once in eight or ten months, and in one instance an officer drew pay once a year. Those cases are extremely rare. Mr. HAY. How many officers of the line are you short? General WHIPPLE. About 160. Mr. HAY. In what grade? Gene al WHIPPLE. In the grade of second lieutenants. The CHAIRMAN. The shortage is nearly all second lieutenants, is it not? General WHIPPLE. Yes. Mr. PRINCE. Do you know how many you are short on second lieutenants? General WHIPPLE. They are practically all second lieutenants. General WHIPPLE. The number of second lieutenants vacancies are about 160. Mr. PRINCE. I will ask you in that connection, if you should have, as you had in 1907, for pay of officers of the line, $5,418,683.32. You disbursed during that fiscal year, for pay of officers of the line $5,263,360.88, leaving to the credit of that item some $200,000. What did you do with that money? General WHIPPLE. That is carried as an additional appropriation. We are allowed to carry three appropriations, and at the end of every three years it is covered into the Treasury. That is the law, so that every year we deposit to the credit of the Treasurer of the United States the entire surplus of the appropriation standing three years. Mr. PRINCE. Have you credited during the last three years any the appropriation; and if so, how much? of General WHIPPLE. I do not think I am prepared to answer that question. Mr. PRINCE. Do you know of any credit, within the last five or six years, that has gone into the Treasury, coming from the appropriations made for the military establishment; and if you can not state that now, will you be kind enough to send it to the committee in answer to this question? General WHIPPLE. I will be glad to do so. Mr. PRINCE. In administering the appropriation, do you apply this overplus to the pay of other officers, or do you make specific provisions for those branches? General WHIPPLE. No; we keep strictly within the appropriation. Mr. PRINCE. Does it not go over into the general fund? General WHIPPLE. It is a general fund except the mileage appropriation, but we have to keep within the fiscal year in disbursing it. Mr. PRINCE. You do not use any of the overplus resulting from the pay of the officers.of the Army proper for the Ordnance Department? General WHIPPLE. In that case there is a specific appropriation for Ordnance. The CHAIRMAN. This only applies to what is disbursed by the Paymaster-General, exception mileage? General WHIPPLE. Yes, sir. Mr. PRINCE. Pay of officers outside of Ordnance? General WHIPPLE. There is a special appropriation for Ordnance as well as Engineers. Mr. HAY. There is a provision in the bill that all this shall constitute one fund. The CHAIRMAN. Certainly, and has been for years. The next item is length of service? General WHIPPLE. Yes, sir. The CHAIRMAN. Length of service is calculated by the actual men in service? General WHIPPLE. Yes, sir. The CHAIRMAN. The pay is fixed by law? General WIHPPLE. Yes, sir. The CHAIRMAN. On that item there is quite a little surplus for the fiscal year 1907, amounting to $32,000. Why should we increase that amount on that statement? General WHIPPLE. We have asked for the same amount that we did for 1908. We have asked for this increase on account of the number of officers who came into the service in 1898. They will have ten or more years' service during the fiscal year 1909 on account of completing another five years' service. Mr. PARKER. There is a greater number of young officers in the Army now as compared with years ago? General WHIPPLE. Yes. Mr. PARKER. So that service increase will be required all along the line? General WHIPPLE. This particular year we are going to have increases on account of the unusual increase of officers in 1898. The CHAIRMAN. It is the second five-year period in which the great body of young officers came into the service after the Spanish war? General WHIPPLE. Yes, sir. The CHAIRMAN. For pay of enlisted men of all grades, including recruits, $10,907,078.25. For 1907 you expended $8,713,558. It is based on the full authorization. I think it would be hardly possible to use it. General WHIPPLE. It depends entirely on recruiting. This estimate is based on General Orders, No. 130, of 1907. We estimated for 68,536 