[THE PAY OFFICE.]
The Pay Officer arrived in Canada on the 11th February, 1917, with four non-commissioned officers of the Imperial Army Pay Corps and eight boxes of army books and forms, the latter, however, being practically useless. Canadian conditions were vastly different from those in England.
A suitable office was located at 20 Victoria Street. The Pay Officer then immediately notified the press of his arrival and address, and work began on February 17th, necessary funds being drawn from the War Office through the British Remount Commission in Montreal.
Owing to values in Canada varying widely from those prevailing in England, it was essential to tread very warily regarding the fixing of rates of pay and allowances and innumerable other points known only to those who have experience in an Army Pay Office.
Once in the swing, and after numerous conferences and interviews with Imperial and Canadian authorities, the department became a hive of industry. Its extraordinary growth may be seen from the following table:
| Total Cash | Total Cash | No. of | No. of | |
| Month | expended on | issued to | Sub- | cheques |
| all services | Sub-accountants | accountants | issued | |
| February, 1917 | $ 2,000.00 | $ 1,500.00 | 2 | 26 |
| July, 1917 | 236,572.90 | 152,812.14 | 19 | 1354 |
| January, 1918 | 588,610.97 | 375,164.47 | 19 | 2926 |
| July, 1918 | 782,383.76 | 469,291.57 | 18 | 4036 |
The number of claims for separation allowance to wives of cadets, warrant officers and other ranks paid in February, 1917, was fifteen. At present 1,579 claims are issued every month. Similarly the payments to dependents have increased during the same period from 2 to 1,684. The expenditure incurred for the above services to the end of November, 1918, is approximately $1,200,000.