The counting house was staffed by a number of clerks. Before their positions were made official the accountant sometimes hired an accounts notary (escribano de cuentas) out of his own salary. [Note 4: Lazaro Saez de Mercado 7/18/1582; Alonso Sanchez Saez 5/8/1586] In 1593 the crown approved a chief clerk of the counting house (oficial mayor de la contaduria) to be paid a regular plaza and 200 pesos from the bonus fund. When the accountant was away this clerk usually served as his substitute. The position of assistant clerk of the counting house (oficial menor de la contaduria) with a salary supplement of 50 pesos a year was approved in 1635. The assistant clerk was also known as the clerk of the half-annate (oficial de la media anata), although the half-annate was seldom collected. [Note 5: Gov. Quiroga y Losada and royal officials 5/8/1689; Nicolas Ponce de Leon, seen in Council 2/8/1631, summary; muster of 5/28/1683, enclosed with Gov. Marques Cabrera 6/28/1683] If the work load at the office became heavy, temporary help might be hired, but the king did not want this charged to his treasury. When Accountant Ponce de Leon and his substitute allowed the books to get eight years behind, the other officials were told to deduct from salaries the cost of bringing them up to date. [Note 6: Marginal notation on Francisco Menendez Marquez and Pedro Benedit Horruytiner 5/17/1646] (Bushnell KC)