Evening star., 1900-08-01
AUDITOR BROWNS REPORT
EARNEST PLEA FOR RECLASsIFICA-
TION OF CLERKS.
Increased Labor EntaiIed on His
Force, to Whom Too Low
Salaries Are Paid.

w. w. Brown. auditor for the Navy De-
partment, has sent to Secretary Gage his
annual report. 1t shows the operations of
his office for the last fiscal year to have
been most successful with the force at his
command Mr. Brown complains with
much emphasis that his office is poorly
furnished with clerks and that the em-
ployes under him are the worst paid in the
Treasury Department In ths respect the
report will be of general interest to depart
ment employees. -
Mr.. Brown says that the continued en-
largement of the navy and, marine corps
and their extraordinary activity in remote
foreign waters caused the S2blume of busi-
ness in his office to be greater than ever
before. The number of accounts and claims
settled during the YEAR were II 6s4; vouch-
ers examined, 147,4afs amounts allowed
SG1.9Il 0G1 Mr. Brown says:
With the same number of clerks as dur
ing the former fiscal year, there We're set
tied 11.GS4 accounts asc against S.132 in the
previous fiscal year In the same period
there We're examined 141.4i6 vouchers as
against $4,000 in the previous fiscal year;
while the amounts allowed were sci .971, 600
against SJO,991. Al for 1he fiscal year 1888
This shows an increase of more than 40
per cent in claims and accounts settled; ;
nearly 80 per cent in vouchers examined
and more than S1oOO0.e0o in allowances dur
ing 1900 over that of 1S!)9
The report states that the distribution OF
prize money and bounty for the destruction
of the enemy's vessels accrung during the
war with Spain is still delayed awaiting
action by the courts. The office has pre-
pared the list for the distribution of sixteen
prizes, in which twenty-four vessels of the
navy are interested.
Wants Better Pay for Clerks.
Auditor Brown next takes up the question
of better pay for his clerks and employees
He says: "On taking charge of this office a
year ago l found condition that calls for
an early remedy If the clerical force is to
be kept up to the standard of ability and
efficiency required by the difficult and re-
sponsibe character of the work and the
quantity of 1t to be done. For many years
no effort seems to have been made to pro-
tect the salaries of the clerks or to hold
the compensation and classification of the
once up TO the standard generally eStab-
hshed throughout the department. BY de-
grees the higher grades have been depleted
and the lower grades increased until this is
the poorest paid and the worst classified
auditors office in the department. In the
lower grades are clerks who perform du-
ties OF the most valuable and responsible
character, such as would elsewhere be COM
pensated with $1,000 or S1.S0O per annum,
who have been long time in their present
grades and still have no visible prospect of
promotion. l have been tmportuned to
give them promotions and, this being i'm
possible, l am menaced all the time with
the loss of the most desirable of them by
reason of their seeking transfers to Offices
them
rewards
THE low salaries at the entering grades
and the poor prospects of slow advance
ment make it difficult to secure the proper
class of employees to keep them when
they have found out how they are situated
In total force of forty permanent clerks
below the grade of chief of division l have
twelve who receive less than $3.50 per
annum. which is more than twice the num-
Der should have. The office does not have
enough low-grade work. such copying,
recording, issuing circulars, etc, for more
than five such clerks and five such places
VIII alord Su1hcient opportunity for the re-
ceptlon of new clerks and their training
until they will be qualified for higher work
and better pay.
1T is impossible to keep from my meri-
torlouS poorly paid clerks a knowledge that
elsewhere in the department they will be
better rewarded for their services and it is
difilcuit to prevent them from falling into
state of discomfort which will react on
the ethclency of the office. They are now
working cheerfully in the hope that my ef-
Lorts TO secure a reclassfication of the Of
fce will be successful, and l trust that
their expectations will not be in vain
Reconsideration of Clerks Needed.
In total of 90 clerks this office has
but one at Sl,sW per annum. while the
auditor for the State Department has II
In total force of "a, and the auditor for
the Treasury Department has II in a total
force of 6i l do not ask for so large a
proportion of clerks OF that grade though
the work of the office, will justify it. but
each of the three chiefs of division should
have an assistant at 81 800, and the three
principal review revising clerks of the
office should also receive that compensa-
ton" -
Auditor Brown follows this with a num-
Der of tables showing the classification of
salaries In the offices of the other audi
tors, and declaring that there should be
Reconstruction of his office to bring about
equaiity He shows that the average salary
list of his office is much lower than the
lowest salary list of any other auditor
Mr.. Brown says:
There is nothing in the nature of the
business of the Office to justify the dis
examination in the matter of salaries that
has been pointed out. On the contrary, l
ooubt II there is in the whole range of the
auditing work of this department a body of
laws and regulations SO difficult of
struction and application as those relating
TO the navy, with which this office has to
deal"
Mr. Brown renews his recommendation
that the temporary force in his Office be
made permanent