The CHAIRMAN. They estimated, among other things, "For paying and otherwise providing for such officers of the Officers' Reserve Corps of the Aviation Section of the Signal Corps and such enlisted men of the Enlisted Reserve Corps of the Aviation Section of the Signal Corps as may be called into active service and such enlisted men as may be enlisted in the Aviation Section."

Capt. DALY. That refers to the reserve corps.

The CHAIRMAN. There are two classes: Enlisted men of the Enlisted Reserve Corps of the Aviation Section of the Signal Corps as may be called into active service and such enlisted men as may be enlisted in the Aviation Section of the Signal Corps.

Capt. DALY. I think that was only intended to cover the reserves. The CHAIRMAN. How many enlisted men in the Signal Corps have you estimated for in these combined estimates?

Liept. BRETT. Mr. Fitzgerald, I will have to explain that. They give us 2,033,345 enlisted men and we take 86,158 officers as necessary for that force; the distribution in the different arms of the service is purely arbitrary; they do not give us any distribution but we distribute them arbitrarily in order to have something under each of the headings as given in this bill.

Gen. SHARPE. So as to provide for the variations in pay of the different corps. The Signal Corps receives more pay for certain

men.

Lieut. BRETT. As I say, the distribution under those headings is purely arbitrary; we make the distribution in accordance with the wishes of the different bureau chiefs. They say they want so many men, and those left are put into the line.

The CHAIRMAN. When you estimate on an army of a certain size you estimate on so many men in each branch of the service. Certainly you did not figure on an army of 2,000,000 men without any consideration of the number of men that are to be in the Aviation Section?

Lieut. BRETT. Yes, sir.

Gen. SHARPE. They give us the figures as a gross sum only. Lieut. BRETT. The number of men given in a certain organizationfor instance, a division-is 27,422. In order to raise that division to 2,033,345, the numbers in the various grades of a division are multiplied by 74.15. That raises the different grades without regard to the arms of the service to which they belong. That gives us the rates of pay, and that is the only thing that is furnished to us.

The CHAIRMAN. That is all that is furnished to you; but somebody must know, when you are figuring on an army of a certain size, whether all branches of the service are included; and if that is so we do not want to appropriate twice for the pay and subsistence of it.

Lieut. BRETT. No, sir.

Gen. SHARPE. You see, there is no way in which we can cover the variations in pay unless we

The CHAIRMAN (interposing). I am not speaking about that. You are asking here for the pay of enlisted men in the Signal Corps. They have already gotten an appropriation, which is available for the pay of enlisted men in the Aviation Section of the Signal Corps. and I am asking whether this covers the same thing.

Lieut. BRETT. If they have covered the Aviation Section of the Regular Army, we should not have it; but I think if you will read that you will see what I think they are intending to cover.

The CHAIRMAN. This says that this appropriation will be available for paying and otherwise providing for such officers of the Officers' Reserve Corps of the Aviation Section of the Signal Corps and such enlisted men of the Enlisted Reserve Corps of the Aviation Section of the Signal Corps as may be called into active service. Extract from 1918 Army appropriation bill reading:

Provided further, That of the sum last above mentioned so much thereof as may be necessary will be available for paying and otherwise providing for such officers of the Officers' Reserve Corps of the Aviation Section of the Signal Corps and such enlisted men of the Enlisted Reserve Corps of the Aviation Section of the Signal Corps as may be called into active service.

Lieut. BRETT. That has been in the bill for the last two years; they may have gone outside of that, but I do not think they have. The CHAIRMAN. This is the Army bill?

Lieut. BRETT. Yes.

The CHAIRMAN. But there is a later one than that. I read what was covered in the aviation bill.

Lieut. BRETT. There is an aviation section provided for in the Regular Army under the act of June 3, 1916. Now, if the bill you have referred to, which I have not read, covers the Regular Army aviation section, as well as the National Army and the National Guard aviation section, they have stepped right into the prerogatives of the Quartermaster Corps and without consulting us.

The CHAIRMAN. The Signal Corps prepared an estimate to provide for a certain number of machines, officers, men, and everything else, and they have gotten the money, and more money than they asked for.

