Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-03-14
BY DONALD A. CRAIG.

ARMY,
GunTd, Public Health Serpice ana Cod$t
and Geodetic Survey. The merit article
piH appear TOMORROW
BY DONALD A. CRAIG.
When the Joint Congressional pay
committee settles down soon to the real
lob of revising the pay schedules OF the
ARMY. Navy, Marine Corps. Coast
Guard. Public Health Service and Coast
and Geodetic Survey it will want to
know from concrete examples how the
present nav act works in practice and
what may be expected to result from
the recommendations of the Interde-
partmental Pay Board, If they should
be adopted. This has been made plain
in interviews with members OF the joint
committee.
The FIVE Senators and five Represen-
tatives who comprise the committee
have heard from the heads Of the vari-
Gus services that unrest and discon-
tent" exists because of the "pay stu
alton" Most of the committee men,
bers believe that there are inequalities
and irregularities in the present law
that often work in unexpected ways and
frequently result in determinations.
"Want Something Done"
While not yet ready to commit them
selves regarding details. or upon the
general question OF : pay increase, most
of those with whom the representative
of The Star has talked at the Capitol
both members of the joint pay commit
tee and of the Military and Naval COM
mittees of the House and Senate-think
that something should be done about
the pay sitaution."
But members of the joint committee,
aS1aAA ~ .vA& -
sponSibility of investigating the subject
and reporting ''by bill or otherwise" to
the House and Senate the result of
their inquiry, realize that they are tack
ling q very complicated problem"
Those who have been interviewed say
they are approaching 1t with open
minds and will endeavor to get light
upon every side of the situation. Some
Of them have observed differences of
opinion among the officers themselves
will regard to the best way to correct
some of the inequalities in the present
law and they intend to get facts from
many sources before passing judgment
upon the recommendations Of the IN
terdepartmental Pay Board.
Before the service pay situation is
presented here from the Congressional
viewpoint and the legislative probable
tiles are considered, some of the per-
Sonal problems that are actually being
faced today by men in the several Serv-
ices will be sketched briefly, along with
a few more Of the numerous facts, not
hitherto mentioned, that relate to the
subject.
Salaries Held Inadequate.
The salaries which the Government
pays the medical officers of the Public
Health Service are not large enough to
keep many Of these men long In the
candidates passing their entrance
examinations into the Public Health
Service from July /, 1923, to the pres
ent time, 81 have left the service.
The average designations from all
grades in the Public Health Service
during the four years prior to the bonus
act OF 1920 was 3.79 per cent. During
the years in which the bonus act was
effective coincident with approved pay
status an average Of only ass per cent
resigned. During the fiscal years 1929
and 1880 the percentages of resigna-
tons have been S and SIS respectively.
The designations are principally con-
fined to the lower grades.
Officers highly trained in special
fields of public health are being called
to the larger universities. For example,
Public Health Service officers in the
middle grades have left the service to
occupy full profesSorships in such uni
verSities as John Hopkins and Harvard
at salaries exceeding the compensation
Of the highest grade in the Public
Health Service.
The director Of research work of the
Public Health Service, who holds cor
responding rank Of that Of colonel lin
the Army and receives the total COM
pensation Of $1,000 year, may be COM
pared to an of1lcer Of the service who
left to assume the dictatorship Of the
research activities of one of the large
foundations and who now receives APP
proximately $4,000 a year. A director
OF the hygienic laboratory of the Pub
lie Health Service resigned to take
charge Of a commercial laboratory
where he received at least four times
the compensation he received from the
Government for similar work.
Out Of Debt Twice in 10 Years.
During the last 10 years" writes an
officer of the Army, IT have been out of
debt twice-once when nv State paid
me substantial war bonus and again
when, as a member of the United
States delegation in the Tacno africa
arbitration, I received extra compensa-
ton. For the first time in nine years
I am buying an automobile. The hui
initiation Of depending upon others for
what has become practical necessity
has grown trkSome.
During the past nine years have
not entertained because I could not
afford to. This is to the detriment of
my record, since 1t establishes a rep
utation for aloofness. have never
made a change of station in which
some of my furniture or property was
not broken or damaged 1 have never
lived In any two, sets of quarters SO
nearly alike that the draperies and
curtains purchased for one would At the
next"
Another typical letter is from an ON
Ger who says one of the heaviest bur
dens is that of trying to maintain a