The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1917-12-26
Not One Person in Ten Seems to
Know About Allowance and
AIiotments in the
Army.
GIVE SOME
Insurance Law Of Army and Navy Al.
lows Men to Take Our Risk Loans
Protected From
Shysters.

what Uncle Sam pays his soldiers. II
will be safe to bet they don't know.
Half OF them may have some hazy
idea about a dollar a day." and you
Will find lots of people who think
Uncle Sam still pays the old scale OF
Sl3 a month, but few outside the army
Know tn ms and outs of the wage
scale. even for private soldiers.
The whole pay system of the United
States army has been revolutionized
since the war started.
A private in Uncle Sans armies,
regular. national guard or national
army, receives in cash as long as he
is in the United States, $33 a month, in
addition to food, clothing and medical
attendance.
When he is sent to Europe he gets
20 pei cent extra, whether in training
or in the trenches, which brings the
minimum cash pay up to $3.50 q
month. OF $1.30 a day.
The revolutionary part Of the pay
system, however, about which most
people are ignorant, is the scale of al
lowances made by the government to
the soldiers dependents. We are thus
breaking away from the old theory of
paying soldiers a flat wage for fighting
to h new theory hat the nation is
responsible for the welfare not only
of the man in service, but for the de-
pendents whom he left behind him.
Under this new scheme if there's a
wee wife waiting" she receives each
month direct from Uncle Sam SIS a
month, which is virtually an addition
to the fighting mans wage and brings
his total compensation up to $4S a
month while he is in the United States
and to $54.60 abroad.
If there is one child with the wife,
the allowance is $25 a month; two
children, $3.50. and so one up to the
point where with a wife and six chill
,dren Uncle Sam pays $50 a month in
cash to the family.
1t may not be enough to support
them, even with what the enlisted man
can send home out OF his wages. but it
is at least a recognition of Uncle
Sans responsibility and a bulwark
against dependence on charity.
Allowances are also provided for
dependent parents, $40 a month for
each, and for brothers, sisters and
grandchildren, SIS a month for each,
with the proviso that in any case the
government will not pay to the de-
pendents of any man more than $50
a month.
No mawkish prudery entered into
the drafting of these provisions: by
acknowledging his illegitimate child
a soldier may secure for it the full
governmental allowance, the only
provision being that if it is born after
Dec. 81, 1917, it must be born in the
United States. SO In HI case OF a
wife, there need to be no legal mar
riage If there is proof that they have
lived together as mar and wife for
two years prior to enlistment.
Uncle Sam also sees to it that his
soldiers do not throw all the burden
of caring for dependents on his broad
shoulders, by making it compulsory
for each man who has left a wife or
child behind to pay over to them
through the treasury at least SIS n
month and as much more. as will equal
the allowances which Uncle Sam
up to half a mans pay. Thus
for the man in service abroad who has
left a wife and child behind, the man
will have to assign to them at least
$3.50 a month to which the govern
ment will add $25, making a total OF
which they are sure to receive.
The old pension system is wiped out
the new and far more equitable sys-
of compensation for death and dis
This compensation differs from that
provided in any other law. 1t takes
the family as the unit that Is serving
the nation, not the individual a 1t
bases the compensation on the size OF
the family from time to time. While a
totally disabled bachelor will get only
$50 a month, the man with a wife and
children will get SIS. Twenty
is added if a nurse is required;
SO more If there is a dependent wild
owed mother; but if he loses both
hands or both feet, becomes totally
blind or helplessly bed-ridden he gets
500 a. month as long as he may live
whether he is married or not.
If he dies from injuries or disease
received in line Of duty, the widow,
children and widowed mother receive
ranging from $40 to SIS a month.
according to size of family. No dis
tinction is made between a private and
the highest officer.
In addition every man takes out In
france up to $1,000 at the actual cost
Of furnishing such insurance in peace
entire nation through the
treasury bears the war risk. The in
surance is wisely safeguarded to pro-
tect it from creditors, shyster lawyers
and oar sharks.
Telephone Girls Vote.
limited Press Leased Wire Service.1