men, and the Secretary cut that down 5,000 privates, making a saving of $780,000. The CHAIRMAN. In the fiscal year 1907 you estimated for some 63,000 men. The appropriation was for more than that. General WHIPPLE. There has been an increase, of course- -that is an increase in the number of privates and the increase of the Artillery. The CHAIRMAN. All enlisted men, noncommissioned officers, and privates. General WHIPPLE. Yes, sir. Mr. KAHN. On page 8 there is a summarized statement of this amount that is asked for. General WHIPPLE. On page 28 of the bill you will find the reason for many of these increases and changes. The CHAIRMAN. It does not apply down to the 30th of June only, but comes down to the present time? General WHIPPLE. Only includes June 30. Mr. KAHN. Anything paid since the 30th of June is not found on page 4. Mr. PARKER (reading). Disbursed during the fiscal year. Colonel ROGERS. During the fiscal year. The CHAIRMAN. Have you anything in the statement disbursed since the 30th of June? General WHIPPLE. No, sir. Colonel ROGERS. It is to show the amount of money disbursed during the fiscal year. The CHAIRMAN. In reference to that we want to find out whether it was before or since the 30th of June. What we want to find out is whether the disbursement was out of that appropriation. Colonel ROGERS. It would be some time before I could obtain that. This would be offset by a similar amount paid from a similar appropriation for 1907. This column was given to illustrate the average for a full fiscal year. Mr. YOUNG. This fourth column embraces payments made up to the 30th of June, 1907. Colonel ROGERS. Yes, sir. Mr. YOUNG. Give us the amount appropriated now. General WHIPPLE. I think I will have to ask the indulgence of the committee for referring these matters to Colonel Rogers, who made up these estimates, as I came into office only on the first of the year, and therefore I am not so familiar with them as I will be a little later on. We want to give full information to the committee on the matter. Mr. KAHN. The General suggests that on page 28 of the printed itemized statement will be found the reasons for the increases asked for. General WHIPPLE. Yes, sir. Mr. SLADEN. Is that taken from the Book of Estimates? Mr. YOUNG. The enlisted force of the Army is not increasing. You are not filling the ranks? General WHIPPLE. No, sir; we are far below it. It has been estimated that there is a shortage of about 18,000 men. Mr. YOUNG. This shortage is not being filled, so the ranks are not increasing. General WHIPPLE. Not materially, as I understand it. The CHAIRMAN. Length of service pay is $1,206,000. Mr. SLADEN. It is the same as last year? General WHIPPLE. About the same as last year. The CHAIRMAN. Assuming that recruits are going out, has that not been largely reduced? You have a deficiency for 1907. Mr. SLADEN. There was $120,000 deficiency. Colonel ROGERS. Yes, sir. Mr. SLAYDEN. It seems to be very closely figured out. General WHIPPLE. Yes, sir; it is. The CHAIRMAN. Subsistence department, $81,600. General WHIPPLE. That is very close. The CHAIRMAN. You spent $67 more than the appropriation. Mr. YOUNG. These items simply embrace pay of enlisted men in that department. General WHIPPLE. Yes, sir; that is what we are considering now. The CHAIRMAN. These are for first-class sergeants, and the amount is fixed by law. General WHIPPLE. Yes, sir. The CHAIRMAN. They have special cooks for the Signal Corps? Mr. SLAYDEN. There is a big increase in the hospital item. General WHIPPLE. I can explain the increase in the Hospital Corps. This is on account of the increase of 260 privates, first class, at $216, and an increase of 85 privates, at $192, making a total of $72,480. Mr. SLAYDEN. An increase of 345 men. General WHIPPLE. Yes, sir; 345 men. The CHAIRMAN. Did we increase the Hospital Corps in the bill at the last Congress, or is this increase of enlistment? General WHIPPLE. The authorized strength of the Hospital Corps is 3,500 enlisted men, and it is not up to that limit. The CHAIRMAN. You have estimated for the whole 3,500 men? The CHAIRMAN. They are all authorized by law? General WHIPPLE. Yes, sir. The CHAIRMAN. Do you know how much they are short? General WHIPPLE. No, sir; but this