Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-09-01

ig the Nevy Department to undertake a
ulcers are giving up their naval careers. |
Of the personnel department said, that
We want to have them down in black
ongress."
An officer. commissioned and war
rant, without dependents are allowed
subsistence allowance of $2l9 a year
go cents a day.. This Is the only
continuing allowance received by them.
When on shore duty and not in gov
eminent quarters, officers without de-
pendents are given a rental allowance
Of $3.50 in warrant grades and the !
first two pay periods; Of $72o in the
third and fourth pay periods and Of
$3.50 in the fifth and sixth pay periods |
and general officer grades. When on
field or sea duty officers without de-
pendents are given no rental allowance. |
The act of 1922 defines dependents
as wife, child or dependent mother, |
and to any officer with such depend |
entS Is allowed a subsistence allowance |
of $438 in the second, third and sixth
pay periods and in general officer
grades, and Of $657 in the fourth and
fifth pay periods. Similarly, officers !
with dependents when not occupying |
Government quarters and regardless OF
rental allowance of $3.50 in warrant |
grade and the first pay period, $720 IN |
the second, $3.50 in the third, $1,000 |
in the fourth and $1,440 in the fifth |
and sixth pay periods and in general |
officer grades. f,
These rental allowances, however, are |
subject to reduction to bring the maxi !
mum pay and allowances OF any officer |
below general officer grade within a |
total limit of $1,000. For example, the |
rental allowance received by q colonel |
with dependents may be as small as |
$762, while that received by general |
officers with dependents is &l,062 for |
the brigadier general and 1882 for the |
major general.
StaRnat ton In Promotion.
Stagnation in promotion is one of the |
causes for the constantly increasing |
number Of designations. Because OF the |
great number of officers who remained |
in the various services after the World |
War, junior officers find promotion too |
slow to keep pace with their ambitions |
and merits. There would be more room |
and swifter promotion for these officers |
if allowances were included in the base !
pay, both naval and Army officers as
Sert.
At present a retired officer only rates |
rs per cent Of his pay, which, since al !
lowances and longevity increases are +,
extras" make his retired pay so small !
that it Is next to impossible to live on |
it. Consequently, the older ofhcers, |
some of them with children just reach |
ing the peak Of an expensive education !
at college, cling to their posts in order |
to get the maximum pay.
Promotions in the Coast Guard are |
based in general on seniority and since |
the service has recently been enlarged !
the promotion schedule Is satisfactory |
at present.
Other Services Suffer.
The Coast and Geodetic Survey is |
faced with a serious Stagnation Of pro- !
motion, which, unless remedied, mem |
bers of that service say, will steadily |
grow worse. Promotions can be made
only in cases Of vacancies. There will
be only three retirements for age in
the next IL years
In the Public Health Service, promo
ton to the grades of captain and major
are after fixed periods Of service. The
number of officers in the grades Of
lieutenant colonel and colonel Is limited
and consequently there Is slow promo
ton in these grades.
In the Army there is what is known
as the "humpover," 5000 officers COM
missioned during the World War, whose
ages range from % to 81 years, who are
mostly lieutenants and captains. Since
promotions to the grades up to that of
colonel are by seniority. officers spend
an tndeterminate number of years In
one grade before they can advance to
the next rank. There are exceptions to
this for officers Of the Medical Depart
ment and chaplatns, who are promoted
after fixed years Of service without re-
gard to vacancies In the rank above.
The Army has an edge on the Navy
in that it does not have to go to sea,
Rental allowances for unmarried naval
officers are cut of while on sea duty.
The Army has corresponding Situa-
ton when It's officers are on field duty
or in Summer camps, but since the
Army officer can have his family with
him, for the most part, he is better
of than naval officers.
Many Flyers Quit Navy.
There are very few naval stations
that supply housing facilities to the
officers as compared to the Army posts.
Even II rental allowances are cut of \
at Army posts, the Army of1lcer is bet
ter of than the naval off1cer who has
to pay high city rents. There are only
$500 Army officers stationed with
troops however, so the remaining $500
in the Regular Army are on the de-
tached officers list.
Many of the designations in the Navy
are Of officers who have made brilliant
records for themselves in aviation. Not
only are these officers accomplished
flyers, but they are authorities on en-
ticing salaries and opportunities in
commercial fields. Ordinance men are
being drawn of by commercial firms.
Oddly enough, medical ranks were
among those depleted by Army officers
resigning. In the Army there are nu-
merous instances of Junior officers
drawing more pay than post command
ers, which has led to dissatisfaction
and is generally subversive OF discl-
pline.
Many Forego Allowances.
A bachelor oficer with a dependent
mother frequently foregoeS the allow
ances he Is entitled to because of the
humiliation of exposing the details OF
his home life in an official document.
such as he Is required to do at pres
ent. The procedure necessary to es-
tablish the right Of the unmarried Of
ficer to receive such an allowance is
considered an impertinence which
should be abolished.
The Army and Navy Journal, which
has been inviting expressions OF opin-
ion from officers in all the services on
the subject of more pay and general
conditions in Army and Navy life, has
been flooded with letters from officers
of all ranks.
A colonel on the d. o. L. listed his
monthly expenses on the post as
$5l9.33, and of the reservation as
$639.33. AS the limit pay of a colonel
Is 5000. his monthly deficit Is nearly
$40. Another oflcer wrote that he had
had no new oficer for II years and
was buying one on the partial pay
ment plan. With every penny watched,