The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1917-12-14

towns have been close listeners at all
the sessions, but this morning Strudell
proved the attraction that drew the
sole male auditor to the meeting.
John c. Waters, local attorney just
sworn in on the local legal advisory
committee for the draft, put in an
| early appearance and announced his
| intention of staying thru the lecture
even If there were no other men cour-
ageous enough to attend the meeting
or bevy of women. And Waters was
literally the sole male auditor.
Strudell opened his talk with re-
sumo of the purpose of the home ser
vice section of the Red Cross in the
| administration of relief to the de-
pendents of the boys in khaki who are
unable to furnish sufficient funds
from their pay or allowances to main
tain the ideals of the family. He de-
clared that there are three main pur-
poses for which this service was I'M
dertaken, first, to disseminate infor-
nation concerning the war risk bill,
second the work of the section in TAX
ing up the responsibility before the
government got into action and after
the government left off in the care of
dependents. and third. to determine
just how much additional aid was
necessary in individual cases to meet
the need of thefamily and to make up
the deficit"
Provide for Families.
Interpreting the second section of
the War Risk bill Strudell said, "Ev-
cry soldiers is compelled to make an
allotment of at least SIS to care for
ms wife and children while he is gone.
O1 course the soldier may increase
this allotment as much as he is able,
out the SIS allotment of pay is COM
pulsory in the case of enlisted men
including non-commissioned officers"
Song on from this point Strudell
h@
tween allotments and allowances. His
Interpretation was. IAN allotment is a
sum sent from soldiers regular paw,
put an allowance for a dependent
Iamliy can be obtained only by appli-
cation to the government by either
the-s soldier or the dependents. In mass
ing, might say that the soldier is the
logical person to make the applica-
ton, as a great amount of red tape
can be avoided by this method The
soldler makes application and swears
TO the statements therein, but the de-
pendent wife or mother or other rela-
uon must secure birth records. mar
rage certificates and endless docu-
ments TO support the claim 1t is lust
mere that the Home Service section
comes INTO play and in two ways: it
VIII help the dependent to make the
apphcatlon and it will furnish finan-
clal aid to tide over the time between
the application and the receipt of the
ilrst allowance, and will continue to
help after the allowance is made if
necessary"
The government has already turn
ca over for investigation by the .Sed
cross home service section over fifty
cases OF partial dependency of wives
ano motners- The way the govern
ment makes these allowances is this:
me cases are investigated and the
average contribution of the soldier to
the support of the family for the year
preceding enlistment is computed.
Ihen the government makes up the
Inference nr II any between the soldiers
allotment of pay and his former aver
age monthly contribution. In MANY
cases this is not sufficient to maintain
proper conditions and right here the
fed cross steps in and lends it's finsn-
cal AID IN making up the difference"
The Pension Fund.
Speaking of the last or insurance
section of the bill Strudell defined the
Inference between the insured man
IN the army and the man who merely
took the pension feature of the bill.
II man takes out $4,000 in gov
eminent insurance and is permanently
disabled or killed either he or his
FAMILY receives the $50 per month
pension allowance plus the s57.50 in
surance payment for the twenty years
I'LL the $4,000 is paid out.
further provision for the return
10 civil life of men partially crippled
IN the war has been made by the
surgeon generals department by
series of hospitals in this country
where the men are sent for con-
VdIescence and where they are taught
trades commensurate with their anil
lty. Then the Red Cross takes them
up and finds jobs for them in or near
thelr home towns where they NAV
follow these trades instead of becorn
ing objects of charity and peddlers
OF pencils and shoe-strings on the