The Hawaiian gazette., 1917-09-25
PAY or OFFICERS
PROVES APUzzLE
TO THE new ONES
Don't Understand At First That
Rate Is Based on Length Of
Service and on Other Things

who have come into the army from civi
life and even those who have draw
pay as non-eommissioned officers are
having difficulty in deeiphering I'm
Gle Sans system Of pay accounts.
Colonel Seo6eld, the chief quarter
master of the department.; Captain J
N. Riggs, q. NJ. R. C., and all the
regimental adjutants on the island are
being besieged with questions by the
new officers. 49,
Scarcely mail comes from the main
land that fails to bring q score OF
more commissions, either in the Officers
Reserve Corps or as provisional offieers
In the Regular Army, and each one calls
for an explanation of the government Z
pay system, -&sas
Drawing dne's pay is usually one OF
the simplest--as IL is one of the most
satisfactory---deta Of n man g work.
II he be employed in civil life it usual.
" consists in receiving an envelope on
Saturday night; IL he has been an en-.
listed man In the army he has had moth.
ing more intricate to fathom than sign.
ing his name on pay roll, going to
the pay table and receiving his month,
ly stipend in gold coin from the hands
of the paymaster. Now, however, they
come suddenly upon the government s
methods OF transaeting business and
governmental caution and the procedure
is new to them
Paymaster Busy
The last day Of the month is pay day
in the army for the official personnel,
but the paymaster must have ten days
in which TO do his work, so the TWEEN.
tieth Of the month is the date on
which pay vouchers are usually sub.
mitted and this date finds the pay.
masters Office busy place these days,
The department quartermaster, hav.
ing anticipated the difficulties to be
encountered by some of the hundreds
Of new officers now in the islands, has
made every effort to give them the in.
formation desired with the least pos,
sible delay.
In the first place, not all officers Of
equal rank draw the same amount Of
pay. Then, too, allowances are made
10 some officers and not TO others Of
the same rank, and such oddities serve
to increase the bewilderment of those
who are drawing their initial pay rs
officers of Uncle sam 3 fighting forces.
For instance, a second lieutenant
draws $4,000 a year, or &l4l6T a
month--from the day he il grad uated
from the Military Academy at West
Point or receives his commission from
the ranks or from civil life. But GER.
tain officers without bars on their
shoulder-straps presented vouchers for
Sl55.S3 or for $4,000, or even for
$lS4,17. One second lieutenant pre-.
sented q voucher for Sl98.00, and il
was passed by the paymaster, much to
the bewilderment Of "rookie" fel.
low officer who accompanied him. II
was explained to him, however, that
the man with the large pay check had
been in the army for more than TWEEN
ty years, and Uncle Sam, like q great
many other employers, recognizes and
rewards an old employee by Increasing
his pay. For every i've years. service
in the Army up to twenty years, the
officers monthly pay check Is increased
by ten per cent. These increases are
termed "foggies and are considered
in fixing the rate of pay of all Of.
fcers below the grade of brigadier-gen.
eral.
Guardmen Affected
Members of the Officers Training
A Camp at SchOGeld Barracks, who were
formerly officers of the national guard
I Are much interested in the pending
legislation which has for its object the
recognition of service in the guard in
determining their rate of pay in the
same manner as service in the regular
army is now recognized.
s faiths bill becomes a law, II will
meanthat these officers, many of whom
have had FIVE years or more service in
the national guard-either in Hawaii
or in some one of the States-will have
their pay increased by ten, or in some
eases byAtwenty per cent.
Base pay, which is the term applied
20 pay for service in the States, Canal
Zone, Panama, Porto Rico and Hawaii,
is increased by ten per cent for SER
vice outside the boundaries of these
places, so that officers going abroad
Immediately begin to receive the in.
creased rate of pay. -
Those of The new officers who are
not stationed at one of the posts on
the island, but who we're placed on
dnty which required them TO live In
town, had still further to be instructed
in the manner OF drawing their ICON.
imitation of quarters" and the "com,
mutation of heat and light For Off,
GERS who ere on duty with troops re.
eeive, in addition ~ their paw, a set of
quarters in which to live and certain
amount of fnel with which 10 heat
them, and an allowaBce Of electric eur
rent for lighting thehl. Thoss who are
forced, by reason of the dutylthey are
on, TO rent house, are given an allow
ance 10 cover the increase in rent
caused by the heating and lighting of
the building. And this Is all paid to
the officer on his monthly pay voucher
In determining the amount which an
officer shall receive when he Is housed
~ bis own expense, the government
hes fixed q certain number OF rooms for
the officers of each grade, and arbitrar.
ily fixed tn" sum of $I2 per month per
room as the amount due the officer.
Rooms BY Rank
= A second lieutenant il entitled to two
rooms; q first lieutenont to three
rooms; . captain to -four rooms a ma
or 20 fi3H Ecu ennpt colonel 10 siv
ano 3 colonel 10 srvpn ROOMS. Briga.
dpr. "c"a"Hl. mr." lowed light. major