Evening star., 1942-05-13
House Members See
Pay
Fixed at $42 Month
Predict $50 Minimum
Voted Yesterday Will Be
Cut in Conference
By the Associated Press.

By the Associated Press.
A doughboy minded House held
out the prospect of $50 month
minimum pay for soldiers and sailors
today, but Military Affairs Commit
tee members predicted the pay in
crease bill would emerge from Con-
gress at only $42.
Chairman May and other influ-
ential committeeman indicated they
would not force a roll-call vote to-
day on a proposal adopted tenta-
lively late yesterday to increase the
pay of low-ranking soldiers and
sailors beyond the s42 base already
ordered by the Senate, but they
predicted the extra raise would be
knocked out when the bill goes to
conference.
Clause Called Unfortunate"
"It was unfortunate that the
amendment was put in in the first
place." one committee member said
privately. "Of course, we'd all like
to give our fighting men a lot of
money, but there's a limit. This
bill already stands to cost in the
neighborhood of half a billion dollars
annually. Some of the soldier boys
who are expecting the amounts pro-
vided for in the amendment are
going to be mighty disillusioned
when the figures are changed in
conference"
The House added the amendment
to the service pay adjustment bill
on a voice vote at the suggestion of
Representative Rankin, Democrat,
of Mississippi, who said it might
prevent "a bonus fight" after the
war.
1t would give privates and ap-
prentice, seamen $50 month COM
pared to $50 now paid and $42 ap-
proved by the Senate, and first
class privates and second-class sea-
men $54 compared to $50 now re-
ceived and $48 voted by the Senate.
Other Provisions Unchanged.
The House made no changes in
other base pay or allowance pro-
visions of the bill, which is appli-
cable to the Army, the Navy, the
Marine Corps, the Coast Guard, the
Coast and Geodetic Survey, the Pub
lie Health Service and the Nurs-
ing Service.
Base pay increases were provided
for men in the lower ranks up to
and including second lieutenants
and ensigns, with hikes in allow
anceS for rental and subsistence of
higher officers.
Despite a prediction by Repre-
sentative Pace, Democrat, of Geor-
gia that the Rankin amendment
would not remain, the House refused
to change the bill so that a private
with IL months of service would re-
ceive an additional $40 q month.
The $40 bonus, now law, would be
removed under the pending meas
ure.
At present a private is paid at the
rate of $2l during his first four
months, and $50 thereafter until he
has completed II months. when the
total reaches $40.
Postwar Amendment.
Still to be acted on before the bill
is returned to the Senate was an
amendment that would terminate
the entire measure six months after
the end of the war. Chairman May
said he might not oppose this
amendment. which has the backing
of the Naval Affairs Committee, al
though he and other Military AZ
fairs Committee members felt the
legislation should be made perma-
nent.
Mr.. May also accepted an amend
ment requiring the Army, the Navy,
the Marine Corps and the Coast
Guard to report to Congress BIZ
monthly on commissions issued to
civilians. 1t is substitute for an
original proposal to bar civilian
commissions.
Passage of the bill late today, Mr..
May said, would clear the way for
further committee consideration of
legislation requiring servicemen to
make compulsory allotments from
their pay to dependents, with the
Government matching and in many
cases more than doubling the allot-
ment.