The record-union., 1898-11-12
PAY DEPARTMENT OF THE navy.
PLAYED AN IMPORTANT PART
IN THE WAR.
Was Well Supplied With All Nee.
essary Stores to Meet ALI
Demands.

WASHINGTON. Nov. lin an un-
ostentatlouS way the Pay Department
OF the navy played a most important
part IN the war. as appears from the
annual report of PaymaSter General
Edwin Stewart. Aside from the mere
disbursement of funds in wages and
salaries, the Pay Department is
charged with the procurement of all
supplies for the navy
The Paymaster General saws that the
outbreak of hostilities found the Supply
Department of the navy organized
under system that for more than eight
years had been in process of thought
ful and painstaking development. Later
the strain OF the war was met easily
During the period of active operations
193 vessels were furnished and kept
supplied with all necessary stores A
base of supplies was established at Kew
West early in March, and stores for
S,OO0 men for three months were kent
on hand. Supplies for 1900 men at
Mare Island. for 1000 at Norfolk and
for 5000 at New York were also ac-
cEmulated.
Before the outbreak of the war, early
in April, Admiral Dewey was directed
to buy the collier Nanshan and the
supply ship Zafro, the later loaded
with provisions, so that when the war
broke out the Asiatic squadron was in
possession of five months supplies.
Early in May the Pekin was dispatched
from San Francisco with three months
additional supplies. A week after her
purchase. on May 7th, the refrigerating
steamer Supply sailed for Cuba, loaded
with fresh meat, fruit, ice and other
supplies. The Celtic and Glacier were
also purchased. and sailed to supply
the soldiers with meat and vegetables.
Dewey's fleet was not forgotten, for a
steamer was started in June to. join
him with a million and a quarter
pounds of fresh food
In the matter of supplying clothing,
too, the bureau did some excellent work
being obliged to supply over one mill
ION garments to meet the needs of the
naval militia and the revenue and
lighthouse services, which had been
transferred to the navy. Notwith-
standing the haste. the supplies secured
were the best of their kind, while the
prices paid We're in most cases 10
| higher and in many cases lower than
before the commencement of hostili-
ties
During the past fiscal year the total
expenditures for additions to the navy
We're SD, 1S2,326 of which amount
Si,O4l,0oS was paid on account of con-
struction of new ships. Repairs for
ships cost S3.923, 1893, and the mainte-
nance of ships. including salaries and
rations. cost S11 063. 1893.
The Paymaster General makes quite
an argument to demonstrate that the
premptness and economy with which
supplies Were secured in the rush Incl
dent 10 the war were largely due to the
naval supply fund. which enabled the
bureau to carry large line of articles
in stock
OF the navy yards, he said that all
the available space in the principal
yards is now overcrowded. and that uu-
less additional storehouses are pro-
yided the supply demand will he
greatly hampered. To meet immediate
requirements he recommends that the
pay corps be increased at once by ten
Passed Assistant Paymasters and fif-
teen assistants. while with this it will
be necessary in the future to add forty
nine to the corps.