The Dalles daily chronicle. [volume] (The Dalles, Or.) 1890-1948, 1899-01-04
PAYING THE TROOPS.
Complicated Task Which Volunteer
Paymasters Perform.
The Routine of Remunerating Uncle
Sans Soldiers and the Amounts
They Recefve-Paying Dear
for Titles.

Since the declaration OF war with
Spain the war department has added
20 paymasters and twice as many
clerks, under the emergency act pro-
viding for an increase: The work re-
9uired is almost wholly that of expert
accountants. Especially is this true
of the department of the cast, 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
n green paymaster. Whether he un-
derstands the work or not, he has to
do the same amount as is given to a
paymaster who has been in the service
20 years. In fact, there is 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
tricate system of bookkeeping. It is
50 I1ldG nO 41dA
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 paymaster's
office, while those residing outside the
city are paid by check. The New York
pay department. is under the control
= III L.
70 Paymaster General Stanton. I'm
der him at the present time are two
regular army paymasters, all ranking
majors. As in the army proper,
there is nothing done in the ray de-
partment without orders, and the sol
dier who becomes impatient at not re-
ceiving 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 Maj. Fowler at
Fort Hamilton, and the method of
procedure will 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
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 time, in front of
the pavmaster's desk, and as his 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 $125. The second lieuten-
ant walks off with S116.67, and then fol-
low the noncommissioned officers, be-
ginning with the first sergeant, whose
compensation is $50 a month. After
the noncommissioned officers come
| the privates, who receive $3.50 a
month instead of $13 month, as for
merly. In fact, IN all the salaries of
noncommissionedI officers and privates
| there has been a uniform increase, of
20 per cent.
When an entire regiment is paid off it
is done from what is known as the roll
of the field, staff and band, containing
the-n names of the brigade or regiment
al field officers. These officers are paid
by the paymaster in the same manner
that other payments are made, but the
! amounts are much larger, the briga-
dier general receiving $45S.s3 month !;
colonel, $291.67; lieutenant colonel,
$3.50, and major, $2Os.33. Regimental
quartermaster and regimental ad-
jutants receive $3.50, while the regi-
mental chaplain's pay is $125 month.
Commissioned officers may draw
their salaries from any paymaster,
tand it is not infrequent that accounts
4 are duplicated. In such cases there is
I trouble in store for the officer. Pay
masters, although they handle large
sums of money, are only under SIC, ,OOO
bonds. They are responsible for the
accuracy OF their accounts, and the
oyerpay of money to soldiers is a
loss to the raymaster. The govern
ment checks un every item in the pay
rolls, and every error in payment is
charged back to the paymaster. The
possibility of error is a 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 S2oS month. Were 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
8 unteer paymasters some whose in
! comes from their private business ex-
/ ceeded, that of their salary, but whose
lage disqualified them for army serv.