General FAIRCHILD. I am sure that is true, sir. I will provide those figures for the record. The enactment of this bill would go a long way toward solving that problem. This would greatly increase the efficiency of the Air Force, and this would be accompanied by a considerable reduction in expense for training personnel. Our present lack of housing is proving a serious obstacle to our retaining on a long-term basis the number of trained and qualified officers and airmen we must have to operate an efficient Air Force. For instance, in fiscal year 1949, over one-third of our airmen have been or will be eligible to leave the service through discharge. Surveys indicate that no more than 60 percent of these are reenlisting. The greatest single cause of this serious, expensive loss of trained personnel is the deplorable housing situation throughout the Air Force. Senator CAIN. General, would you reflect just one minute on other causes, of which there must obviously be a number? General FAIRCHILD. Yes, sir. There undoubtedly are other causes. We believe, however, that the housing situation is the most serious single cause of lack of reenlistments or of a lower rate of reenlistments than would otherwise be true. Senator CAIN. I am inclined, sir, to agree with you, but I think it important to not lead people to believe that 40 percent of your service personnel do not reenlist primarily because they cannot get adequate housing. General FAIRCHILD. That is quite true, Senator. Senator CAIN. That is a serious handicap, a lack of housing. But if there is anything you might care to say, or if you do not care to say anything, that is fine. General FAIRCHILD. Well, sir; we have made surveys of the reasons for lack of desire to reenlist, and that has been the principal cause cited by our personnel; their living conditions. The CHAIRMAN. General, did you not poll some of the airfields? Did you not have a poll taken? General FAIRCHILD. Yes, sir; we did that. The CHAIRMAN. I thought I remembered having seen one as a member of the Armed Services Committee last year. General FAIRCHILD. Yes, sir. We have conducted surveys asking people their intentions, whether they intend to reenlist or do not. If they do not intend to reenlist, what is the principal reason? The CHAIRMAN. Could you furnish that for the record? General FAIRCHILD. Yes, sir. Senator CAIN. I think it would help to teach all of us a little more about your over-all problem, General. (The following was later submitted for the record:) An analysis of this problem was made in September of 1948. The analysis states in part: "Fifty-nine percent of all married enlisted men intend to reenlist. However, when asked whether future plans would include reenlistment if the Government were to provide family housing, this percentage increased to 79 percent." The CHAIRMAN. General, you have rental allowances for officers. Do you have rental allowances for enlisted men also? General FAIRCHILD. Yes, sir, of the first three grades. General FAIRCHILD. Master sergeants, technical sergeants, and staff sergeants, sir. The CHAIRMAN. Well, now, what about the other grades? General FAIRCHILD. The other four grades do not have rental allowances at the present time. The CHAIRMAN. Well, are there many married couples among the other groups, or would you know? General FAIRCHILD. Yes, sir. As a matter of fact, a great proportion of personnel in the Air Force are married, even the very young people. The CHAIRMAN. Well, why do they not have allowances just as the master sergeants or technical sergeants do? General FAIRCHILD. Sir, that has never been set up in the pay schedules. I believe that the present pending revision of pay does provide for allowances for all grades. There are family allowances, I should say, for wives and dependents. The CHAIRMAN. In those lower grades? General FAIRCHILD. Yes, sir. The CHAIRMAN. Would you be good enough to furnish that for the record? General FAIRCHILD. Yes, sir. The CHAIRMAN. Because what we want to get at here is to see if we cannot get these houses to such a point where, in building the various types within the limit of $8,100, we can get those lower grades in the Air Force in those houses without any additional cost to them other than what you now give them in pay and allowances. General FAIRCHILD. Yes, sir. I would be glad to furnish that. The CHAIRMAN. I do not know whether you have the information or not, but if you could submit some examples for the record of what they are now paying through privates homes and so forth, it would be helpful to the committee, sir. General FAIRCHILD. All right, sir. (The following was later submitted for the record:) The present law provides for a quarters allowance for members of the first three pay grades of enlisted personnel who are not furnished quarters for their dependents. As a wartime measure, family allowances provide the enlisted men with $28 a month for a wife, $30 for the first child, $20 for each additional child and in addition certain other family allowances are provided for dependent mothers, fathers and brothers. The proposed pay bill, now before the Congress (H. R. 2553) provides for an increase in quarters allowance for the first three grades of enlisted men from $37.50 per month to $67.50 per month. In addition quarters allowance is extended to grade four enlisted men who have completed a total of 7 years' service. Wartime family allowances will be discontinued approximately 6 months after passage of the act, should it be approved in its present form. Additional information was requested as to rentals now being paid by military families. By actual survey it was found the average rents varied from base to base. Average rentals for officers ranged from $75 to $125 and for enlisted men from $45 to $85. These figures represent averages and reflect rentals paid for completely inadequate makeshift shelters as well as for such accommodations as can be considered adequate dwellings. As an indication of the ability of military personnel to pay under the present schedules, actual survey at a typical station produced the following averages in total compensation received: Field grade officers $6,485; company grade officers and warrant officers $4,949; first three grades of enlisted men $2,648; last four grades of enlisted men $1,457 and average pay of civilians $3,000 to $4,000. Attached are copies of schedules of "Present basic compensation" and "Proposed basic compensation" as contained in H. R. 2553. 1 General and lieutenant general also entitled to personal money allowance of $2,200 and $500 per year, respectively. 2 Army. 3 Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard. 4 Maximum, $550, accomplished by deduction of excess quarters allowance. Current allowances applicable to personnel authorized to ration and live separately, generally restricted to married personnel, grades 1-3. TABLE VIII.—Proposed basic compensation in H. R. 2553 975.00 975.00 975.00 975.00 975.00 975.00 975.00 975.00 975.00 975.00 810.00 975.00 975.00 975.00 810.00 870.00 45.00 150.00 45.00 120.00 645. CO 675.00 705.00 735.00 45.00 120.00 45.00 105.00 555.00 585.00 615.00 615.00 45.00 120.00 45.00 90.00 510.00 45.00 105.00 45.00 82.50 435.00 45.00 90.00 45.00 75.00 330.00 330.00 330.00 345.00 360.00 375.00 390.00 405.00 420.00 435.00 450.00 465.00 300.00 300.00 300.00 307.50 315.00 322.50 330.00 337.50 345.00 360.00 375.00 390.00 262.50 262.50 262.50 262.50 270.00 277.50 285.00 292.50 300.00 315.00 330.00 345.00 217.50 217.50 217.50 225.00 232.50 240.00 247.50 255.00 262.50 277.50 292.50 307.50 480.00 45.00 105.00 45.00 82.50 45.00 75.00 82.50 45.00 67.50 45.00 60.00 |