Evening star., 1955-10-26
H
Army AsksD.C.
To Cost Of
Engineer Aides
Spencer Cool TO
Reimbursement Of
$26,450 Sclories

money, were WOuQeTlu& toudy ~
they must pay the Army $2e.459l
q year for services Of the three
assistant engineer-cornmi sion-l
ers.
The three assistant commits
sioners heretofore have been
paid by the Army. It developed
yesterday that the Army wants
to be reimbursed for their SAL
aries.
Commissioner Samuel Spen-
GERS initial reaction was that
the District Is not called on
by law to pay. u
The Army letter cited o section
Of the law that says: Here
after such military and naval
personnel as may be detailed for
duty with agencies not Q part oil
the Department Of Defense on a|
reimbursement basis, may be-
employed in addition to the
numbers otherwise authorized
and appropriated.
Some at the District Building
found the language obscure.
Commissioner Spencer said:
"a preliminary look at the
legislation indicated the District
is not obliged to pay and that
the procedure We have followed
over the years IS q correct one. u
Referred to West
The Commissioners referred
the matter to Corporation Coun-I
sci Vernon e. West.
The Arrny's letter was directed
to Brig, Gen. Thomas E. Lane
Engineer Commissioner. UnderI
special legislation, the ARMY
pays him the salary Of his rank
and the District adds enough tOl
bring his pay up to that Of thel
two civilian District Commits
sioners-$l4,620.
The three assistant con1mis-
sioners are Col. Thaddeus Nosek,
whose salary is $10.050. and 1t.
Coils. Robert E. Mathe and
Thomas B. Hunter. who draw
5000 annually.
An Army spokesman said later
It's letter was not . demand but
an invitation to sit down and
work out an arrangement. He
pointed put that the Army Isl
reimbursed for the salaries Of
officers serving other agencies.
He said this IS the arrange
ment forsofficers assigned to the
Selective Service System. the
American Battle Monuments
Commission, the Panama Canal
Commission. the Department Of
Health. Education and Welfare
and in the cases of engineer
oficers carrying out the civil
functions OF the Engineer Corps.
Pay Raise Proposed
1t was also said that. begin
ming with fiscal 1857. the Army
will be reimbursed for the serv-l
ices OF three medical ofiicersi
detailed to the Soldiers Home.
In the absence Of Gen. Lane.
the matter was brought up atI
q meeting Of the Commissioners
by Col. Nosek. He also broughtI
up a proposal that would mean
higher pay for the three assist
ant engineer commissioners. He
said he was encouraged to do
this by the fact he himself
would not profit. since he is
leaving the assignment soon.
The proposal is that the Dis
trict add enough to the assist
ants Army pay to bring their
salaries UP to that for Civil
Service Grade GS-16. The pay
for that grade ranges from
$4,000 to $13.760. This step,
which would take special legis-I
lation. has been proposed before.
The Army's letter to Gen.
Lane on reimbursement, dated
September 9, said:
.'1. Over the past several years.
the Department Of the Army
has received a series Of SUBJ
lstantiai personnel reductions. In
order to realize maximum effec-I
tiveness from the limited re-
sources available to the Army,
reimbursement must be effected
for all military personnel de-
tailed for duty to agencies not
o part Of the Department OIL
Defense. as provided for in Sec-l
ton 604, Public Law 157, De-
partment Of Defense Appropria-
ton Act. 1856 tThe section Isl
the one already quoted3
20. Accordingly it is requested
that arrangements be made tol
reimburse the Department Of
the Army for personnel currently
authorized your office, and the
Department of the Army be adj
vised Of action taken on this
matter. The Office Of the Chief
Of Finance is available to- work
out the details Of the reimburse
r1ent with your representatives"
The letter was signed by Ad-
jutant General Glen T. Casey.