Evening star., 1896-11-16
THE PAY .DEPARTME MEN7
Annual Report of the Paymaster General of
the United States Army.
An Increase I'm the Number of Majors
Recommended-A Question as to
An OMcer's Responsibility.

Gen. T. H. Stanton, paymaster general OF
the army, in his annual report to the Sec
1etary CT Wer, recommends an increase OF
five in the number Of majors in that de-
partment in order that emergencies, liable
to occur at any time, may be provided for
The expenditures Of the pay department
during the past fiscal year were $755,52'
greater than during the preceding year
due principally to new legislation increasing
the pay of enlisted men. etc. The decrease
of expenditures ON account Of pay of volun.
teers is quite marked. and indicates tina,
claims of this. character are growing less
in numt er.
Military Posts.
All military posts in the United States
including arsensls and recruiting and other
detachments, are now paid monthly. O1
the IS military posts. q have been paid by
the paymaster in person and 63 have beer
paid by check or funds shipped by express
OF the IL arsenals, 3 have been paid ir
person and IA have been paid by check
This is the first year in, which payments
to all the military posts In the country
have boon made monthly. General Stanton
says the payments have been made prompt
ly and with the accuracy of well-tra:neo
and experienced disbursing officers.
The number Of individual payments made
during the year was 3Bl 800. of which 31S,
SO were to enlisted men and 1895 were tC
officers of the army: These payments in
volved the drawing of SO, 400 official checks
and, in addition to payments made In per
son since December 1. 1916. the counting
placing In envelopes, packing and shipping
ly express of nearly $1,1UAoU.
-Es'e Qucstien of Responsibility.
I'm this connection" says Gen. Stanton,
II feel constrained to remark that under
the law and regulations requiring payment
to be made by check or by currency sent
by express at the risk. and expense of the
United States 1t. ia not elearly defined
where the responsibility of the paymaster
or the government begins and ends. 1t 's
believed to be the intention of the Law
shall continue until money shipped by the
paymaster shall have passed all interme-
diaries and safely reached the hands OF
the colder. 1t certainly iconld not have
been the intention to fhtsspose several
other parties between the pAymaster and
the payee. after the funds h&d left the Gus
tody of the express company. and still
hold the paymaster responsible should TIE
funds disappear.
Errors are liable to occur in the ac-
counts of all disbursing officers. however
honest and faithful they may be- and II
such be the case with al corps of highly
trained officers. such as, constitutes the
pay corps, how much more likely are er.
rors to occur with officers inexperienced
In the disbursement of money 1t is hoped
some measure may be devised by iegisla-
tien or otherwise by which payrnasters--
bonded officers of a staff DEPARTMENT which
disburses nearly GO per cent of the entire
amount appropriated for" the support OF
the arniy-ehall not be required to tur1
ovec to neh-bonded line officers for dis.
trtbution In addition to the legitimate du.
ties of their profession. nearly 30 per cen,
of the amount appropriated for the pay
ment OF enlisted men of the army"