Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1954-12-01
Wilson 10 Ask Raise
IN Pay for Military,
Year Draft Renewal
By John A. Giles

The next Congress will be
asked for . military pay raise
and q fonr-year extension Of the
draft act as an overall program
to strengthen the morale and ef-
fectiveness o. the active and fe-
serve forces.
Secretary of Defense Wilson
made this clear ait q news con-
ference yesterday and said that
the proposed pay hike would
range from s TO 5 per cent
overall with possibly greater
increases for trained special
lists and ranking officers which
the Pentagoil wishes to re-
tain in uniform. He estimated
the pay hike would cost UP to
$500 million yearly.
Chairman Saltonstall Of the
Senate Armed Services Commit
tee and two committee members.
Senators Stennis, Democrat, Of
Mississippi and Case. Republi-
can, Of South Dakota, predicted
the draft act would be extended
and that Mr.. Wilson would get
q sympathetic hearing on his.
other proposals. IN
Mr.. Wilson also told the news
conference that the military
manpower program which would
spell out the long-awaited mill
tary reserve system. is being
given its finishing touches. He
said that 1t would be included in
q Presidential message to Con-
gress in January.
Politically PaIatable.
The reserve program will be
designed to satisfy the conflict
ing demands Of the armed forces
and to be politically palatable.
Under 1t each of the services will
have q different program for its
. reserves.
In addition, the program will
provide for a new national service
training corps. which would train
up TO 100000 youths annually
for six months. These trainees
then would be required to enter
the military reserves.
Mr.. Wilson said, in reply to
questions. that the men who
took only six months basic train
ing would be under some form
of compulsion to continue active
training in the National Guard
or organized reserves.
The Secretary also said it had
been decided to ask for an ex-
tention Of the Selective Service
Act for four years instead of two
years after the present law ex-
pireS next June 80.
No Change In Current Calls.
He estimated that the monthly
draft calls would remain at about
their current levelao of $4,000 for
young men who would serve two
years.
But the overall program has
not been finally worked out, Mr..
Wilson explained, as is the pay
raise plan.
"The new plan will be flexible
to give youths the maximum
choice and provide the maximum
equity of service" Mr.. Wilson
declared.
On other points. the Secretary
said:
!. That he personally would
not have barred West Point
cadets and Annapolis midship-
men from debating the question
OF whether Communist China
should be allowed In the United
Nations. But he added he was
mot going to get in that one"
2. That he had not ordered
any new investigation OF Com
muniSt infiltration of the Army
Signal Corps at Fort Monmouth,
N. j.. as a result Of published
reports quoting a former cap
tain charging laxity Of security
there. The New York Daily News
had published the reports.
8. That the Pentagon plans
soon to increase It's spending for
continental defense and guided
missiles. Mr.. Wilson included
those items among several he
said would cali for heavier out
lays in the $35 billion expendi-
turs budget he foresees for the
fiscal year beginning next July /.
Total spending at that level
would be about a half billion
less than docketed for the cur
rent year.
He gave no details on the new
spending. but expenditures this
year for continental defense
interceptor planes. anti-aircraft
weapons and radar warning net
works In the United States,
Alaska and Canada-are ex-