The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1914-12-24
NATIONAL PAY DAY.
1t Comes Twice a Month in the Dis
trict of Columbia.

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the District of Columbia on the 18th
and the last day of every month.
Government pay days in Washing
ton are important dates, both to the
employees and to the merchants and
others among whom the pay is dis
tributed, says the Cleveland Plain
Dealer.
Uncle Sans paymaster in each de-
partment is known as the disbursing
clerk or officer. This person is al
ways popular. When the disbursins
clerk begins preparations to pay
off" the first thing he does is to
draw check for the amount needed
and take it to the treasury depart
ment to have it cashed. The check
is honored because it has been pre-
viously arranged for by what is term
ed an accountable warrant drawn
and signed by the head of the depart
ment. Such warrants are issued as
they are needed by the secretary or
head of each department.
If the department is large, and
most of Uncle Sans departments
in the district are, the disbursing
clerk is usually accompanied by an
assistant on his trip for the pay
money. Both are equipped with
stout bags to carry the money and
are always we'll 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
a 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
countings which the money used in
paying off Uncle Sans district en-
ployees is subjected 1t is estimat-
ed, including the counts from the
time the money issues from the bu-
reau of engraving and printing to
the time it's circulation broadens in
to the vast pay day channel, that is
gone over on an average of a hun
dred times.
The machine prepares the en-
velopes, and after the disbursing
clerk has counted the money he and
his assistants place the required
amount in each envelope. In few
departments the employees form a
line and sign a ledger to receive their
pay, but the general rule is for the
paying clerks to take the pay en-
velopes around and distribute them.
The bulk 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
tentimes every bill in the payroll OF
every department has never known
a fold or crease and as fiat and as
free from wrinkles as it was the mo-
ment it came from the press. AS a
rule, the disbursing clerks of each
department endeavor to pay off with
brand new bills. Badly soiled bills
are never given to Uncle Sans en-
ployees.
"All the bills come from the big
print shop as the bureau of engrav-
ing and printing is familiarly known
in Washington. From that place the
money is transferred to the United
States treasury. 1t is removed in
closed van and is guarded at the
rear by from four to six detectives,
mounted policemen and secret SER
vice men. 1t is received at the treas
ury department and receipted for to
those officials when taken away by
the disbursing clerks of the various
departments.
After it leaves the treasury de-
partment the officials there are no
longer responsible for it, and it be-
comes the care of the officials of the
departments to which it has been
consigned
When the number of employees of
a department is so great as to make
the pay roll a rather huge affair, the
money is not carried away from the
treasury in bags by the disbursing
clerk and his assistant, but is trans
ferred in wagon.
These wagons are kept under
strict guard while they are in transit
and are being unloaded, and the
money removed to the Office Of the
disbursing clerks. To the casual
observer it may possibly seem that
those handling the money are care
less with it and are running dan
gerous risk by exposing the packag-
es or bags, as the case may be, to