The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1898-11-17
WHAT AN ARMY CORPS COSTS.
TO MAINTAIN THE SEVENTH TAKES
MORE THAN $4,000 A DAY.


the Seventh COrps-Heavy Ex-
penses in the Quartermaster's De-
partment and for Ordnance Sup
pIies-Other Detailed Expenses.
People generally have a very vague idea
of the tremendous expense involved In
maintaining an army corps. 1t is practi-
cally impossible TO get an accurate state
ment of such cost, because of the fact that
the money spent goes through so many
channels, and because of the variation
brought about by the constantly changing
status Of such a large body of troops.
Inquiry among the dsbursing officers of
the Seventh Army Corps, and the depot
commissary and quartermaster stationed
here independent of the corps, but through
whom large quantities of supplies are dis
tributed, leads to the conclusion that the
cost to the government for maintaining
Gen. Lees corps of nearly 1900 men is no
less than 100000 a month, or $l2,OOO,0Oo
in the course of a year. What must it
have been. therefore, when this corps, first
/ stationed at Jacksonville, comprised $1,000
men, an army larger than the entire regu-
lar army of the United States in time of
| peace?
| To reduce these figures to a conceivable
| basis it may be said that it costs to run
the corps from $4,000 to $4,000 a day. or
a comparatively comfortable fortune every
twenty-four hours. The largest item of
most Of which goes to them directly in
cash. It costs about $25 coo to pay a regi-
ment, and there are twelve of them here
| besides a couple of independent battaions
! With the pay of corps, division, brigade
and other officers necessary to keep the
machinery of such a corps in motion, and
! their mileage, ii may be conservatively
| stated that the monthly pay roll of Gen.
| Lees corps is no less than $685., 900.
! Next in Importance, if not equally So
| comes the depot commissary's disburse-
ments Maj George w. Ruthers, depot
! commissary here, conservatively estimates
| that through his department alone il costs
the government $4,000 a day to feed the
| Seventh Army Corps. The actual whole
| sale value of the provisions issued as a
/ days rations to the troops is nearly $1,000
| 1t costs $1,000 a day to supply the corps
| hospitals, and Mai. Ruthers has been pay
| ing out an average of $500 day for COM
| mutation Of rations. In the month of
| september MAJ ttutuGfS pau out 9tl,UUU
| to the Armour Packing Company for
| fresh meat alone. The items of onions and
! potatoes for the corps for the same month
cost $4,000, and Ice $1,000. Maj. Ruthers
! paid the hospitals in Jacksonville over
! $4,000 a month in cash. He pays Out on
! the contracts he makes for supplies from
/ 500, 900 to $2000 month. In the three
months. August, September and October,
he paid out more than 1894 900 in cash for
supplies, Communication of rations and for
other necessary details. The employees i'm
his department alone cost the government
| s., 900 a month.
The foregoing figures from the commits
sary department do not include cost of
! transportation, which is always paid by
| the government, and for which the troops
are never charged. Neither do they refer
10 the large amounts of staple supplies.
such as -four, meal and canned goods for
| which contracts are made in Washington,
! and for which the depot commissary
! draws on the contractor.
| Next in order comes the quartermaster's
| department in which it is much more diff
| ficult to get at the cost of supplies for the
corps, owing to wide variations in their
| character. There are $500 mules and 20
! horse in the corps to be fed. There Is all
sorts of transportation to be provided.
| There are clothing, tents and other equip
| ment to be furnished the men. There are
! 600 to 800 civil employees, such as clerks,
wagon drivers and laborers to be paid
every month. There one 600 army wagons.
| ambulances, doritys, and any amount OF
| other equipment to be kept on the rolls.
! Col Geo E. Pond, quartermaster of the
corps says he pays out anywhere from
100000 to 5000, coo a month in cash for sup
| plies, communication salaries, wages and
! other things in this department. Besides
| this he issues from $4,000 10 100000 worth
of supplies a month which come directly
from the government contractors. The
quartermaster's department issues and
pays out on account of the corps there
fore more than 100000 month, perhaps
nearer $3.50, coo.
It is not possible to bring to the same
basis the expense in the ordnance depart
ment The chances are that it will cost
| from $500 900 to 900 10 arm the corps
with the new United States or Karg-Jer-
gensen rifles. and the necessary equip
ment for them, besides which large guam
titles of ammunition have to be furnished
OF course this equipment is kept In good
order the year round, but there is never
theless a regular monthly expense of sew
eral thousand dollars attached to the ord
nance department
In the foregoing figures the transporta-
ton of the corps as a whole from point
to point has not been considered. Thous-
andS more are spent Oh WIS every tlAlS Tire
oorps moves. There are expenses also for
hospital supplies, which are secured other
wise than through the commissary depart
ment. The monthly bill for kilograms is
enormous, and printing and stationery Is
no small item. Some of these items are
looked after by the quartermaster, it is
true, but they serve to show the detail
of large expenses attached to such a corps.
1t may be gathered from these figures
and statements that the expense of main
tanning the Seventh Army Corps of 1900
men is easily between 100000 and 81, 100000
every month or $4,000 to $S5, 900 day. The
government is now supporting five army
corps, the First, Second, Fourth Seventh
and Eighth, some Of which are larger by
many men than the Seventh here written
about.
HAWAII NO IILONDIKE.
No FIafferfuR Inducements Held Ont