OFFICE OF THE CHIEF OF STAFF ADDITIONAL CLERKS.

(See p. 340.)

The CHAIRMAN. Do you pay these headquarters clerks?
Gen. SHARPE. Yes, sir; we pay them.

The CHAIRMAN. Do you use them?

Gen. SHARPE. They are used in the Adjutant General's office and in the office of the Chief of Staff.

The CHAIRMAN. You do not know about them?

Gen. SHARPE. No, sir; they simply estimate for the number which they give us; we have the number, but we do not know where they are used.

Lieut. BRETT. That $13,050 is used entirely in the War College. Gen. SHARPE. And 9 clerks for the office of the Chief of Staff; then 3,500 Army field clerks, who are used in the different depart

ments.

CORPS OF ENGINEERS-PAY OF OFFICERS.

The CHAIRMAN. The next item is "Corps of Engineers: For pay of officers in the Corps of Engineers, $8,493,492." You had $3,

506,508?

Gen. SHARPE. We have included it all in the total number of 85,976 officers.

Lieut. BRETT. That is just a purely arbitrary distribution of the officers; they asked for so many officers; the Engineers asked for 5.000 officers, and that is for 3,672 officers.

The CHAIRMAN. Additional?

Lieut. BRETT. Yes, sir.

The CHAIRMAN. Are these the officers in these so-called technical units?

Lieut. BRETT. Yes, sir; as provided for under the act of May 18. They want altogether 5,000 officers-Regulars and in the National Army.

The CHAIRMAN. In making that estimate you have some system by which you average the pay of a certain number of officers?

Lieut. BRETT. Yes, sir; we just take the money that you have already given us for the Corps of Engineers; determine how many officers it will pay at $2,313 each-that being the average annual pay of an officer. From the total number of officers required by the Engineer Corps subtract the number the money already appropriated will pay, multiply the remainder by the average annual pay$2,313 and the result is the additional amount needed.

ORDNANCE DEPARTMENT-PAY OF OFFICERS.

The CHAIRMAN. The next item is "Ordnance Department: For pay of officers of the Ordnance Department, $12,067,600." The appropriations so far have been $693,900?

Lieut. BRETT. They want 5,500 officers.

The CHAIRMAN. Do you know the highest rank?

Lieut. BRETT. Brigadier general, held by Gen. Crozier.

The CHAIRMAN. What are these reserve officers?

Lieut. BRETT. Well, they can come from the reserves or under

The CHAIRMAN. All that you do, then, is to have them state the number of officers they want and you calculate the amount of pay for that number?

Lieut. BRETT. Yes, sir; the distribution is made in accordance with the wishes of the chiefs of the bureaus. If the Secretary of War sees fit to change that distribution, he has a right to do so. It is just made arbitrarily.

QUARTERMASTER CORPS-PAY OF OFFICERS.

The CHAIRMAN. The next item is, "Quartermaster Corps: For pay of officers of the Quartermaster Corps, $6,939,000." You had over $6,000,000 and you are asking for an additional $6,000,000. Why is that?

Gen. SHARPE. We estimate that we will need 5,621 more officers. The CHAIRMAN. Why do you need that many

Gen. SHARPE. We need them for this. cers per thousand men.

about 1,200 officers for a million mer officers.

n us.

The CHAIRMAN. You need 1,200 officers for a million men?
Gen. SHARPE. Yes, sir.

The CHAIRMAN. How many have you now?

Gen. SHARPE. We have 379 Regulars in the corps and we are estimating for 5,621. They are to be the technical officers and the reserve officers in the corps.

The CHAIRMAN. How many have you now of all kinds?

Gen. SHARPE. I think there are about 600 reserve officers called in

now.

The CHAIRMAN. Have you 1,000 officers now?

Gen. SHARPE. I think it is pretty close on to 600 officers.

The CHAIRMAN. You had nearly $7,000,000 for 600 officers?

Gen. SHARPE. Seven hundred and ninety-seven has been called, 1,021 have been called to date, and 379 added to that.

The CHAIRMAN. Making about 2,000?

