U.  S.  ARMY  MEDICAL  STOREKEEPERS.  89 
mand  that  subordination  and  respect  from  inferiors  which  attaches 
to  actual  and  acknowledged  rank  in  a  superior. 
A  uniform  has  been  established  by  regulations  for  storekeepers 
in  the  department  to  which  they  belong,  but  practically  no  atten- 
tion is  paid  to  it,  each  one  wearing  what  fancy  or  convenience 
dictates,  without  any  mark  of  rank,  however. 
Having  no  assimilated  rank,  they  are  not  in  the  line  of  promo- 
tion; nor  are  they  or  their  families  entitled  to  any  pensions  or 
bounties  under  existing  laws,  should  they  be  injured  or  killed,  or 
die  from  disease  contracted  while  in  the  line  of  their  duty;  the 
position  being  considered  rather  a  civil  than  a  military  addition 
to  the  army. 
The  position  of  storekeeper  is  one  of  considerable  magnitude 
and  responsibility,  the  property  passing  through  his  hands,  and 
for  which  he  is  accountable  while  in  his  care,  amounts  to  millions 
of  dollars  annually. 
The  law  requires  him  to  receive,  issue,  and  safely  store  it ;  he 
must  keep  an  account  with  each  item,  and  make  returns  quarterly, 
accounting  for  every  ounce  or  yard  or  single  thing  that  comes 
into  his  possession,  and  he  must  be  sure,  too,  that  he  receives  all 
he  is  charged  with,  by  looking  sharply  after  those  who  may  be 
furnishing  his  depot  with  supplies ;  this  for  his  own  protection  as 
well  as  for  the  Government. 
Enough  clerical  assistance  is  allowed  to  perform  the  great 
amount  of  labor  necessarily  accumulating;  system  and  economy 
are,  however,  rigidly  enjoined,  and  no  unnecessary  expenses  of  any 
kind  are  allowed  in  the  settlement  of  accounts  with  the  Treasury. 
As  he  is  responsible  for  the  stores  passing  through  or  in  his  hands, 
he  is  also  responsible  for  the  honesty  and  efficiency  of  those  em- 
ployed by  him,  and  can  therefore  appoint  his  own  clerks. 
When  a  requisition  is  received  from  a  Surgeon  in  charge  of  a 
hospital,  or  of  a  regiment  in  the  field,  having  first  obtained  the 
approval  of  the  Medical  Director  of  the  Department  in  which  it 
is  located,  it  is  at  once  packed — all  the  supplies  being  con- 
veniently put  up  for  issue  according  to  the  Supply  Table — and 
marked  ready  for  shipment,  each  package  also  being  marked  with 
the  name  of  the  class  to  which  its  contents  belong.  A  packer's 
list,  giving  in  detail  the  contents  of  each  package,  is  sent  by  mail, 
