The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1860-04-05


For brige and schoonegs 800
Tor less than first CLASS. 1900
When these rites of pay established the United
States had of than eco burthen
m the service, and these side wheel steamers.
Our line OF battle ships, frgates and soops Of war;
with emily two exceptions, sailing vessels, and
each cass was frequently Since 1872 the cha
raccr Of navy has undergone a radical change
Steam for all branches of the service have been
introduced and will continue to DO introduced until veg
ses propelled by wind merely viii be but rarely at all
seen active duty
BY this change cass OF steamers has been intro
Suced into the service and rated frigates much
larger size than the old line Of battle ships other
class rated as sloops Of war; Of greater than the
old sailing frgate. The duty OF purser board these
two classes Of vessels is quite responsible and
rious that formerly performed line OF battle ships
and frigates, though by differently rating the steam
sells the pay Of pursers serving them is greatly
duced. Under the present system the pay Of pur
ser liable to continual change, he passes from
vessel to another for II ia the when the
sels OF different rate. young and untried officer
may and often does through political influence favo
ritsm, place board igae with 81, 900 per
aDnum while old and long tried officer may be kept
by similar Influences, on second class steamer,
brig or schooner, at one half this sum, the
lowest grade Of pay. There several old pureers
the whom has been twenty three years the
service doing duty foreign stations sloops OF
for tard next the lowest grade Of service
psy which only $500 than the leave Of absence
pay allowed the same officers and who may, on their
return be ordered under the law, 70 bgs schooners
leave Of absence pay This fact shows clearly the great
injustice Of the law as now stands, and the marked iu
consistency Of some Of its provisions This continual
vacaten from extreme TO the other makes Il impos
sble for officers OF this class TO make any certain
mary calculations for the future based upon the
sRAion they are 70 receive
AZ ,he class and character of the vessels upon which
The compensation of pursers was made TO depend have
been greatly chsDged since the passage OF the law OF
1642, q change Of the basis upon which their pay
regulated to be actually necessary to meet
and conform the changed condition Of the service II
the rate Of vessels just rule by which to
gulate the pay class of officers before the introduce
easily agree the rate each vessel should take its jus
tce symmetry have been set aside by the general
asuse of the cass Of vessels which formed the founda
NON upon which the system Of compensation was made to
rest
~ meet the difficulty, and to provide remedy there
1g your committee recommend that length OF SERVICE
rate Of vessels be hereafter made the
principle upon which the pay Of this class OF officers
shall be established This principle Of length Of service
and tried experience the one now regulating the COM
pensaon Of both army and navy officers, with this single
exception, and your committee Why it
should be applied 10 pursers in the naval service as
well as TO other officers
20 the government The amen iment which your commit
and recommend has been drawn 10 keep
he groes to be annually paid TO according to
little below the annual average sum paid the same OIL
the Ia yearsfr0m 1853 TO 1859 inclusive
under the laws regulating their pay This will clear
b appear by examination Of the following statement
sent the committee by Mr. A. j. 08annon fourth Auditor
Of the Treasury in TO the mode Of payment sub
mited 10 him by your committee for examination, with
request that he would compare with the annual average
70 pursers on sea duty for the last years.
and report your committee the result OF such exana
tom
TREASURY DEPARTMENT
Tor Avpvr pt Gupvfu NJ