The Washington times., 1901-11-14

prominently presented in the annual re-
pGrt Of the Paymaster General of the
Navy to Secretary Long. Regarding this
proposed change, the report says:
II has been evident for some years
that the ration fixed by the law OF July,
1851 was deficient in quantity and va
rieIy. This deficiency was manifested not
in complaints by the enlisted men nor IN
official reports by officers, but in an ef-
fort to remedy the defects Of the law
by fixed monthly contributions from the
Individual members Of berth-deck messes.
Thus each mess raised a fund for buying
fresh vegetables and fruits in their sea
son. and various deiicaciCS whenever Il
ship was in port. This measures. purely
voluntary on the part OF the men, was en-
couraSCd by the officers of cruising shlps
as affording a much-noeded reneI rom
the ineiaStic diet fixed by law.
1t next became evidCrt. however that
this method involved great waste through
ack OF proper organization ana manage
ment, and the conviction grew that DETER
results could be had ut no greater expense
Il the .cVeral berth-deCk meSSeS Were or
ganized as one general mess, with a com
mon fund of contributed money, admins
tered by an officer for the benefit of the
whole This led to the allowance Of
commissary yeoman in ships compile
ment for the purpose of properly admins
tering the fund under the supervision oil
an officer. and the addition of this yeo-
man to the complement is the sole Official
recognition, with the exception OF the pro
vision in article 525, United states
Navy Regulations. of the system th2t mas
80 grown up outside of the regulations.
Being thus unauthorized and consequent
~ unmitary. there were inevitable de-
1eCts in the results
with the matter. and with a view TO re
taiurg the good features while eiiminat-
ing the bad, board of seven oihcers was
constituted by your order of July 10, 1901
capt John J. Hunker, l.. 5. N, senior
member, for considering and reporting
upon the entire subject, with recommen-
cations.
The report aualyzes ard thoroughly
discusses the subject and recommends the
adoption Of a more liberal food allowance,
to cost about 30 cents per man per diem,
which is the present npinlnal and conlIru-
taciOn value, and to Contain everything
necessary TO support the health and we'll
being of the men in every climate, with a
plan for administration involving certain
Il deal changes with regard to the per
sunnel of the Cummissary and galley
force aiioat.
The board. in its search for satisfac-
tory solution of the messing problem on
board ship, concludes that as a measure
Of military organization the pay officer
should act as cUrlmissary of the gen
Cral mess, and as such should have direct
authority, under the captain. over com
n,isSary stewards. cooks, bakers, and 9TH
trs at the galley.
The pay division so proposed would be
an important factor in the ships mill
units. of course. could rot belong to any
other division at quarters without de-
stroying both the efficiency OF the mess
organization and the responsibility Of the
pay officer therefor
Discussing the financial operations OF
his office, the Paymaster General says:
The financial operations of the bureau.
during the fiscal year herein exhibited
cover all expenditures made from appro-
priations for the naval establishment.
and show in principal items as follows:
Total credits. including balance from
last fiscal year, SlZl rSJ9. 1876; total debts,
Si5. lo6, HO2; leaving balance of appro-
prations on June 80, 1901. OF SiS,il2, io02 q;
amount drawn from the Treasury, $Go,l-9,
$3.50; expenditures on account of con-
struction, including labor, material, and
purchase of yard craft. floating sppn
ances. etc, Sl0.644 .3l7.SI; cost of repairs to
ships and -equipagc at home and abroad.
s., 553, ,lSG.09; cost of maintaining ships in
commission, including pay Of oTfcefs and
men, together with the value of snbsist-
ence or communication thereof. and incl
dental expenses and material expended.
81, 5,b2I ,9s3Sl. expenditures on account of
Marine Corps 81 36i 913 So; cost to the
navy of the lighthouse esta blishment SSi,
l99l2: Cf the Coast and Geodetic Survey,
$50 157.Vl Of the Fish Commission, SO,
05S.9S; for arming and equipping the naval
militia OF the several States, including
mate rial furnished, $50, 735 Is; the deposits
Of savings by seamen during the year
Sa9S,yiOG9; total amount 20 the credit of
the fund on June 80, 1901, was. S5i5 2.96;
interest paid at 1 per cent per annum
upon repayment amounted to, $2G32i.S4.
While the resources OF the bur Eau have
been found adequate to meet the demands
made upon it, the personnel Of the Pay
Corps has been taxed to the utmost 10
provide for the increased enlisted force
of the navy and Marine Corps, to fit out
new ships and to furnish those in com
mission with the supplies necessary to
maintain them in a condition OF efficiency.
During the past year the officers Of the
pay corps OF the navy have been con-
stantly employed, both afioat and ashore,
in the discharge of the duties connected
with the disbursement of all money ap
propriated for the naval establishment,
the care and issue of Government prop
erty pertaining to the naval service, and
other work incident to the management
responsibilities have at times rested on
individual officers, the purchasing pay
officer at New York alone having dis
bursed approximately $2D,VD0OOg on q, 900
vouchers. But three officers Uf the pay
corps were off duty on the 30Lh day of
Junt, lygl-two on sick leave and one,
since detained 10 Nutg, on waiting ORDERS.
1t became necessary during thu year
TO relieve about fifteen pay officers Oh
duty in the Philippines, who had com
pleted threc-years cruise. These reliefs
could be obtained only be detaching from
shore stations in the United States pay
officers whose services could i'll be spared,
in several instances involving TIE assign
ment Of some officers to double duty, a
a disadvantage to the work in hand.
When the officers thus relieved had
returned, 1t was found necessary in al
most every instance to order them to duty
Immediately without the leave Of absence
which every officer should have after long
service in tropical climates. The necessity
for some reserve in the number now al
lowed by law must be asked for in the
near future.
on tbs subject of general storshouse
methods the report has this to say:
During the past year much has been
accomplished in bringing under a uniform
system the methods of performing the
stDrekeeping clerical and bookkeeping
work at the general storehouses OF the
different navy yards and stations. This
task of rcorg;. nization has been placed In
the hands of an experienced officer, Pay
master John A. Mudd, L. s. y. The re-
suits 30 far obtained are very satisfac-
tory and emphasize the necessity for its
undertaking. There Is a vast amount of
detail involved in the administration Of
the work Of general storchouSc that
cannot be covered by the Navy Reguia-
tious When the general stOrckoeper's =
system WAS instituted some years ago, the
General conduct OF the business was laid
out with method and precision, but the
details of the interior OrganlZa uon OF the
Offices had to be left 10 future experience.
No well thought out supervision could be
given to this matter for some years by the
bureau on account Of the volume Of Dusi-
ness Of the moment that required all at
tentiOn. The result Of this has been that
each general storckceper office worked
out it, own internal system of performing
work To arrive at the results called for
under the general scope, as laid down In
the Navy Regulations. These various
suiting systems contained, naturally, both
good and bad features but the worst gen
eral feature was lack Of uniformity in
method.