New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1875-12-07
THE ARMY.

HAsrER-GENERAL-
trnoM REGUIAR CORRESPONDENT OP THE TRIBUSHJ
WASHINGTON, Dec. GA portion Of the report Oh
the Secretary of War, in relation to the work done
by the Engineer Corps, was made public and was
published in TuE TRIBUNE of to-day. Below Will he
found more extracts from his report containing the
most important recommendations made in IT
MR. PRESIDENT: am gratifed 10 be able TO state that
snce my last annual report marked impIo ms
taken place In the morale OF the service Inc aImS
now reduced "a % 900 Recruiting was resumed IN
November, 1874, for the purpose OF Keeping uP tne
standard number and under careful system ln we 80
lection OF the class of recruits now M
Of surerlor qualify Tue nHo Sp o es thnp during
the previous year. while the number OF IS.' ~
men's has increased nearly uIreioId' iur at meas
coutentmout thus shown is due III sI tn,ibd
ure to the excellent system OF pay esIahn s1
which now graduated by length Of service ana anotds
III soldier an opportunity 10 deposit his savings WIN the
Government aud receive Interest Tor me SUN , o
tnd of his term The desertiOns for TIE hsc year
ending June 30 1874, 4606; OF rec ismens wy;
the number Of Sergsns lceIstod, l49 Ire desciuons
enlismept aSS sergeants re6nlisted 347. No better
evidence be furnished Of the improved CONDITION OF e
During the past lO2 signal stations nave been
maintained TO I'm the system OF stations OF onse suoh
from heh necessary to cnnhle warning to
be- gwen the APP roach and force OF storms ana OF oh
IN, teonc changes for the benefit OF Ho
commercial interests. series of dairy iecEIaphu
reports from stations in the West Indies eXlenhe io
Cuba, by Jamaica, 10 Barbados and the MlnSMaid i
Islau,is has been arranged for. Inc Chei slShai
Officer makes elaborate statenent accompanied ny
strong 20 form ' one Of the BurtaHs Of
the War Department Frequently III prlNale con-
yersaon le has urged this and from ear to year
las brought IL TO the attention of the Department.
have hesitatcd hitherto u make any Recommendation
that would increase the number OF bureaus ID te DEPART
ment but the reat extent the duties now devovmg
upOn tins branch Of the service the advantage ~ mas
been 10 tie country, the progress that II mas aee ~
scientific knowledge aud che great favor with when Tue
results It's eJrGs have been received 10y tue people OF
the country commend this recommends ION ol Tue
Chief Signal officer 10 my attention. for when reasons
am induced Ia mention it, especially at tels time
the Paymas'er Genelals REPORT con,aiis d ~
statement of the advantages and disadvantages "i
10, ent legislation abolsLng the mileage system ana
substituting that OF actual expenses litfiol, , va
tion has satisfied those officers of this Department III
recty charged with the examination OF TINS character OF
accounts That, wnlle IN tLe segrSsate pay i.s d Y
count expenses fall short OF what would Dethe
sum OF mileage allowances for the same Journey the
pecunary advantages only apparent and not always
real the time occupied In the eHalnnatioh OF Tue
numerous items OF expenditure VIII alon' enter Io SeS
into the calculation OF how much money saved To me
Government by that system Mileage charges are easily
computed quickly paid. and readily scrdtlnizod; ana
mileage vance. therefore, forms ,he most convenient
system reimbursement OF travelling expenses.
The experience of officers Will sustain me state
meut that, on average OF the whole period
service Of in public he, 1t is no more han fcll
bursemeut and uniform It's operations upon all The
PaymasteTenerl states III ms report thdI inc lan0r 10
the officer Ia ptymascr 10 the pay and the Treas
ury Departments, in the preparation, payment. aud
scrutiny vouchers Tor traVchug expenses, Is nun
died told than i'll tEc case OF mileage vouchers fO
Il reason that each item has Ia be specially act forth
and separately serutiliIed. Inc statement OF Items
sometimes two and even three PAGES OF fooitoa
whereas mileage voucher for the same journey would
have involved constellation and treatment Of bat a
has shown that the authorities have invariably been
obliged, or LATER, 10 dispense win HeihSed ae-
counts aud arbitrarily fix measure OF actual expenses
On the bass Of time or distance winch Is pr.Iueiy d
supplied with new Iiies and eiubihtS ealiber 40 ana
have in store reserve supply OF these arms OF
10000.
recent iucur OF the reservation Sioux into Northern
Nebraska mostly to steal cattle ana horses from farms
along Pacific Railroad and north OF 1t; - The severe
and srluOus Winter campaign against the KiOwa, Chey
P,as which resulted their disarmament and suffice
ton to authority and 10 the theyinE mcursGns 81
nayn
on the Lower RIO Grande. campaign against the
predatory ndaps last leerrs Gle 10 IL now ovs nEU
General of the Department of Texas contains detailed
information concerning ghe dhicu ties WGicn nave
created such excitement the Lower Rio Grlde where
some the most prominent officers ana wealthy mer
chants that part OF Mexico appear 10 be regularly eJ
RACED in fitting out parties 10 punder the stock ranches
on this size Oi tue river.
Tue sexual expenditures Of The Var w. ,i nsGPart
S SeSa i'''i ,32esl4 II
So sS5 4l277S75 20
Showing reduction Of. sl04A0S9 43
The estimates for the military es,abhshmentfOr
are Me ensuing 10 s33 4j2Se6 30
i: sS ISIS. 'S 4ssa69 80
Beng AL increase oi.................. s968427 90
ire t. s2s 727 4O7 90
The excess OF the amount of the estimates Tor the ell
suing year tie appropriation for the current
t.csI wear arises from the fact that experience has
thc dem the service The appropriations oil tine
and departments, based as they are Oh
tne actual number OF men to be pud aud sunsise' arg
bly, below the sums actually required The bdsis OF
calculation Tor the pay ami subsistence of the army must
lcs Tlly Dc that Ut the maximum number OF soldiers
aud officers allowed by law. Good progress hts
been made during year In the PREPARATION Ol tie
offcal the of The Rebellion, bOth III the
Federal ana Confederate branches have placed the
general supervision Of the compilation OF these records
IN Tie char the chef clerk Of the Department Who
under my dircctiOD, has or ized an chccnt force OF
assistants selected from those clerks who are best ac
nuainted with the arrangement OF the Official papers Oh
Land and who we'll adapted W the ~OIk Tor the p-
pcs. o. experience with department and amy records
1hc amount al research and investigation winch are
required any pcrceIOle progress appears very
great Owing pressure OF affairs during the wal
the ned records kept in hurried ana sometimes
crude and careless manner and wien turned III 10 TIC
Department were often m chaotic cOl0luOu ~ tit
the labor OF their arrangement, winch Il now under
taken naturally slow and tedious. III II naIy ncCTs
ey to state that IN the compilation no document IN the
pOssssOn Uf the Wal Department VIII bc omitted which
wil throw hight upon tie events OF the late wir or DC
valuable future history and may add, IN respect TO
what shall be included and what the order Il that II
better enDOdy muoh tnap too ltue beg mere
suggest Dei,I tlcn cu furnish no more
than IT. records afford, and that for complete lis
tory tc cords almost every Otuer DepertDent VIII
uetd 10 be consulted and 10 this end the attention u
Congress is invited 10 this part of the subject