps, $4,000: ensigns Navy
and second lieutenants MARINE Corps,
$2.400.
The board recommends the following
pay schedule for warrant and commits
stoned warrant officers of the Navy and
Marine Corps:
Warrant officers, $4,000; after years.
S3.250. Chief warrant officers from
date of commission, $500: after 4
years, $4,000: after years, $4,000; after
IL years. $4.700; after Is years, $500.
Serving with Admiral McNamee on
the board were: Brig Gen. George
Richards. the paymaster, u. S. Marine
Corps; Capt John r. Hornberger,
u. S. NJ; Capt. Edward r. Wilson,
U. S. NJ; Capt. Joseph v. Ogan. U. S. NJ,
and Lieut.. Comdr. Simon P. Fullin-
wider, jr., U. S. NJ
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