The evening times., 1899-11-08
ARMY OFFICERS MlLGisGGgI
Uncertainty Of the Present System
Causes Complaint.
Paymaster Genefal Bates Making an
Effort to Adjust the Matter-TrOu-
ble Caused by the Land Grant
Railroad Rates-Important SuEges-
tIons I'm an Effort to Aid Reforms.
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Since the outbreak OF the war with Spain
the system of mileage payments to army
officers engaged in the public service has
been source of general dissatisfaction,
not only to the officers themselves. but to
the army paymasters. whose duty i has
been to adjust and settle mileage Claims.
The land grant railroads, which give free
Transportation to- Government. servants,
have been the source OF the dificulty, and
it is almost impossible for paymasters to
find out the rate of fare charged by SUCH
roads to the general public. and are thus
handicapped in determining how mucn 10
be deducted from the cents per mi
granted all army officers travelling on Gov
ernment business. Many claims have. been
held up on this account much to the dis
gust of the officers, who have not-faiied
to express strong dissatisfaction.
So loud have been their complaints that
Paymaster General Bates of the army mas
taken cognizance of the matter, and In
his annual report to the Secretary OF War
given out for publication yesterday, ne
says in regard to the matter:
General Stanton said. in his report Tor
the fiscal year 1898:
The question of mileage has been quite
satisfactorily and equitably settled by the
allowance of cents per mile for trans
portation, and much labor and expense
saved by this fixed allowance. There are.
however. two recommendations that l
would suggest:
'First-Under the present law-it is al
most impossible for paymasters to ascer-
tain the cost of fare paid by the general
public over bond-aided- and lapd-gra ant
railroads. and 1t is suggested that a uni
form rate Of 3 cents per mile be adopted
as the amount to be deducted by the pay
master for travel over any OF the aided
roads involved or when transportation mas
been furnished in kind by the Quartermas-
ter's Department ,s..-'.. -Er,~
.Second-Under the law the Pay De-
partment is directed to make the payments
for mileage for travel performed The Ar
my Regulations, paragraph 141O, provide
that the Paymaster General shall prepare
(under direction of the Secretary of War;
lists of distances. and in accordance there
with mileage will be computed. no matter
by what route the travel may have been
performed, etc.
In settling the mileage accounts OF
paymasters by the accounting off1cer OF the
Treasury, differences often occur in the
matter of distances. occasioned by the au-
ditor computing the distance over dlnerent
routes than those used in making up the
tables by the Pay Department would
recommend that as the tables OF distances
prepared by the Pay Department are the
tables by which payments are made. they
should also be adopted as the authority for
the settling of accounts, and be so recog-
nized by law.
This meets with my cordial approval.
and to which l wish to add that the Comp
troller, by the Interpretation OF so-cailed
agreement roads with the bond aided
free roads, etc, has caused confusion
in the calculation of mileage due oncers'
which the paynasters are unable 10 cor
rect, leading TO numerous suspensions
which must ultimately be charged to them
unless the accounting officers will return
to their former rules. This but emphasizes
what General Stanton has said in regard
to the distance tables. desire also to call
attention to the recommendation for a uni
form rate of 3 cents mile where deduc-
tions are made over land grant and bond
aided roads.
ITO illustrate the difficulties and injus-
tice arising in the administration OF the
law under the present ruling OF the Comp
troller. I submit the following example:
The shortest usually travelled route be-
tween Atlanta, Ga, and San FRANCISCO
Cal, is 1850 milse, of which $40 miles is
over bond aided free or so per cent land
grant railroad An officer travelling on Of
fetal business and without troops from At
lanta, Ga, to San Francisco,
Cal would be required, IL
strictly complying with the mile
age law. to purchase a ticket from Atlanta,
Ga. to Birmingham. Ala. 16D miles; use
Government transportation from Birming-
ham. Ala. to Jackson. Miss. t2is miles);
purchase a ticket from Jackson, Miss, to
Delta, La GAG niles; use Government
from Delta. La, to Waskom,
Tex. u91 niles; purchase ticket from
Waskom Tex. to Yuma, Ariz. Q,367
miIes): use Government transportation
from Yuma, Ariz.. to Goshen, Ariz t490
milesl; purchase a ticket from Goshen,
Ariz, to Lathrop, Cal. 141 miles): use
Government transportation from Lathrop.
Cal. to Tracy, Cal. 11 miles,; and then
purchase ticket from Tracy to San Fran
CISCO Cal ts3 miles).' - ,-
"In making the reduction for the trans
portation furnished. the paymaster will be
to deduct full local rates of fare
between the points furnished. while the
are settled with for the trans
portation furnished on the basis OF through
rates only. For example. Inc through
rate OF fare from Kansas City, Mo-. to San
Diego, CAL. is fraction over &c cents a
mile. but an officer travelling over the At
Iantic and Pacific Railroad Ia part of said
route) is charged with cents per mile
for the land-grant poktions while the rail-
road company receives so per cent of &c
cents per mile (the through rate) or 1.3
cents per mile for the same, transporta-
tion."
With reference to the system of pay
ment General Bates says:
During the past year all payments to
the army have been made monthly. except
to troops serving in the Philippines. Pre-
vious to the declaration Of war these pay
ments were made by check or in currency.
by express. After the organization Of the
volunteer force it was found impractieable
10 pay by the aforementioned method the
forces in the field. and they havesbeen paid
by the paymasters in person. The system
Of payment by sending money by express
Is approved whenever, in the judgment Of
the chief paymaster and the general COM
handing the department, it ID applicable"
Cast His Vote and Died.
NEW YORK, Noy. .8--A. minute after
Frank Frame had cast his ballot in the
nolling place af No 7e Boerum Street Will