The Holbrook news., 1910-12-09

classified employees of the government. In his annual report to the secretary of war he renews the recommends tions in that line contained in his last two preceding reports.
 After calling attention to the fact that no change or increase has been made in the salaries of the clerks in his office since 1870, he says:
 ITO my mind the clerks are unques- tionably deserving of an increase, pri- marily for the character of the duties which they perform, and, secondarily, to meet the steadily increasing cost of living. Statistics show that since 1896 there has been an approximate increase of 50 per cent. in the cost of living, and that mercantile, commer- cial and other business corporations have recognized the necessity for pay ing higher salaries and granted in creases accordingly.
 According to Paymaster General disbursed during the past fiscal year for the pay of the army and the Mill tary academy, for expenses of the Army War college, for expenses of the Brownsville court of inquiry and for the payment of the organized militia. During the same period the sum of $75,5S3 was disbursed to the bene- ficiaries of r officers andS 306 enlisted men who died from wounds or dis eases not the result of their own mis- conduct, under the provisions of the act of congress approved May II, 1908.
 For the genral welfare for the pay department, General Whipple recom- mends the enactment of legislation providing that all grades in that de partment above that of captain be made permanent, and that promotions to major be made from the captains, who have served details in the depart ment and who have shown the great est proficiency in their work. By es- tablishing permanency in the field officers, he says the pay department can reach and maintain state of eff ficiency not possible under the present law
 He says also that the pay depart ment for many years has been con stantly confronted with the problem of maintaining an efficient force of paymasters' clerks. Resignation after resignation has occurred, due to the fact that civil life offers broader and more remunerative field for ex- pert accountants. It is only by giv ing that force an appropriate military status and conferring upon them pay and emOlumentS commensurate with the nature of the duties which they perform, he says, that the pay depart ment can hope to acquire permanency in that important branch of it's serv- ice
 An evidence of the thrift of Uncle Sam's soldiers is shown in a table prepared by the paymaster general. giving a history of soldiers deposits since the passage of the act authori zing them, May Is, 1872 The total deposits amount to $34,779,134 Of that amount $3,S40,730 remains in the hands of army paymasters to the credit of the depositors. In addition to the repayment Of $50, ,93S,405, the depositors received interest to the amount of $2,O25, 5,162. During the past fiscal year the sum of $1,S79,470 was deposited by 66,423 soldiers There has been slight increase in the num- Der of depositors and in the amount of their deposits since the year 1902. The banner year in the history of the fund was 1901, when there were Ill., GOA depositors and $3,438, ,520 deposits.