OFFICE WORK OF A GARRISON BATTERY. 
493 
62, will prevent some losses. To stop the battery overdrawing, a book can 
be prepared giving the number of men in each mess at the beginning of the 
month, the number of rations drawn by each mess daily, and all casualties 
in each mess. Remember that when a man is deprived pay for being absent 
without leave more than two days, the mess is very apt to draw a ration or 
rations that they are not entitled to. Thus, if a man is absent from 11 p.m. 
1st June to 1a.m. 3rd June, the mess will, if not watched, draw 30 rations 
that month for the man instead of 29; so that the return of men mulcted 
pay must be used to check the book. Also, before drawing ration-money 
for any man on pass or furlough, refer to this book to see if the mess have 
allowed for the casualty, and for the consequent diminution of the number 
of rations. 
Letter Book. 
30. It depends on how this book is kept, whether it is of real use or 
not. You have to remember that in working a battery you are running a 
machine that ought to be in such state that the officer who may at any 
moment receive it over from you shall find full details of all past tran¬ 
sactions ready to his hand. Thus a letter, “In reply to your letter, I 
have the honour to inform you that the articles were received from the man 
and disposed of as you requested,” may be quite intelligible at the time; 
but if Major and Pay-Serjeant change, and a year afterwards reference be 
made as to what has become of, say a belt belonging to another battery, 
such a form gives no help. Again, a letter intelligible to you may not be 
so to the receiver. “ Please state where Gunner Brown is,” for example, 
was answered, “ Which Brown—I have had ten from your brigade ?” In 
each case it would have been a little longer, but much clearer, to have written 
“In reply to your letter,No. 115, of 4th May, 1889, requesting me to take 
a waist-belt and frog of your battery from No. 120 Gunner James Cullen, 
recently transferred to me, and to give them to No. 140, Corporal 
George Smith, of your battery, attached to mine, I have the honour to state 
that this has been done. Corporal Smith's receipt is attached.” Or, 
“Please state where No. 4126, Gunner George Brown, No. 5 Battery, 
29th Bde. ft.A., now is. When last heard of (in June 1878) he was 
attached to your battery.” 
31. Keep your letter book with the inner half-margin always blank at 
first starting. When a letter refers to another one written by you before 
on the same subject, turn back to the previous one, and enter in red ink on 
the margin, “ See also No. 112, of 4th May, 1899;” so that in the case of 
any long correspondence, coming across any letter, you can trace the whole 
series. Answers to your letters received, if short, can be copied into the 
margin in red ink. If they must be separate, put them into the guard book 
for “Letters Received,” inserting in the margin of your letter, “ See p. 96, 
Letters Received. Officer Comdg. 5/25, of 24th July, 1899, claim paid,” 
or some similar remark. Go over your letter book occasionally, to see that 
this has been done, and that no subject has dropped in error, at the same 
time inserting similar remarks when necessary. “ Received.” “ Settled.” 
“Application sanctioned; man discharged, 4th September, 1899.” 
32. The “Letters Received” should be gone through in the same 
manner, with similar remarks. “Sent.” “Answered by 115, of 2nd July, 
