of my calculations; my calculations include those who were retired at the time and those who are expected to be retired during the year. We also have a contingent sum to take care of retirements that we can not anticipate, its sum is $35,000. I can put in the record the names of those we have provided for; it is a long list: I have it right here. Mr. OLIVER. General, suppose you attach a list showing by grades all those who were retired prior to the new pay bill of 1922, and those who have been retired since, giving the amount of retirement pay of those retired before and since, according to grades. General RICHARDS. I will supply that. Mr. TABER. I will ask you to add something to the table that Mr. Oliver has suggested, and that is that you supply, in addition to the data which he has asked for, the age of the different officers who are retired and the reasons for their retirement, and, also, the actual length of commissioned service in each case. General RICHARDS. I will do so. The following numbers of officers were placed on the retired list of officers of the Marine Corps, prior to July 1, 1922, for the reasons indicated: Π Do 2,925.00 The following number of officers were placed on the retired list of officers of the Marine Corps after July 1, 1922, for the reasons indicated: RETIREMENT OF OFFICERS Mr. FRENCH. General Richards, Mr. Taber wishes to ask you some further questions. Mr. TABER. General, I was asking you about the table that shows 16 retirements. Have you something more to show on that? General RICHARDS. I have examined the table you had, and I believe it covers a different period from that covered by the estimate for pay. Mr. TABER. You say that you "believe" it covers a different period? General RICHARDS. Yes, sir; it is in fact different. The period covered by this table, now that I examine it, is that of the actual retirements from November 1, 1923, to October 31, 1924. The figures in our estimate were based upon the actual retired list expected during the period from July 1, 1925, to July 1, 1926. The list that was given to me was given to me to calculate on included names. It gives the name of every officer on the retired list now, and of those whom the records show would be retired during the year. Of course, we can not estimate during the year, commencing next July, those who may be retired by reason of disability. We have a contingent sum in there of $35,000 which, we believe, will enable us to meet any situation that will arise during the fiscal year. - Mr. TABER. Personally, I have no objection to an officer being retired because he reaches the age of 64, or because he is disabled, but it looks to me, from the size of the retired list and the size of the retired pay, as though a large number had been retired for other reasons. How about that? General RICHARDS. There has been since the World War quite an increase in the strength on the retired list. In glancing over this list, I see the names of a number of officers who were disabled during the war. Quite a number are reported as having had over 30 years' service. Then there are a number of others who had a lesser period of service, all are probably disability cases. Mr. HARDY. Do you retire them after 30 years' service? Mr. HARDY. Does that include the four years at Annapolis? General LEJEUNE. It does not include the classes coming in since 1913. General RICHARDS. For the older officers, it does apply, but not to those who have come in since Congress passed March 4, 1913, the law with reference to the Naval Academy service. Mr. TABER. Except when the Army, Navy, and Marine Corps are being reduced, is it not bad practice to retire so many officers? General RICHARDS. On that point, I might say that during the administration of Mr. Daniels, it was the policy of the Navy Department not to permit officers of the Navy or of the Marine Corps to be retired after 30 years' service. It is optional with the Government to refuse, and Mr. Daniels consistently refused to act favorably upon such applications. Since Mr. Daniels left there have been a few cases in the Marine Corps where officers have been permitted to retire after 30 years' service. Mr. TABER. Are you able to tell me, offhand, how many? General RICHARDS. I think I can say not more than half a dozen. I do not think there have been more than that many. I remember that Colonel Shaw was so retired, and Colonel Treadwell, but probably not more than a half dozen of these older officers were so retired. The vast majority of the recent additions to the retired list are cases of disability from wounds or other incapacity resul ing from service in the World War; in each case the disability was certified to by a retiring board and the transfers were approved as in accordance with the law at the time. Mr. TABER. I can readily see how a retired list can be overdom and serious injury result to the military branch of the Government from it. General LEJEUNE. We have very few officers, proportionately, of high grade on the retired list. Most of them are of the lower grades. It is very largely made up of the men that General Richards speaks of, who were disabled for some reason or other during the war. General RICHARDS. Those on the retired list shown on the list of less than 30 years' service were disability cases in every instance. RULES, METHODS, AND PRACTICE IN REGARD TO RETIREMENTS Mr. TABER. General, will you submit for the record a brief statement showing the rules, methods, and practice with reference to retirements? General RICHARDS. I will do so. Mr. TABER. You can supply that for the record. Officers are placed on the retired list for five general reasons that is, upot their own request and with the approval of the President after 30 years' sert ice; upon their own request after 40 years' service; mandatorily upon reach ing the age of 64 years; in the discretion of the President after 45 years service; and when physically disqualified from performing the duties of their grade. There follows a synopsis of the various laws under which officers are placed on the retired list: "The commissioned officers of the Marine Corps shall be retired in like cases, in the same manner, and with the same relative conditions, in all re spects as are now proved for officers of the Army, except as to the composition. of retiring boards." (Rev. Stat. 1622.) "When an officer has been 30 years in service, he may, upon his own applica tion, in the discretion of the President, be retired and placed on the retired list." (Rev. Stat. 1622 and 1243.) "When an officer has served 40 years either as an officer or soldier in the regular or volunteer service, or both, he shall, if he makes application therefor to the President, be retired from the active service and placed on the retired list, and when an officer is 64 years of age, he shall be retired from active service and placed on the retired list." (Act of June 30, 1882.) "When an officer has served 45 years as a commissioned officer, or is years old. he may be retired from active service at the discretion of the Presi dent." (Rev. Stat. 1244.) "Marine gunners and quartermaster clerks shall have the same privileges of retirement as do warrant officers of the Navy." (Act of August 29, 19161 "All marine officers shall be credited with the length of time they may have been employed as officers or enlisted men in the volunteer service of the United : States." (Rev. Stat. 1600.) |