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MAY 10 (calendar day, May 25), 1934.—Ordered to be printed

Mr. WALSH, from the Committee on Naval Affairs, submitted the

following

REPORT

[To accompany H.R. 6803]

The Committee on Naval Affairs of the United States Senate, to whom was referred the bill (H.R. 6803) to regulate the distribution, promotion, retirement, and discharge of commissioned officers of the Marine Corps, and for other purposes, having considered the same, report favorably thereon and recommend that the bill do pass. The bill provides:

(a) For no increased cost over that which obtains at present. (b) For no increase in the number of officers now authorized.

(c) For readjustment of the percentage distribution by grades, on the same basis as that now in force in the Navy.

(d) For promotion to first lieutenant after 3 years' commissioned service, as is done in the case of naval officers.

(e) For promotion by selection rather than by seniority.

(f) For boards to prepare eligible lists for appointment as heads of State staff departments and promotion lists for promotion to brigadier general of the line, colonel and lieutenant colonel; and for the composition and procedure of such boards.

(9) For elimination by transfer to the retired list of colonels not selected for promotion, upon completion of 35 years of commissioned service, instead of at 56 years of age as at present.

(h) Against too great a number of retirements in any 1 year by restricting the number that may be retired.

(i) For the payment of officers transferred to the retired list for nonselection at the same rate as now provided by law.

The officer personnel of the Marine Corps is in a condition which has reached a critical stage because of stagnation of promotion and over age. The present laws are ineffective and inefficient. As a result, the rate of promotion is the same for all officers without regard to

the high efficiency of some and the comparative inefficiency of others. Marine officers are years behind their running mates in the Navy. Sections 1 to 15 of the bill constitute a complete system, which will place the Marine Corps under Navy rather than Army personnel laws, which is sound and appropriate.

Section 1 is the basic section of the bill. It applies the Navy system to the Marine Corps by placing the commissioned personnel of the Marine Corps under the laws governing the line commissioned personnel of the Navy.

Sections 2 to 14, inclusive, contain the necessary provisions to adapt the Navy system to the Marine Corps. Section 15 provides for the necessary repeal of former conflicting laws and section 16 contains the economy provisions necessary to prevent any additional cost to the Government.

Section 17 is a provision which was inserted on the floor of the House of Representatives. It makes the enlistment age in the Marine Corps and the Naval Reserve the same as in the regular service, namely, 17 years. At the present time there is a year of inequality.

Section 2 provides that two-thirds of the general officers shall be brigadier generals and the remainder major generals, including the Major General Commandant. This continues the number of officers with the rank of major general as at present.

Section 3 provides that three heads of staff departments shall be brigadier generals while so serving as at present.

Section 4 provides that promotion to major general of the line shall be by selection by the President from brigadier generals of the line.

Section 5: This is purely a technical provision to adapt the Navy law to the Marine Corps. In the Navy there is only one grade above that of captain, which is rear admiral. In the Marine Corps there are two grades above the rank of colonel, which are major general and brigadier general, and in order to make Marine Corps computations on the same basis with the Navy, it is necessary to include these two grades in one. It is merely for a matter of computation.

Section 6: The purpose of this section is to adjust the Navy laws to the Marine Corps as far as computation of commissioned service is concerned, the Navy laws being based on the length of commissioned service.

Section 7: The Navy law provides that the selection boards shall consist of nine rear admirals. It would be impracticable for the Marine Corps to assemble nine general officers. This section provides that the selection board shall consist of not less than six officers on the active list of the Marine Corps, the composition and procedure of the boards to be determined by the Secretary of the Navy. It further provides that no officer shall be recommended for advancement unless he receives the recommendation of not less than two-thirds of the members of the board. This also follows the Navy practice.

Section 8: This section insures that the selection of an officer for promotion shall not be jeopardized by reason of duty in a staff department, aviation, or other technical specialty.

Section 9: The only effect of this provision would be to require that the Marine officers, in addition to being able to perform all their duties at sea would be qualified to perform duty in the field as much of the service of the Marine Corps is field duty.

Section 10: This proviso safeguards the interest of those officers who may complete sufficient commissioned service prior to reaching the upper four-sevenths of their respective grades, as to make them automatically ineligible for consideration for selection by reason of such service. Every officer will thus be eligible for consideration by at least one selection board in each grade before otherwise being considered ineligible by reason of length of commissioned service.

Section 11: Gives to officers whose names are placed on staff eligible lists the same right for retention on such lists as is given officers whose names appear on promotion lists of the line.

Section 12: This provision is to eliminate possible ambiguity regarding the words "grade" and "rank", which are used somewhat interchangeably in laws regarding distribution and promotion.

Section 13 provides that the Major General Commandant shall be appointed as now provided by law.

Section 14 provides for the preparation of eligible lists for appointment as heads of State staff departments in the same manner as line promotion lists are prepared, these lists to be prepared by the same board that selects colonels for promotion. The present practice of appointing heads of staff departments is continued.

Section 15 is a general repeal section.

Section 16: The purpose of this section is to eliminate all extra costs which would be incurred under preceding sections. The first sentence of this section limits involuntary retirements to colonels who have completed 35 years' commissioned service and are not selected for promotion. Under the present law colonels 56 years of age and not selected for promotion are retired. Lieutenant colonels and majors will not be involuntarily retired for nonselection and will be eligible for consideration for promotion notwithstanding the completion of 28 and 21 years' service, respectively, this variation from the Navy system also being for the purpose of preventing any increased expense. The remainder of section 16 is to prevent the cost of pay and allowances under the proposed redistribution in grades from exceeding the cost under the present distribution.

Section 17 makes the minimum age limit for enlistment in the Naval Reserve or the Marine Corps Reserve the same as that for enlistment in the Regular Navy.

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MAY 10 (calendar day, MAY 25), 1934.-Ordered to be printed

Mr. LOGAN, from the Committee on Military Affairs, submitted the following

REPORT

[To accompany H.J.Res. 341]

The Committee on Military Affairs, to whom was referred House Joint Resolution 341, authorizing an appropriation for the participation of the United States in the International Celebration at Fort Niagara, N.Y., having considered the same, report favorably thereon with the recommendation that it do pass.

House Joint Resolution 341 is identical with Senate Joint Resolution 116, introduced by Senator Copeland, and on which the War Department replied under date of May 24, in the communication noted below. House Joint Resolution 341 passed the House May 21. The War Department approves the passage of this measure, and it advises that the expenditure provided therein is in accord with the financial program of the President.

War Department report on Senate Joint Resolution 116 follows:

Hon. MORRIS SHEPPARD,

Chairman Committee on Military Affairs,

United States Senate.

MAY 24, 1934.

DEAR SENATOR SHEPPARD: Careful consideration has been given to the resolution (S.J.Res. 116) authorizing an appropriation for the participation of the United States in the International Celebration at Fort Niagara, N.Y., which your committee transmitted to the War Department for a report thereon.

The International Celebration at Fort Niagara, N. Y., is a worthy project of a patriotic character. The participation of the Army in this celebration would be most appropriate. The amount which the joint resolution proposes to authorize to cover the expenses of this participation, viz, $6,000, would be ample for the purpose. If the joint resolution is enacted the Army will be glad to participate in the ceremonies.

The proposed joint resolution has been submitted to the Director of the Bureau of the Budget who has today advised that it is in accord with the financial program of the President.

Sincerely yours,

GEO. H. DERN, Secretary of War.

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