The Winslow mail., 1898-12-10
PAYING THE TROOPS.
Complicated Task Which Volunteer
Paymasters Perform.
The Routine OF Remunerating Uncle
Sans Soldiers and the Amounts
They acknowledging Dear
for Titles

ter with his gripsack full of money
Since the declaration of war with
Spain the war department has added
40 paymasters and twice as many
clerks, under the emergency act pro-
wiling for an increase. The work re
qdired is almost wholly that of expert
accountants. Especially is this true
OF the department of the east, in New
York city, where, in addition to keep
ing the accounts of the volunteers in
this vicinity, the paymasters are
obliged to take care of the accounts
of regulars and retired officers and
soldiers. There is no mercy shown to
Il sgFeen paymaster. Whether he un-
derstands the work or not, he has to
do the same amount as is given to a
paymasteFswllo has been in the service
20-years. In fact, there rs a growing
suspicion that the volunteer paymas-
ter gets the worst of it all round.
The. retired list which new paymas-
ters are required to wrestle with in the
paymaster's Office in this city COM
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 in
tficate system of bookkeeping. 1t is
so complicated that no business man
of f-to-day would think of applying it
TO his own business.
The retired officers andmen are paid
on the first day of each month. Those
residing in New York receive their
pay. in. currency at the paymaster's
Office, while those residing outside the
city are paid by check. The New York
pay department. is under the control
of Lieut.. Col. Wilson, who ranks next
10 Paymaster General Stanton. In
der him at the present time are two
regular army paymasters, all ranking
as majors. AS in the army proper,
there is nothing done in the pay de-
partment without orders, and the sol
der who becomes impatient at not re-
eeiVing his pay at the anticipated time
should not blame the paynaster. 1t
may be that he has not received his
orders. - f
The First New York volunteers were
paid of recently by Mai. Fowler at
Fort Hamilton, and the method of
procedure viii serve to illustrate all
payments in The field. On the rolls
furnished by the company command
ers an. estimate of the amount due
each man, less fines, was made by the
paymaster, and the latter, with his
clerk, went to the camp with sufficient
currency to pay off. At Fort Hamil-
ton the place selected for paying the
troops was the hall of the local lodge
of Good Templars. Each company
was lined up. one at a time, in front of
the pavmaster's desk, and as bis name
was called out each man stepped for
ward and received his money.
First comes the captain, who re-
ceives $3.50; then the first lieutenant.
who takes 1928. The second Heuten-
ant walks off with S116.67, and then fol-
low, the noncolaInissionedo officers, be-
ginning with tie first sergeant, whose
compensation is $50 month. After
the noncommissioned officers come
the ,privates, who receive $15.60 a
month instead Of S13 a month, as for.
merly. In fact. in all the salaries of
noncommissioned officers and privates
there has been a uniform increase of
90 per cent.
fWfen an entire regiment is paid off it
is done from what is known as the roll
of the field, staff and band, containing
the names of the brigade or regiment
al field officers. These officers are paid
L.
that other payments are made, but the
anouRts are much larger, the briga-
disr general receiving $456.83 a month;
colonel, f$29167; lieutenant colonel,
$3.50, and major, S208.33. Regimental
Quartermaster and regimental ad-
jgtnnts receive $3.50, while the regi-
mental chaplain's pay is 1925 month.
Commissioned officers may draw
their salaries from any paymaster,
ard it is not infrequent that accounts
are duplicated. In such cases there is
trouble in store for the officer. Pay
masters, although they handle large
sums of money, are only under $4,000
bonds. They are responsible for the
accuracy of their accounts, and the
O'NA He-f VI " Is ii
loss to the paymaster. The govern
ment checks up every item in the pay
rolls, and every error in payment is
charged back TO the paymaster. The
possibility of error is constant worry
to the volunteer paymasters. who are
Unfamiliar with the work and who are
largely dependent upon their clerks.
For this responsibility their COM
pensation is $20S month. We're it not
for the gold shoulder straps and the
rank of major which goes with the Of
fee. there are few paymasters in the
volunteer service who would accept
the place. There are among the vol
unteer paymasters some whose in
comes from their private business ex-
ceeded that of their salary, but whose
age disqualified them for army serv-
ice, who have joined the pay DEPART
ment that they might acquire mill
tary title. Such of these paymasters
as- have been assigned to the depart
raent of the east are fast realizing that
they are paying dear for their titles
n. Y. Sun.
r--.Ias Concrete ETecnncss.
Mr.. Spinkum-Ah, this reminds me