ARMY VETERINARY DEPARTMENT. 
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with seventy-five per centum of the pay corresponding to length 
of service as prescribed herein. The bill also provides for re¬ 
serve veterinarians, who shall have pay and allowances of sec¬ 
ond lieutenant, mounted, during period of service and no longer. 
Candidates for assistant veterinarian are to pass the examina¬ 
tions as appointed in order of merit, to vacancies as they occur, 
such appointment to be a probationary one of six months, after 
which time, if the services of the probationer have been satis¬ 
factory, he shall be permanently appointed, with commission 
antedated to embrace such probationary service. Probationary 
veterinarians whose services are found unsatisfactory shall be 
discharged at any time during the probationary period or at the 
end thereof, without further claim against the Government. 
The House Committee on Military Affairs, in reporting the 
bill to the Committee of the Whole House, says: Your com¬ 
mittee, after giving this bill very careful consideration, is of the 
opinion that it should pass in the interest of the efficiency of the 
service. 
On March 23, 1912, there were employed in the Army 69 
veterinarians. The substitute bill provides for 62. The present 
cost of this service is $141,174.90. The cost under the proposed 
substitute bill will be $172,551.16, a difference of $31,376.26 
per annum. All this bill does is to give rank to the veterinar¬ 
ians, which they do not now have, which is in line with the prac¬ 
tice of other countries. 
It is thought that it will greatly improve the service to give 
the rank provided in this bill, and in that way much money will 
be saved by virture of increased efficiency in this service. The 
veterinary surgeons of this country are a body of highly trained 
and intelligent men who have made and are making great strides 
toward progress in their profession, and it is not reasonable to 
expect that the government can secure the best talent of the 
profession unless some fitting and substantial recognition is 
given to it. 
The principal changes effected in the amended bill are the 
omission of the position of the chief veterinarian, of the pur¬ 
chasing officer of veterinary supplies and of the veterinarians 
with the rank of captain, as recommended in the original bill. 
The Military Committee of the House made these reductions in 
ranks to meet the objections of the War Department.. As a 
consequence, if this bill becomes a law, the army veterinarians 
will not constitute a corps proper; again a victory for the War 
