Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1914-10-16
NATIONAL PAY DAY
It Comes Twice a Month In the
District of Columbia.
CRISP NEW BILLS ARE USED.
They Come, a. . Rule. Fresh From the
Bureau OF Engraving and Printing.
Extreme Care In Counting the Money
and In Safeguarding Il In Transit

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Bureau Of Engraving and Printing.
Extreme Care In Counting the Money
and In Safeguarding Il In Transit
Uncle Sam pays his employees in the
I District Of Columbia ON the 10th and
the last day of every month.
Government pay days In Washing.
ton are important dates. both To tue
employees and to the merchants and
others among whom the pay l. distri.
buted
Cncle Sans paymaster In each de-
partment Is known as the dlsbursing
'Ierk or officer This person Is always
| popular. When the discussing clerk
begins preparations to pay or the
iirst thing he does IL to draw a check
for the amount needed and take It to
the treasury department to have It
dashed. The check Ii hOnored because
II has been previously arranged for by
what - termed an accountable war
rant drawn aud signed by the head OF
the department Such warrants are
iSSuVO Us lucy dIc uccucU W tue SeCtS
tary Or head Ut each department.
II the department Is large. and most
Of Uncle Sums departments In the
District are. the disbursing clerk Is
usually accompanied by an assistant
On his trip ior the pay money. Both
the money and are always well armed.
When the disbursing clerk has pro-
cured the money the next thing is to
get in readiness for pay day. This is
the biggest end of the work. but
little machine Is now used In most all
the departments to tighten the task.
In the getting ready process the first
thing the disbursing clerk does is to
count the money very carefully. This
particular counting. by the way, Is
only one Of the great number of count
ings to which the money used in pay
ing of Cncle Sans district employees
ls subjected. 1t Is estimated. including
the counts from the time the money
issues from the bureau of engraving
and printing to the time Its circulation
broadens into the vast pay day chan.
nei. that 1t is gone over on an average
Ut a hundred times.
The machine prepares the envelopes.
couDted the money he and his assist
ants place the required amount IN each
envelope. In few departments the
employees form line and sign a ledg.
er to receive their pay. but the general
rule ia for the paying clerks to take the
pay envelopes around and distribute
them.
The buk Of money used by Uncle
Sam In paying Off in the District is
usually fresh and crisp from the bu.
reau OF engraving and printing OF.
rentimes every bill In the payroll Of
every department has never known
fold or crease and Is as tiat and as free
from wrinkles as It was the moment it
calNe FROM the press. AS rule. the
disbursing clerks Of each department
endeavor to pay OF with brand new
bills. Badly soiled bills are never given
to Uncle Sans employees.
All the bills come from the big print
shop" as the bureau Of engraving and
printing is famAiarly known in Wash.
ington. From that place the money is
to the United States treas.
ury. 1t Ia removed in a closed van and
Is guarded at the rear by from four to
six detectives. mounted policemen and
secret service men. 1t Is received at
the treasury department and receipted
10; ,,Ie .ol-
by the disbursing clerks Vf the various
departments
After 1t leaves Ghe treasury depart.
inent the officials rhere are no longer
responsible for it. and 1t becomes the
care Of the officials of the departments
to which it has been, consigned.
When the number Of employees OF
Il department is 50 great rs to make
the pay roll ii rather huge affair. the
money Is not carried away from the
Treasury IN bags by the diSbursing-
clerk and his assistant. but Is trans
fesred Il, Il wagon
fheSe wagons arg kept under stricr
gnara while they are in transit and
are being uuluuued. and the money re-
moved to the office Ut the disbursing
clerks 70 the casual observer II may
possibly seeiH that those handling the
money are careless with 1t and are
running dangerous risk by exposing
thp packages or Dogs, us the case may
be-. to paSSef~Dy.
Bllt should the casual observer have
ANY anxiety abolle this II would be just
as we'll to allHy it 1T once. for not only
L. there n policeman or two close AT
hand but secret service men are there
also ana the MlSguided wrODgdoer
who might hope to grab package and
make his escape Is the widest possible
visionary. cleveland Plain Dealer.