REPORT OF THE INSPECTOR-GENERAL OF THE ARMY. WAR DEPARTMENT, INSPECTOR-GENERAL'S OFFICE, Washington, D. C., September 28, 1901. SIR: I have the honor to submit the following report of the operations of this Department during the past year, in addition to the matters relating to discipline, etc., which have been submitted to the Lieutenant-General Commanding the Army, under General Orders, No. 28, Headquarters of the Army, 1876. Pursuant to provisions of the law of February 2, 1901, the officers of the Inspector-General's Department are 1 brigadier-general, 4 colonels, 4 lieutenant-colonels, and 8 majors. The latter are detailed from the line of the Army for a tour of duty of four years, and the first detail was 2 from the cavalry, 2 from the artillery, and 4 from the infantry. As there are at present 14 departments and headquarters, some of which necessitate the assignment of 2 officers and each of which should have at least 1, it can be readily seen that the provisions are hardly large enough to meet the requirements and emergencies, and must be greatly augmented by the appointments of special and acting inspectors-general from time to time. Since the rendition of the last report the following changes have occurred in the personnel of the permanent officers: Col. R. P. Hughes, inspector-general, U. S. A., who has been on detached service as a brigadier-general of volunteers and in command of the Department of the Visayas, in the Philippines, was, on February 5, 1901, appointed a brigadier-general of the line, and Capt. John L. Chamberlain, of the First Artillery, was appointed a major, inspector-general, November 10, 1900. Incident to the muster out of the volunteers and the transporting of the regulars to replace them, the Inspector-General's Department has had an exceedingly busy year, and it may not be amiss to state that during the year there were 10,333 inspections of different kinds made, or over 28 per day for every day of the year, including Sundays. These figures are nearly twice as large as those of last year, and a comparative statement of the work accomplished in the year before the Spanish war and three following years, may prove of interest: These inspections have been both arduous and exacting, and were performed by the officers of this corps and those temporarily connected therewith with a dispatch and care that reflect great credit upon all concerned. It will be observed that in 1897 the total inspections made numbered but 2,475, while in the year just completed there were over four times as many, yet the permanent clerical force of this office has not been increased by a single clerk, and the large increase in the clerical work which has naturally grown from the augmentation of the Army from 25,000 to approximately 80,000 men has not been followed by a correspondingly adequate increase in the clerical force of the InspectorGeneral's Office. During the year the operations in China have come to a satisfactory termination, and the troops composing the expedition have all been withdrawn with the exception of a small legation guard. All who participated deserve great credit for the signal manner in which the dangers and hardships encountered were surmounted and for the efficient and gallant style in which the expedition was carried to so successful an issue. The conditions in the Philippine Islands appear well in hand, and the pacification of those islands seems to be making good headway, The reports received from Cuba and Porto Rico indicate a stable and settled condition in those islands. The matter of a suitable depository in the Philippines for the deposit of the funds placed to the credit of the disbursing officers serving therein should be given consideration, and attention is respectfully invited to the remarks of Major Lovering on this subject under the head of disbursements in this report. A proviso which appears in the sundry civil bill, approved March 3, 1901, provides that the accounts of the National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers, heretofore examined and supervised by this office, are to be sent direct to the accounting officers of the Treasury after an audit by the Board of Managers of the said Home, and the last accounts supervised by this office were for the quarter ending December 31, 1900. The benefits accruing from this supervision are fully set forth in the article on the National Home for Disabled Volunteer Soldiers in this report. CLERKS FOR OUTSIDE INSPECTORS-GENERAL. I again renew my recommendation of last year as to the extreme importance of having the clerical personnel of the Inspector-General's Department on a separate basis from those of other departments, and respectfully suggest that Congress be urged to insert in the next appropriation bill for the support of the Army the following, viz: For pay of twenty-five clerks for inspectors-general, thirty-five thousand dollars: Provided, That hereafter the pay of clerks for inspectors-general who have served as such over fifteen years shall be one thousand eight hundred dollars per annum; the pay of clerks for inspectors-general who have served as such over ten years shall be one thousand six hundred dollars each per annum; the pay of clerks for inspectorsgeneral who have served as such over five years shall be one thousand five hundred dollars each per annum; the pay of other clerks for inspectors-general shall be one thousand four hundred dollars each per annum. For pay of fourteen messengers for inspectors-general, eleven thousand seven hundred and sixty dollars. For traveling expenses of clerks for inspectors-general and expert accountant of the Inspector-General's Department, two thousand five hundred dollars. This proposed legislation follows the same lines and in purport is the same as appears in the last Army bill for the clerks of the Pay Department at large, and surely the clerks of this department, who are often designated to assist in the inspection and supervision of the accounts and disbursements of the paymasters and the work of the clerks of that department, are entitled to, and should receive an equal, if not a greater, remuneration for their work. The clerks of this department are, as a rule, gentlemen of long experience and of great efficiency and occupy positions of trust and responsibility, and I earnestly recommend that the above-suggested proviso be adopted. On this subject Lieutenant-Colonel Reade, in his annual report, says: Experience has demonstrated that, at least in this department, the clerical assistance furnished the Inspector-General at military posts during his annual tour of inspection, as contemplated by Army Regulations, is wholly unreliable and usually of the kind which, instead of "assisting" the inspector creates additional work for the clerk in his office, who has to waste valuable time in the correction of errors and mistakes made by the former. It is not claimed, however, that this lack of accuracy in their work is due to negligence or unwillingness to properly perform their duties; it is simply a matter of inexperience. To enable the inspector to cover as much ground as practicable during the comparatively short time he is at each post, to make his reports as comprehensive and complete as possible, and to forward them with the least practicable delay, his authorized clerk should accompany him upon his inspection trips. It appears that this has been done in some departments, but an application made by me to the War Department for the necessary authority was not approved. It is recommended that orders be issued authorizing inspectors-general of departments to have their clerks accompany them upon tours of inspection of posts, especially upon tours covering more than one post. In recording the fact that the clerical work of this office has been faithfully and efficiently performed by the clerk assigned to it, it is but justice to invite attention to the present status of this particular class of civilian employees, i. e., the clerks assigned to the offices of inspectors-general at department headquarters. There appear to be [no] provisions of law for their promotion. Length of service in an office necessarily adds to the experience and efficiency of a clerk and increases his value to the Government. Why should not the latter recognize such increased value by increased remuneration? This is done in other branches of the Government service, and it would seem but fair that some law be enacted making proper provisions for the promotion of, or an increase of pay for length of service for, this class of clerks. The recommendation of the Inspector-General of the Army, contained in his last annual report, that clerks assigned by the Secretary of War to inspectors-general receive the same pay and travel allowance as paymaster's clerks, is heartily concurred in. |