[No. 48.] CHARLTON, CECIL FLOYD. DEPARTMENT OF THE NAVY, MY DEAR MR. CHAIRMAN: In further reply to the committee's letter inclosing the bill (H. R. 11723) "To reinstate Cecil Floyd Charlton as a passed assistant surgeon in the United States Navy," and requesting the views and recommendations of the department thereon, I have the honor to inform you as follows: Cecil Floyd Charlton was appointed an assistant surgeon in the Navy January 26, 1912, and resigned January 26, 1915. The service of Dr. Charlton was creditable, and he resigned of his own volition in order to practice medicine in civil life. At the time he resigned he was a passed assistant surgeon. The above bill, if enacted into law, would operate to place Dr. Charlton in his original position on the Navy list though he has been out of the service for more than three years. This would be an injustice to those officers in the Medical Corps who were junior to him at the time he resigned and who have remained continuously in the service. This proposed legislation is for the benefit of an individual and therefore of a class to which the department is opposed, except in specially meritorious cases. No feature of special merit being apparent in this case, it is recommended that the bill be not favorably considered. Sincerely, yours, The CHAIRMAN COMMITTEE ON NAVAL AFFAIRS, JOSEPHUS DANIELS, [No. 49.] HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, The committee met at 10.30 o'clock a. m., Hon. Lemuel P. Padgett (chairman) presiding. STATEMENTS OF REAR ADMIRAL LEIGH C. PALMER, CHIEF, BUREAU OF NAVIGATION; COMMANDER J. S. McCAIN, AND COMMANDER F. B. FREYER. The CHAIRMAN. Gentlemen, there are a number of legislative bills pending before the committee, which I desire to be considered by the committee. I will first call attention to H. R. 12915, a bill to provide additional pay for warrant officers on shore duty beyond the continental limits of the United States. Admiral PALMER. This is to provide sea-service pay for shore duty abroad. All the commissioned officers now have that in peace time as well as war time; that is, sea service pay, and not the commutation of quarters. As far as this is concerned, it will put the warrant officers on exactly the same basis as the commissioned officers if in the proviso there we stop after the words "April 6, 1917," eliminating the words "and shall continue in effect for not more than six months after the termination of the war." Those words should be left out, so as to put it on the same basis as for commissioned officers. Mr. VENABLE. This says "the same pay as is now or may be authorized by law for warrant officers on sea duty." Admiral PALMER. Yes; for warrant officers on sea duty. You understand commissioned officers on sea duty now get the sea-duty pay when they are on shore duty beyond the continental limits of the United States, and this is to put the warrant officers on the same basis. The CHAIRMAN. And the words "and shall continue in effect for not more than six months after the termination of the present war" go out? Admiral PALMER. Yes, sir. The CHAIRMAN. If that was left in it would interfere with the Philippine service, too, would it not? Admiral PALMER. Yes; it would interfere with all the Philippine service. The CHAIRMAN. I will next call attention to H. R. 12934, a bill which I introduced the other day to extend certain provisions of the war-risk insurance act of September 2, 1914, as amended to cadets at the United States Military Academy and midshipmen at the United States Naval Academy. Under existing law the Comptroller of the Treasury has ruled that cadets at the Military Academy and midshipmen at the Naval Academy are not entitled to the benefits of the war-risk insurance act, or to the compensation provided therein, unless thay are assigned to active service; in other words, they would have to get out of the school and go into active service in order to get the benefit of the warrisk insurance; and we have another law, you will remember, that allows young men to be taken from the Army to the Military Academy and from the Navy to the Naval Academy. Now, if those men while they are in the Army or in the Navy can take out this insurance Mr. VENABLE (interposing). Aside from the men who are possibly sent there from the service, what is the reason for extending this privilege to them? Their risk is no greater while there than it is in normal times. The CHAIRMAN. I was going to call attention to that. They are in the military service, and I think they should have the benefit of the military laws. Mr. RIORDAN. An enlisted man at Pelham has not any more risk than a man at the Naval Academy, and he can take out war-risk insurance the minute he enters the Naval Reserve. Admiral PALMER. Yes. Mr. VENABLE How long is the course at Pelham Bay? Admiral PALMER. They may stay there longer; it depends on what they are studying. Mr. VENABLE. A man stays at Annapolis or West Point four years. Mr. RIORDAN. Three years now. Mr. VENABLE. Three years now, and in normal times four years. Mr. RIORDAN. He is liable to be ordered out at any minute. Mr. VENABLE. And when he is, he can take out insurance. Whenever he goes into the service, of course, he can take out insurance; but this proposes to give him the benefit of this insurance three years prior to the time he goes into the service. The CHAIRMAN. If I may finish my statement Mr. LITTLEPAGE (interposing). He is practically in the service when he goes into the academy. The CHAIRMAN. Yes; he is sworn in and is subject to duty. What I was going to call attention to is this: Under the law we can take men into the Naval Academy from the Navy and into the Military Academy from the Army. Now, while those men are in the Navy or in the Army, they can take out, and do take out, this insurance, and when they go into the Academy they can continue it, so that the men who go into the Military Academy and into the Naval Academy from the Army and the Navy are carrying the insurance, and the men who are appointed by the Congressmen and the Senators can not get it under existing law. These young men are appointed there and have a career before them, and I think it is but fair and right that they should have the benefit of this law. Admiral PALMER. Mr. Chairman, I should like to mention another point when you are through. The CHAIRMAN. Yes. Mr. LITTLEPAGE. Let me interrupt you just a minute, if you please. It occurs to me, Mr. Chairman, that inasmuch as the young fellow who volunteers for the service or is drafted-for instance, my son is in |