Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 44 Part 2.djvu/822

 of air mechanic, second class, and performing the duties as such shall receive the pay of the third grade: Provided, That such number as the Secretary of War may determine as necessary, not to exceed 14 per centum of the total authorized enlisted strength of the Air Corps, shall be rated as air mechanics, first class, or air mechanics, second class.

—The Secretary of War is hereby authorized to assign, under such regulations as he may prescribe, officers of the Air Corps to flying commands, including wings, groups, squadrons, flights, schools, important air stations, and to the staffs of commanders of troops, which assignment shall carry with it temporary rank, including pay and allowances appropriate to such rank, as determined by the Secretary of War, for the period of such assignment: Provided, That such temporary rank is limited to two grades above the permanent rank of the officer appointed: Provided further, That no officer shall be temporarily advance in rank as contemplated in this section unless the Chief of the Air Corps certifies that no officers of suitable permanent rank are available for the duty required the increased rank: And provided further, That no officer holding temporary rank under the provisions of this section shall be eligible to command outside of his own corps except by seniority under his permanent commission.

—That the Secretary of War be, and he is hereby, directed to investigate and study the alleged injustices which exist in the promotion lost of the Army and to submit to Congress on the second Monday in December, 1926, this study, together with his recommendations for changes, if any, in the present promotion list.

—That section 5 of the Act entitled "An Act for making further and more effectual provisions for the national defense, and for other purposes," approved June 3, 1916, as amended, be, and the same is hereby, amended by adding the following paragraph at the end thereof:

"That for the period of three years immediately following July 1, 1926, there is hereby created in each of the divisions of the War Department General Staff an air section to be headed by an officer of the Air Corps, the duties of which shall be to consider and recommend proper action on such air matters as may be referred to such division."

—That section 20 of the Act of June 10, 1922 (Forty-second Statutes, page 632), as amended, be, and the same is hereby, amended by striking out the same and inserting the following in lieu thereof:

" That all officer, warrant officers, and enlisted men of all branches of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard, when by orders of competent authority they are required to participate regularly and frequently in aerial flights, and when in consequence of such orders they do participate in regular and frequent flights as defined by such Executive orders as have heretofore been, or may hereafter be promulgated by the President, shall receive the same increase of their pay and the same allowance for traveling expenses as authorized for the performance of like duties in the Army. Exclusive of the Army Air Corps, and student aviators and qualified aircraft pilots of the Navy, Marine Corps, and Coast Guard, the number of officers of any of the services mentioned in the title of this Act who may be required by competent authority to participate regularly and frequently in aerial flights as defined by such Executive orders as have heretofore been, pr may hereafter be, promulgated by the President shall not at any one time exceed 1 per