Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-09-16
PAY CLERKS BETTER
Strong Recommendation by
Paymaster General of Army.
ENTITLED TO MORE MONEY
No Readjustment Of Salaries, He
Points Out, Since 1870.
TELLS DEPARTMENTS NEEDS
Attractions Of Civil Employment
Lure Most Valuable Clerks
From the Service.
ENTITLED TO MORE MONEY
TELLS DEPARTMENTS NEEDS

! Brig. Gen. Charles III. WhippIe, pay
master general Of the army. is n strong
and consistent advocate for increased pay
and retired pay for the classified en-
ployes of the government. In his annual
report to the Secretary of War, made
public today, he renews the recommends
! tons 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 liv-
Ing Statistics show that since 1896
there has been an approximate increase
of so per cent in the cost of living, and
that mercantile, commercial and other
business corporations have recognized the
necessity for paying higher salaries and
granted increases accordingly.
Have Earned Recognition.
1T would certainly seem that similar
recognition should be accorded employees
general again most earnestly recommends
an increase in the statutory salaries now
provided for the various classes Of gov
eminent clerks The clerks in this Office
by their hearty cooperation and faithful
application to duty have assuredly earned
the recognition recommended. AS stated
in my last annual report, the estimates
for salaries in the executive departments
and establishments, prepared by the COM
mittee on grades and salaries under ex-
ecutive order of June IL, 1907, and pub
lished in House of Representatives dOcu-
ment No 64S, Sixtieth Congress. first
session, represent, in my opinion, very
close approximation Of what is desired
and merited in way of Reconsideration of
grades and salaries, and it is hoped that
these estimates will be given favorable
consideration by Congress during the
coming session. The present movement
for the retirement of clerks with sufh-
Gent compensation after they have
reached an age which incapacitates them
for the performance of their full duties
GRAFTON, and 1 hope that legislation will
shortly be enacted which will establish a
retired-pay list for government clerks"
Large Sums Discussed.
According to Paymaster General Whip
pie the sum of $40, g., 94S was disbursed
during the past fiscal year for the pay
of the army and the Military Academy.
for expenses of the Army War College,
for expenses of the Brownsville court of
inquiry and for the payment of the Or
ganiZed militia. During the same period
the sum of $15,JS3 was disburSed to the
beneticiaries Of seventeen officers and 3O6
enlisted men, who died from wounds or
diseases not the result of their own mis-
conduct, under the provisions of the act
of Congress approved May IL, 1905.
no no
department. Gen. Whipple recommends
the enactment of legislation providing
that all grades in that department above
that of captain be made permanent, and
that promotions to major be made from
the captains, who have served details In
the department and who have shown tho
greatest proficiency in their work. BY
establishing permanency in the field
officers. he says the pay department can
reach and maintain a state Of efficiency
not possible under the present law.
Hard to Keep Clerks.
He says also that the pay department
for many years has been constantly con-
fronted with the problem of maintaining
an efficient force OF paymasters' clerks.
Resignation after. resignation has occur
red, due to the fact that civil life offers
q broader and more remunerat1ve field
for expert accountants. 1t is only by
giving that force an appropriate military
status and comforting upon them pay and
emoluments commensurate with the ma
ture of the duties which they perform, he
says, that the pay department can hope
to acquire permanency in that important
branch of its service
An evidence of the thrift of Uncle
Sans soldiers is shown in a table pre-
pared by the paymaster general, giving
a history of soldiers deposits since the
passage of the act authorizing them, May
Is. 1872. The total deposits amount to
S34. 779, 1874 OF that amount $3.50. $50 re-
mains in the hands Of army paymasters
to the credit of the depositOrs. In addi-
ton to the repayment of $50. 1855, 4O5, the
depositors received interest to the amount
of $2.O25, 162. During the past fiscal year
the sum of 81 49, 40 was deposited by
66, 423 soldiers. There has been slight
increase in the number Of depositors and
in the amount of their deposits since the
year 1902. The banner year in the his
tory of the fund was 1901, when there
were 1,O04 depositors and So, 1873, $50 de-
posits.