WAR OFFICE IN WAR

Dominion, Volume 8, Issue 2367, 25 January 1915, Page 6

WAR OFFICE IN WAR

AN ENORMOUS DEPARTMENT. In times of peace the British War Office—it is still officially known as tho Horse Guards—has- a permanent staff of about 1100 officials of all grades, tho majority of whom obtain their posts after passing a civil service examination. The purely civilian body of officials, says tho "Evening Standard," exceeds that of tho military or ox-mili-tary members by two to one, and these civilians may be said, as a rule, ,to "run" the organisation permanently. The 1100 officials are, of course, not all housed at tho great building in Whitehall, but are scattered over tho "official" area of South-AVest London, which stretches from St. James's to the river, taking in various departments in Victoria. Street, whero several overflow bureaux are to be found, only the chiefs of which have office-room in Whitehall. Altogether in peace time some half a million sterling per: annum has been the average pay-list of the permanent officials, vriio occupy about 500 rooms in AVhitehall, all more or loss elaborately furnished. Tho War Office ranks with the Foreign Offico as among the. most comfortable and most clubable of all the public departments. Lord Kitchener s suite— Room 204—is on the third floor, and adjoining him are his military secretaries —"M.S.'s" they are called—occupying rooms 205 and 206. In peace timo the most important and busiest office is room 262, that of the permanent secretary, whero most of tho technical work of tho organisation is supervised by the official in chargo. The library, with some 60,000 volumes, bears the number "0040," and is always referred to as "Double 0 Forty," or the Bookshop." The war has ohanged circumstanoes very much at the Horse Guards, and the personal upsets and discomforts at present experienced by the permanent officiate are hardly loss than, those of other citizens who havo been "hit" by the general upheaval. Nearly every one of the 500 executive rooms was, until August 5, .an abodo of comparative poaco and leisurely routino; now almost all find invaders billeted upon them, in accordance with what practically amounts to the doubling of tho strength, tho membership of tho daily stall' now amounting to ovor 2000. Among these aro scores of women—mostly typists in the paymaster's department—and ' squads of Boy .Scouts, who act as "special call-mes-sengers.

The demand l for extra helpers has extended to almost all departments. Thus, for example, the important corps of confidential shorthand clerks and typists, usually not more than four, has now been increased to a dozen, and tho number of "resident, clerks"—a highly desirablo billet, since it includes free loggings and attendance of a sumptuous enough kind : —lias in these days been increased, its members working night and day, according to duly scheduled shifts; there is an addition to the library corps, an increase of telegraph decoders, of precis oxperts, telephone and ■Morse operators.

I'referenco is given, of course, to all who have seen service with the colours, and it is not to bo doubted that tlio war lias provided many old army men with acceptable billets.

Of all departments, that of the paymaster is bearing the brunt of the invasion. His total average accounting for tho regulars amounts to over 5§ millions storling yearly. With several new armies in course of formation, it is easy to understand why tho accountants' offices are now the busiest in Whitehall. Of the authoritatively stated million sterling per day which, the war is costing,'the Horso Guards is dealing with at least three-fifths, or £600,000 daily. Incidentally, it may be said that the smallest cheque goes through seven sub-departments, beginning with the "claims " office, till it readies ' the paymaster's desk, whence it is dispatched to the payee. At one bound the War Office has become for the time being the greatest publisher of literature in the world. Itß output of technical' and administrative printed matter, always great, is said to exceed 20 tons weakly, and is issued by the various contracting printers. Telegrams are. sent out from Whiteball at the rate of 1000 dailv, including Sundays, while the corps of exchange telephonists is kept so continuously busy that it has been found necessary to divide the shifts in military fashion—that is to say, giving each operator four hours' rest, to his two hours on dutv.