Gen. SHARPE. No; about 1,400; 1,021 plus 379 would make 1,400. The CHAIRMAN. I do not understand, General. Either you had too much money for the number of officers you want for the first million men or you will not have enough for the second million.

Lieut. BRETT. We have got to have a minimum of 6 officers for every 1,000 men; we have got to have at least 12,000 officers, or ought to have, for an Army of 2,000,000 men.

The CHAIRMAN. But this does not give you that?

Lieut. BRETT. No; we are not making provision for but 6,000, which is 3 officers to 1,000 men.

Gen. SHARPE. These are the organizations which we must organize: Motor car companies; transport workers battalion-and it is a question now whether those will be organized into regiments; supply companies; labor companies; bathing service; laundry service; salvage service; clothing renovation shops; shoe repair shops; mechanical repair shops; auxiliary remount depot; supply depot; detachment and burial companies and bakery companies. The bakery companies have now been increased from 61 to 101 men.

The CHAIRMAN. What is the number of officers that you have in normal times?

Lieut. BRETT. We have 379 officers of the Quartermaster Corps and 217,000 men in the Army.

The CHAIRMAN. About an officer and a half for each 1,000 men? Lieut. BRETT. But in peace times we have none of these technical organizations to handle at all.

The CHAIRMAN. And it is estimated it will take about six quartermaster officers for every 1,000 men?

Lieut. BRETT. Yes, sir; but we have only estimated for three; 6,000 officers for 2,000,000 men, less than three per thousand.

Gen. SHARPE. In the English Army they increased the number of officers from about 1,600 to 10,000.

The CHAIRMAN. In the Quartermaster Corps?

Gen. SHARPE. Yes, sir; in the Army Service Corps alone; and so far as the men are concerned, they were increased from 10,000 to 200,000. That does not include the other branches of their quartermaster denartrat like the Ordnance Department, which we have of officers in the Corps o, 506,508?

what would correspond to our Quar

Gen. SHARPE. Yes, sir; and that is only one part of their quartermaster department.

The CHAIRMAN. That is based on a force of how many men, General?

Gen. SHARPE. I do not know how many men that is based on.
The CHAIRMAN. It is more than 2,000,000?

Gen. SHARPE. Yes, sir.

The CHAIRMAN. They have four or five million men.

Gen. SHARPE. Yes, sir; but there are a great many in their ordnance department and transportation department, all of which our figures have to include. Their organization also does not provide for the pay, like ours does. Their quartermaster department provides for the clothing and supplies for men and animals and transportation. It does not include barracks and quarters nor does it include pay.

The CHAIRMAN. So that the same elements do not exist that you can not make a comparison between the two?

Gen. SHARPE. No, sir; I was just comparing that one branch, the Army service corps, which would correspond to our old subsistence branch, and they have 10,000 officers and 200,000 men now.

SIGNAL CORPS.

PAY OF OFFICERS.

The CHAIRMAN. "Signal Corps: For pay of officers of the Signal Corps, $21,870,833."

Gen. SHARPE. They are estimating for 10,000 officers.

The CHAIRMAN. Additional?

Lieut. BRETT. No, sir; altogether.

The CHAIRMAN. How many were the original estimates based on? Lieut. BRETT. I do not recall.

MEDICAL DEPARTMENT.

PAY OF OFFICERS.

That

The CHAIRMAN. The Medical Department asks $31,443,448. Lieut. BRETT. They want 10 officers for every 1,000 men. would be 20,333 officers. The act of June 3 allows them in peace times seven officers for every 1,000 men.

The CHAIRMAN. Is there any law which fixes the ratio between officers and men?

Lieut. BRETT. No, sir; only the act of June 3, 1916, which is for peace times, and, of course, the act of May 18, 1917, which provides for the National Army, and puts no limitation, and provides for such officers and men as may be required. The act of June 3, 1916, for the Medical Corps provides for seven officers for each 1,000 men. The CHAIRMAN. Then how do they figure on 10?

Gen. SHARPE. Under the act of May 18, 1917, they are allowed such number of technical officers as the President appoints, and they think they need an increase from 7 to 10 officers per thousand men. That is the information they have given us.

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