Evening star., 1949-05-29
Raisefor0fficers
Held Down in
New Pay Bill
Compromise Would
Give Top Ronks Only
$140 More q Month
GENERALS BUDGET Not What
You Think. His Wife Says. Ais.
ey the Assoeioted Press

A compromise military pay bill
holding top-ranking officers to
increases of less than sl40 q
month. was in the works yester-
day. and chances for an agree
ment appeared good.
The new measure. being drafted
with the help of young congress
sional war veterans, probably viii
hold the highest three officer
ranks to increases Of 20 per cent
and under. a House Armed Serv-
ices Committee sources said. Jun
ior officers would get a little higher
percentage.
Representative Boiling. Demo-
crat, of Missouri. veteran of four
years Army service In the Pacific.
said the tentative proposal looks
good to him and he thinks other
war veterans in the House prob
ably will feel the same way.
An uprising of young veterans,
most Of them former enlisted men.
whipped the original pay bill in
the House last Tuesday. 1t would
have allowed raises of up to al
most so per cent for high ranking
commanders.
Up To 3S% For Enlisted.
The veterans and their spokes-
man. Representative Sutton, Dem
ocrat, of Tennessee. will sit IN on
Anal conferences with committee
members before the bill is sent
back to the House floor.
Increases for the enlisted grades
probably will run as high as 80
per cent. the committee informant
told reporters. and even the
Army's rookie and the Nays
boot" may get little increase
In pay.
Also. family allowances. for en-
listed men would be continued for
the duration Of current enlist
ments.
The original bill, which would
have added about $406. 900 600 q
year to the military payroll. was
returned to the committee for
further study on q 227-l63 roll
call vote. The committee had
been able to fight of all but one
amendment, but was overwhelmed
on the final vote.
The one amendment voted into
the bill was pushed by Represent
ative Carroll, Democrat, OF Colo
RADIO. to continue family allow
ances. Under the bills original
form. the allowances would have
been abolished six months after
enactment of the measure.
No Estimate of Cost.
Estimates on the amount by
which the Carroll amendment
would have swelled the total cost
Of the bill ranged from $50. .000.-
900 to 500, 900 900 year.
No estimate is available on the
total cost Of the proposed new
bill. However. it seems sure to
exceed the $400. .000. 900 allotted in
President Truman's military bud
get for pay increases during the
fiscal year beginning July /.
Under present scales. the
monthly basic pay and allowances
for an average" officer is: major
general. 1895: brigadier general,
$7i2; colonel, $693; Lieutenant
colonel, $6l6: major, SSH; cap
tain, 1896: first lieutenant, $327.
and second lieutenant. 1882.
The increases and new totals
under the compromise outlined by
the committee member would be:
Major general, $i34 increase to
q total of $1.029: brigadier gen.
eral, $l28 to $840: colonel. $l38 to
$83l: lieutenant colonel. $l54 TO
$710: major, $153 to 1864: cap
tain. $l29 to $525: first lieutenant,
sS3 to $42o. and second lieutenant.
$63 to $345.
The bottom enlisted grade may
be raised from $75 a month to $50.
The next highest. which would
have received $82.50 under the
original bill. might be moved up
to $84.