The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1898-08-17

volunteer paJ master gets The worst of
it all round.
The retired list which new paymss-
tiers are required to wrestle with in the
pay masters Office in this city con-
prises the accounts of 400 officers and
men who have been retired from the
service, but who are drawing three
quarters pay. These payments are
made once each month under an intri-
cate system of bookkeeping. 1t ia 80
complicated that no business man OF
to-day would think of applying it to his
own business.
The retired officers and men are paid
on the first day of each month. Those
residing in New York receive their pay
in currency at the psymaster's office,
while those residing outside the city
are paid by check. The New York pay
department is under the control Lieut.
Col. Wilson, who ranks next to Pay
master-General Stanton. Under him
at the present time are two regular
army paymasters and three emergency
or volunteer paymasters, all ranking as
majors. AS in the army proper, there
is nothing done in the pay department
without orders, and the soldier who
becomes impatient at not receiving his
pay at the anticipated time should not
blame the paymaster. 1t may be that
he has not received his orders.
The First New York Volunteers were
paid off recently by Major Fowler at
Fort Hamilton, and the method of pro-
cedure will serve to illustrate all pay
ments in the field. On the rolls fur
nished by the company commanders an
estimate OF the amount due each man,
less fines, was made by the paymaster,
and the latter, with his clerk, vent to
the camp with sufficient currency to
pay eff. At Fort Hamilton, the place
selected for paying the troops, was the
ball of the local lodge of Good Tenn
plars. Each company was lined up,
one at time, in front of the paymas-
ter's desk, and as his name was called
out each man stepped forward and re.
ceived his money.
First comes the captain, who receives
$3.50; then the first lieutenant, who
takes 1925. The second lieutenant
walks off with $116.67, and then fol.
low the non. commissioned officers, be.
ginning with the first sergeant, whose
compensation is $50 a month. After
the non-commissioned Ulcers come the
privates, who receive $3.50 month
instead of S13 a month, as formerly
In fact, in all the salaries of non-com
missioned officers and privates there
has been uniform increase of twenty
per cent.
When an entire regiment is paid of
it is done from what is known as the
roll of the field, staff and band, contain
ing the names of the brigade or regi
mental field officers. These officers are
paid by the paymaster in the same man
ner that other payments are made, but
the amounts are much larger, the briga
dier-general receiving S456.S3 a month
colonel, S29167; lieutenant.colone
$3.50, and major, $208.33. Regimenta
quartermaster and regimental adjutant'
receive $3.50, while the regimenta
chaplain's pay is 1925 month.
Commissioned officers may draw thei
salaries from any paymaster, and it il
not infrequent that accounts are dupli
Gated. In such cases there is trouble
in store for the officer. Paymasters
although they handle large sums o
money, are only under $4,000 bonds
lucy are ItSpOuSlUie lOl JIG aCCuI dC.
of their accounts, and the overpaymen
of money to soldiers is loss to the pay
master. The Government check W
every item in the pay rolls, and ever,
error in payment is charged back to tn
paymaster. The possibility of error i
a constant worry to the volunteer pay
masters, who are unfamiliar with tn
work and who are largely dependen
upon their clerks.
For this responsibility their com
pensation is S208 a month. Were i
not for the gold shoulder straps anC
the rank of major which goes will
the officer, there are few paymasters il
the volunteer service who would acce p
the place. There are among the volun
teer paymasters some whose income
from their private business exec ede,
that of their salary, but whose age dis
qualified them for army service, VIII
have joined the pay department tina
they might acquire military title
Such of these paymasters as have beef
assigned TO the department of the Eas
are fast realizing that they are payin
dear for their titles.-New York Sun