Evening star., 1932-10-24


Economy has made its mark upon
the American Navy, not so much in
disturbing the present equipment ashore
and aflloat, as in the lack of an adequate
long-distance construction program for
warships and in the inequities that bear
down upon its personnel, Navy Depart
ment officials declare
In the train of reduced appropriations
for the Navy come host of peculiar
situations. Rear Admiral Ridley Mclean,
the Nays budget officer, for instance
has been looking forward for a great
many years to getting a substantial in
crease In pay, when he was shifted
from the lower bracket to the upper half
in the grade of rear admiral But Old
Man Economy came trooping along
Just about that time and the officer
who holds the Nays purse strings finds
himself short an anticipated $4,000 per
annum salary. to which he would be
entitled in normal times. Admiral NC
Lean gets the promotion, but no in
creased remuneration-a rather empty
honor.
His case is but typical. for under the
ecorc.ny act officers may be promoted
to the next highest grade-toward
which their ambitions have been tend
ing for a number of years. also-only
to find that they may have an extra
gold stripe on their sleeve, but no more
gold in their pockets.
1913 Glass Hard Hit.
The class that graduated from the
Naval Academy in 1918 is particularly
hard nit and its members are begin
ming to think there may be something
to this business Of unlucky numbers
These of6cers-now holding the rank
of lieutenant commander-on July !,
1882, were slated to get an increase of
$500 year III their pay scale. But
along came the wizard economy and not
only dissipated this 5000 prospective
increase. but also reduced their rental
and subsistence allowances. Now. the
class of 'l3 is due to come up for pro-
motion early next year and if the rigid
economy continues during the coming
fiscal year. as is indicated. these officers
will be cut out of the additional COM
pensation accruing from promotion in
grade.
When the 1921 pay increase legisla-
ton was up, the class of '13 was told
not to worry. for when they reached
the age of 40 to AZ years. when in
creased responsibilities usually come, its
members would be taken care Of. Now
here they are at 40 years and instead
of getting their increase, they are
slashed. Many officers in this group
have been forced to borrow on their
life insurance policies. to keep things
going. say their colleagues.
All naval officers lose one months
pay, under the economy act, and by
presidential decree have had their
rental allowance trimmed from $40 per
room to S18 per room. and their sub
slstence from so cents day to So cents
per day. Officers in the class of 1918,
however, figure that the economy act
and its consequences have cost them
a cool 1900 annually.
Cash Totals 100000, 900.
The Navy suffered slash totaling
nearly S100,000000 from its original
estimates for the current fiscal year.
First the service asked for $4,000, 900.
which would be its normal rate of
growth, but when President Hoover
signed his name to the naval supply
bill the Navy found itself with bud
get of 1913, 100000 with which to con-
duct this years business. Navy De-
partment authorities say that roughly
about one-fourth of its budget-S78,-
600, ,000-goes for salaries of enlisted
personnel. In addition, there are
s43,0O0,000 for pay OF officers and
S79,OOO,O00 for the pay of civilian per-
sonnel. This keeps the 10000 blue
Jackets ashore and af1oat and the At
700 civil workers in the naval estab-
lishment.
The service has lost 5000 bluejackets
through the economy program and the
Marines have been cut from 1912 in
June, 1880, to 15,343 at present Shore
establishments have been "cut to the
bone, say the naval authorities, as far
as can be. The transfer of officer and
enlisted personnel about the country
mas been cut to minimum and where
possible, naval vessels are used to carry
them.
The economy program has even
touched the dead. Funerals must wait
transportation of corpses by naval YES
sells, where formerly the bodies were
sent overland But some of the poll
tlclans are getting a bit irked by this
procedure and in the case of special
friends, plead that the DELAY is too try-
ing upon the family. Then, the de-
partment has to send a special escort
with the body and pay the train fare.
Repairs Reduced.
navy yard overhauls for ships have
been cut sharply and repairs to build
lngS have been reduced to the point
where naval officials fear that it will
be more costly in the future While
1uel is cheaper now, the allowance for
the fleet has been radically curtailed
and that means less steaming for ships.
Ihe Navy itself has not suffered ma
terlaliy, to date, say the officials The
active fleet and shore establishments
can be operated efficiently within the
budget, and this is being done. But the
long rows of silent destroyers at Phila-
delphla, Pa, and San Diego, Calf, tell
eloquently OF the effects Of economy.
Where the real pinch comes. the officials
point out. is in not having a naval
building program to keep pace with
what foreign nations are doing. There
is lack OF adequate modern destroyers,
cruisers and submarines in the Amer
lcan fleet ct present. they say.
In the Marine Corps the men on for
elgn station, in China. Haiti and Mica
ragua, are kept pretty we'll up to
strength, but it is in the posts in the
United States that the shortage shows
up. At Quantico. Va. for instance on
August 81, 1880. there were 1882 at that
81 this year there were 1,163 and 321
in aviation
Uniform Allowance Sliced.
The full outfit uniform allowance for
bluejacketS which used to be 500 has
now been sliced to S9353. Although
President Hoover gave his permission.
as an economy move. the Navy Band
and the Marine Band have not gone
on annual concert tour this year. due
to the fiscal stringency of the Govern
ment and the general economic con-
ditions.
The reinking of typewriting ribbons
and the use of metal pencils that can
be refilled readily with lead are but
further eXpositions of the economy that
has come to be fashionable around the
Navy Department these days.
The department has designated q
large number of its telephones in the
class B" status. This means that en-
ployeS are not officially permitted to
make private telephone calls over these