increase was authorized by the Secretary of War. Mr. YOUNG. Your estimates are based on the authorized strength of the Army, are they not? General WHIPPLE. Yes, sir. This is based on the last General Orders, No. 130, for 1907, with the exception of 5,000 enlisted men that the Secretary cut out. Mr. SLAYDEN. Do you know whether that authority was in the reorganization act of 1901, giving the Secretary of War power to increase the Hospital Corps? General WHIPPLE. Yes, sir; I think it was. Mr. HAY. It is bound to be in that act. There was no other act. The CHAIRMAN. For clerks and messengers. That increase there you have figured on, as to the numbers asked for? General WHIPPLE, Yes, sir. 77 The CHAIRMAN. This whole matter of clerks is on the order of the Secretary of War? General WHIPPLE. Yes, sir; at the request of the Chief of Staff. The CHAIRMAN. Under the head of The Adjutant-General's Department, there is a misprint. It ought to be $76,000 instead of $67,000. All that is figured on the number and authorized by law? General WHIPPLE. Yes, sir; entirely so. The CHAIRMAN. We did not increase the Medical Department last. year and yet there is quite an increase asked for. General WHIPPLE. The increase in the case of the Medical Department is for these reasons: That there are 12 captains due for promotion, which makes $24,000, and an increase of 1 major, $2,500, making $26,500. The CHAIRMAN. That major went in under a special act. He is dead now. General WHIPPLE. He died since the estimate was made. Colonel ROGERS. First lieutenants were promoted to captains. The CHAIRMAN. You expended $598,000 out of the $665,000? General WHIPPLE. Yes, sir; there are some 24 vacancies in the Medical Department. The CHAIRMAN. I would suggest that the promotion of lieutenants would not take $12,000, because it would only be the difference in the pay between first lieutenants and captains. Colonel ROGERS. This is the straight pay. It is figured separately from increases. General WHIPPLE. It is a decrease of 12 lieutenants, mounted, which we take off, leaving a net increase of $7,300. The CHAIRMAN. That is right. If you only expend it on the Medical Corps during the fiscal year of 1907, and on the major, the statement is correct, and I can see no reason why it is not. It is the average, because some years they will be over, and I do not see why that should not be increased from $590,000 to $683,000. Mr. YOUNG. It is only $7,000. The CHAIRMAN. During the last fiscal year? Mr. KAHN. There is $71,000 of excess, practically. General WHIPPLE. That is due to the number of first lieutenants. There is a shortage in the number of first lieutenants. The CHAIRMAN. If you fill the corps, you will need the full amount? General WHIPPLE. Yes, sir. The CHAIRMAN. Length-of-service pay in the department of the Judge-Advocate-General is the same?" General WHIPPLE. Yes, sir. The CHAIRMAN. Also the Signal Corps? General WHIPPLE. That is the same. The CHAIRMAN. Bureau of Insular Affairs. There is a new provision there, because we have made the head of that a brigadiergeneral. General WHIPPLE. Yes, sir. The CHAIRMAN. You put in a major there, too. Géneral WHIPPLE. Yes, sir. The CHAIRMAN. That officer is a captain in line and so is General Edwards, both detailed officers. Are they carried in the line and estimated for in pay of the officers of the line? General WHIPPLE. No, sir; just in this one place. The CHAIRMAN. While an officer is on detail, he is not estimated for in the line? General WHIPPLE. No, sir. The CHAIRMAN. Going back to page 7, pay of the officers of the line, additional pay of aids-de-camps, $7,000. What is the additional increase to pay to aids? General WHIPPLE. It is fixed by law, $150 for aids to brigadiergenerals and $200 to major-generals per annum. The CHAIRMAN. Whether mounted or not they get that additional? General WHIPPLE. Yes, sir. The CHAIRMAN. In insular affairs it is for the increase of a major and increase of a brigadier general. General WHIPPLE. That is all. The CHAIRMAN. The next item is retired officers, page 20. Mr. HAY. Have you expended the amount appropriated in 1907? General WHIPPLE. Yes, sir; and $51,129.76 more. Mr. SLAYDEN. That is on account of the increased number of brigadier-generals? |