Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1902-09-08
THE AUDITORS REPORT
AMOUNT STILL AVAILABLE FOR
THE NEW NAVY"
Accounts and Claims Settled-Recom-
mendations Made for Increase
in Clerical Force.

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This report shows that So 1871 SisS 80 has
been allowed, or authorized TO be paid. OF
this amount 500, T25.o ~ has actually been
| paid out. This leaves an unexpended hal
ance in the treasury to the credit of the
Navy Department at the close Of the fiscal
year of SEC 092 63I55.
An interesting item in the renort is d,
statement OF the total amounts expended
for what is known as the "uew navy or
the Increase of the navy. The total amount
heretofore appropriated for this purDosa
! including the year 1902. was Sa,yi. 81. 1880
OF this amount SD SO 1893 IL was appropri-
ate ated for ", the year 1872. During this year
s2o'ovS. 49, was spent. With the unex-
pended balances left over from previous
years this left at the close OF the DreseDt
nscai year balance for new ships OF ST. -
6i2o43S. When this is added TO the an
preparations made by Congress for the new
navy to be available during the fiscal wear
1913 there Is grand total available of S44-
| $50, 053. W.
Accounts and Claims Settled.
Under the head OF accounts and claims
settled, the report SUMMARIZES the business
as follows:
There were 9.257 accounts and claims
settled. as against $685. for last year; 2ll-
4s5 vouchers examined this year, l59.65s
last year, while the amounts allowed were
SS4 1S1 1899 for this year and sra G4g :
ll622 for last year. showing an Increase of
3S per cent in the number of accounts aud
claims settled and 70 per cent In the num-
Der OF vouchers examined while the
amounts allowed were increased 50. 532-
1851
In addition to the above there have heeu
3l,oSl letters written. SAB pay reduisitions
passed 161 repay acquisitions entered. 1IO4
monthly returns adjusted, 5,4SS allotments
registered and 2.l6I service records traced
and abulated.
Paymaster's Division.
The work of the paymsster's division con-
| sists in the settlement of the accounts ~
paymasters of the navy on board vessels
In commission, and OF employees of navy
yards. The employees are paid semi
monthly. There are on an average 3Io0
employees on the New York rolls, 300 OF
the Washington rolls, while the rolls Of
the navy yards at Norfolk and Mare Is
land are nearly as large This requires an
examination of 1S,Goo pay tickets for New
York, 1920 for the WASHINGTON ward ard
a corresponding number for The other
yards each quarter. The expenditures f
the department for the year under this
head amounted to So, T4g gG5. 81
Under the head of railroad claims SEC
SOll6 was expended.
In the navy pay and allotment division,
Where are settled the accounts of the navy
pay officers stationed in the various large
seaboard cities and of naval attaches in
Guiding payments on contracts, Sd. III. ia. u
was paid.
Under the head of prize claims Of tie
civil war. Sl.254.32 was paid while prize
claims for the Spanish war that We're paid
amounted to SS59 l29GO. Under this latter
item 4.915 claims were Included. During
the year previous but = 425 of these Spanish
war claims were settled. which makes an
increase of over 100 per cent during the
fiscal year Just closed.
There are 2,4I9 claims on hand and the
question OF prize money for the battles
Of Manila and Santiago now before the
Supreme Court. will probably when de-
cided, add over 600 to the number OF
claims unsettled.
Salaries.
The recommendations made by the au-
ditor on the subject OF salaries include the
following:
l again call attention to the great dis
parity of salaries In this bureau as COM
pared with the other auditing bureaus in
the department, and In this connection re-
new my recommendation for readjust-
ment thereof.
1t was found to be necessary the last year
to secure a detail from the office OF the
auditor for the War Department of six
clerks, nearly all OF high class These
have become familiar with the duties as
signed them and could, If they can be per
maneptly spared from that bureau, be
transferred here to the great advantage of
this bureau. But even with the help thus
secured, more clerks must be had IL the
work is to be kept to the point of adyan-
tageous accounting.
i, therefore. earnestly urge that provision
be made for the following additional clerks:
Five clerks OF class 4, clerks of class 3; 8
clerks OF class 2.
Exclusive OF the auditing office for the
Post Office Department. the average salary
is SIG less in this Office than the highest
and SOL less than the lowest average in the
offices 10 "a m Of 0f ba
work in the auditing office of the Navy De-
partment is such as to require a very high
order Of clerical ability. There is very little
copying or formal work Nearly every
clerk must be accountant, and he must
also be familiar with the large volume of
legislation pertaining to both the War and
Navy Departments. To secure and hold
such class Of clerks the salaries must be
high enough to compete with others of the
highest grade in the auditing service.
"A brief reference to the recent growth OF
the naval force will clearly demonstrate the
needs of the Office which audits the naval
accounts.
by the acts of 1864. 1868 and 1876 the
number Of enlisted men in the navy was
fixed at not to exceed 1900. The act of
March 3. 1898. fixed the limit of men and
boys at 10000; the act Of June Z, 1900. at
20 O0O and the act Of March 3. 1901 at D.
600. This increase is exclusive of the volun-
teer force provided by Congress for the
Spanish war.
by the acts of 1861 and 1867 the Marine
The act of March 4. 1898. increased that
number by go for temporary service dur
ing the Spanish war. The act Of March 3.
1899, increased the Marine Corps to 5000
enlisted men. By this legislation the naval
force, including the Marine Corps was
made to aggregate $1,000.
Prior to March 3. 1899. there was but
one paymaster in the Marine Corps; now
there are two. Prior to said act there were but
two quartermasters; now there are FIVE
besides several officers detailed as acting
nj, ri asfe ~ w
rate accounts.
I'm addition to the foregoing it should be
borne in mind that by. the act of July l.
1902 the naval force is increased by 5000
and Marine Corps by $50, so that when
fully enlisted the maximum naval and ma
rine force will reach 34.Sl0, or nearly 5000
greater than the army prior to the war
with Spain"
The fiscal agents Of the Navy Department
in London disbursed during the year $780,
741.04. The commission to the agents for
this work amounted to $2g.54S.66. The loss
to the government on account of exchange
was 50 357 81, while the gain by exchange