Mr. ROBERTS. Would it not be better, perhaps, to make a provision of law covering such cases as that, rather than to put the whole Marine Corps on a sea-pay basis? For instance, the marines are on ships going up and down the coast, running from one harbor to another, and while that is sea duty they are right in sight of land all the time? Col. RICHARDS. We feel that the service marines perform afloat merits the increased compensation for that duty, as well as for foreign shore service. Mr. ROBERTS. You intend, if this becomes a law, to give those marines who are on the fleet going up and down the coast this seaservice pay? Col. RICHARDS. Yes, sir. Mr. BUTLER. Now, they only get this pay when the marines are on foreign shores? Col. RICHARDS. Yes. sir; we feel that their service is of such an arduous nature afloat that it entitles both the enlisted men and the officers to the same increase in compensation which has been given to the naval officers. The CHAIRMAN. In other words, you make foreign shore service and home sea service the same? Col. RICHARDS. Yes, sir. Mr. ROBERTS. That is the proposition I have been trying to revolve in my mind and harmonize. The duties of the marine contemplate sea service? Col. RICHARDS. Yes, sir: and it is arduous service. Mr. ROBERTS. He knows that when he goes into the service, and he knows what his pay is? Col. RICHARDS. Yes, sir; sea service is an important part of his duty and so is the expeditionary work. Mr. ROBERTS. A marine when he enlists contemplates arduous sea service as part of his duties and so does the enlisted man in the Navy? Col. RICHARDS. Yes, sir. Mr. ROBERTS. The enlisted man of the Navy can not see any shore duty ahead of him, which is a snap, so to speak, compared to the sea duty, while the marine can see ahead of him shore duty, which is a snap to him, as compared with the hard work he does at sea. What I can not fully reconcile in my mind is the idea of picking out the marine especially and giving him this high rate of pay all the time he is at sea. I recognize the injustice of the condition that you cite of the two transports, and that I would like to correct. I think an amendment could be drawn which would give all officers and marines who are ordered on an expeditionary force into foreign waters the foreign-service pay, whether they landed or did not land, but to put the whole corps on a higher basis of pay, when a good many of them at sea just run up and down the coast, putting into a harbor over night, I can not quite reconcile. Col. RICHARDS. Whether the ship is in a harbor or whether the ship is at sea, the marine's duty runs on just the same. Mr. ROBERTS. I realize that. Col. RICHARDS. The point I find it necessary to make is this: A private in the Marine Corps who goes to sea gets $15 a month and a clothing allowance of $4.18 a month, making $19.18. That represents his whole compensation. A seaman gets $26.40 a month. Now, what we ask is: Give this foreign-service pay to this private while serving on board ship, so that he would have $22.18 a month. You are not paying him too much so long as a seaman gets as a minimum $26.40 a month. We further ask that a corporal be given $29.69 against a master-at-arms, third class, minimum $33, and that a sergeant be given $40.49 a month, against a master-at-arms, first class, minimum $44 per month. Now, the marine afloat, grade for grade, performs the same arduous duty the sailor performs, and for which the latter is paid the higher compensation. The marine works well aboard ship with the sailor; he does his duty to the satisfaction of naval officers generally, and I may say, on the other hand, that in those instances where the seamen or blue jackets have served ashore they work well with the marines. A notable instance of this was told me the other day by a marine officer who had just returned from Nicaragua, where the bluejackets and marines formed a field force landed to suppress disorders there. The whole force of marines and sailors was under Admiral Sutherland. This marine officer tells me that at Nindiri, on September 19, a company of sailors had been removed from the assaulting column because their snow-white uniforms presented too favorable a target to the enemy. Learning the cause of this order these sailors removed their white clothes, rubbed them in the dust and mud until they approximated the khaki color, put them on again, and in this condition were permitted to join the marines in an attack on the rebels. Another marine officer tells me that in the big fight there, the attack on Coyotepe Hill, a bluejacket from the California, a petty officer, carrying the colors, was one of the first with the marines to reach the enemy's trenches at the top. Now, this particular bluejacket was a master-at-arms-prior to his enlistment in the Navy he had served in the Marine Corps. At heart he was a soldier, though he had left the marines to serve in the Navy, where the pay was higher. This brings me to the point I would here make-these picked men of the Marine Corps, who are selected to serve afloat, we wish to keep in the corps. We ask better pay for them in their service afloat, not only in common justice to them, but also in the interest of military efficiency. We wish