Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-03-15
BY DONALD A. CRAIG.

Congress is ready to give sympathetic
consideration to the apparently unani-
nous request of the officers and enlisted
personnel Of the Army, Navy, Marine
Corps, Public Health Service Coast
Guard and Coast and Geodetic Sur
vey for an increase in pay and the
elimination of inequalities and irregu-
larities in the present pay law. This is
indicated by an informal canvass of
including those in the key" positions
in both branches.
To what extent the sympathetic
consideration" will be translated into
more money in the pay envelope is a
question yet to be determined, but there
are some strawS that show how the wind
is blowing.
An Overwhelming sentiment was
found to exist at the Capitol in favor of
terdepartmental pay boards report, and
to various comments on the report by
groups of officers-Some of whom do
not fully agree with it-by the Bureau
of Efficiency, which has questioned some
of its comparative figures, and by other
Government agencies, along with eSti
mates of the Budget Bureau as to the
cost Of the proposed pay increase.
Service Men Favor Report.
The ultimate action of Congress on
this question and the time when it will
be taken will doubtless depend, as in
most other cases, on the decision of the
leaders in both branches. The Star
has obtained the views of these key"
men, insofar as they have been for
INFLATED up to this time, and they will
be included in the final article of this
series tomorrow morning.
rs fnd
whether of high or low degree, who has
been interviewed by The Star In the
preparation of these articles has been
eager, naturally enough, to learn what
are the prospects for early enactment
of a new pay act that will give them in
creased compensation and iron out the
inequalities and Irregularities of the
present law AS far as it is possible
to read the future-and every one ia
miliar with Congress knows how diff
cult It is to predict what it will dot
may be read by those who will consider
the opinions that have been gathered
in the last few days at the Capitol.
Although, as pointed out before,
there are some officers in the Army who
disagree with certain phases. or the
underlying principle of the pay boards
plan, the weight of opinion in the six
services has been found to be behind it.
The members of joint congressional
pay committee, of which Senator Jones
of Washington is chairman and Repre-
sentative French of Idaho Is vice chair
man, have been recently studying the
boards report, including the proposed
new pay tables, in the light Of much
other data, some of which has been pre-
pared at the request Of President Hoover
and some at the request OF the joint
committee itself by various Government
agencies.
Data Makes VoluminOus Record.
Liaison officers of the six services,
who are assisting the joint committee.
have submitted at its request numerous
reports on various phases OF the sub
ject. The data before the committee
now makes a voluminous record. In
addition to what was already available
some % reports were transmitted to
Chairman Jones and Vice Chairman
French a few days ago.
At the suggestion of Representative
French the War Department has desig-
mated representatives of the warrant
officers, commissioned warrant omcerS,
enlisted men and nurses to appear as
witnesses before the joint committee in
addition to the commissioned omcers
who are to present their side OF the case.
st have no doubt" wrote Vice Chair
man French to Secretary OF War Hur-
lev, chat the officers who may appear
before the committee would be compe-
tent thoroughly and satisfactorily to
advise as to all matters affecting the
entire service with which they may be
affiliated but at the same time believe
that the subordinate branches would
feel better satisfied If one of their own
number, carefully chosen, were permit
ted to be present to speak for their own
cause or to supplement statements made
by their superiors.
st wish, therefore, that you would
see that a member of each subordinate
branch of the Army personnel is chosen
who can be depended upon actually to
he a representative of the branch with