to hold on to them, for their continuous service in the corps makes for its efficiency as a fighting force; to do this we must ask the help of this committee. Give them this increase of pay for their service afloat. Mr. ROBERTS. If it is on the basis that they are underpaid for the services rendered, I can see some harmony. The CHAIRMAN. What proportion of the time does the marine spend ashore, taking it through a period of enlistment? Col. RICHARDS. That would be rather hard to answer. We have seventy-odd officers and 2,600 marines serving on board ship, and of course the number is increasing right along. Mr. ROBERTS. About one-quarter? Col. RICHARDS. Yes, sir. Mr. ROBERTS. They spend about one-quarter of their enlistment at sea? Col. RICHARDS. Yes, sir. I suppose that may be the average; but as a matter of fact there are plenty of cases of marines serving three years aboard ship and then only one year ashore. If it could be distributed around it would be about one-quarter of the time. Gen. BIDDLE. If a marine goes aboard ship he stays there two and one-half years. The marine who goes to the foreign service stays two and one-half years. Probably one man will go on a tour of foreign service, and another will go on sea service. When they get aboard ship, after learning their gun drill, and all that, they must stay there. Mr. ROBERTS. You are asking for one colonel, one major, five captains, one captain assistant quartermaster, six first lieutenants, and four second lieutenants. Why do you call for a colonel with this battalion? You are practically providing a new battalion? Gen. BIDDLE. Yes, sir. Last year we got a battalion, with only one major. This year we are asking for another battalion, the second of the regiment, and asking for the colonel of the regiment. Mr. ROBERTS. If this legislation is granted we will have provided a new regiment and you will have no colonel for it? Gen. BIDDLE. No, sir; we have no colonel. This will be the second battalion. Mr. ROBERTS. You call for five captains? Gen. BIDDLE. The fifth captain is the regimental adjutant. Mr. ROBERTS. The additional officers you are calling for will be the regimental officers? Gen. BIDDLE. Yes, sir. Mr. ROBERTS. They were not provided for with the first battalion? Gen. BIDDLE. No, sir. Mr. ROBERTS. And you call for two additional first lieutenants? Gen. BIDDLE. They are the battalion adjutants; four for the battalion and the other two for the adjutants. We did not get them. before. The CHAIRMAN. The next item is "For pay of officers prescribed by law, on the retired list." That is a mathematical calculation, and the increase is simply due to a change in the number of officers? Col. RICHARDS. Yes, sir. Here are the detailed calculations, which can go into the bearing at this point. There have been a few changes in the retired list. The statement referred to by Col. Richards follows: Paymaster's clerk. 3,825.00 1,687.50 Increase to cover officers who may be retired and those retired who may 1,687.50 5,000.00 181,677.50 The CHAIRMAN. The next item is, "Pay of enlisted men, active list." There you are asking for substantially 400 men. Gen. BIDDLE. Four hundred men. Col. RICHARDS. Here is a letter from the Navy Department, dated December 12, 1912, authorizing us to present for your consideration a slight modification in this proviso, which I will ask be done by making an amendment to it-that is, to the proviso increasing the enlisted force. We are authorized to ask for six additional quartermaster sergeants for duty in the Paymaster's Department. Five of these sergeants were authorized on May 13, 1908, in the act approved that day, as quartermaster sergeants for duty in the Pay Department. The title "quartermaster sergeant for duty in the Pay Department" is a little confusing. The Navy Department having authorized us to present to you an increase of six of these particular sergeants for duty in the Paymaster's Department, I ask that it may be done in this way: Insert after the word "privates," in line 8, page 107, the words "and in lieu of the five quartermaster sergeants to serve in the Pay Department authorized by the act of May 13, 1908, 11 paymaster sergeants, who shall have the rank, pay, and allowances of quartermaster sergeants," thus changing their title at the same time as this increase is granted. The CHAIRMAN. And leave in the new language? Col. RICHARDS. Yes, sir; that is merely an amendment. Col. RICHARDS. No, sir; those are men for the Quartermaster's Department proper. We have sergeants for duty in the Paymaster's Department who do not belong to the Quartermaster's Department. That title has been a little confusing; we ask that the title be changed, as well as to add an increase of six. The CHAIRMAN. And you increase the amount from $2,866,362 to $3,165,936. Is that a matter of calculation, to provide for the increased force and for the increase of last year? Col. RICHARDS. Yes, sir; also some other details in increases, all of which are set out in this paper, which I insert in the record. The statement referred to by Col Richards follows: Number. Pay of enlisted men-Continued. Rank. CONTINUOUS SERVICE. 3,046 64 945 58 145 474 4,684 Serving in first enlistment period.. 45 97 58 39 34 36 888 9,921 |