Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1918-12-20
Allotments for Dependents.

AuOIu1GIlIS lOE DcpCkluenIS.
Probably the greatest piece Of legis-
lation that has been achieved by con-
gress during the present war il what
is known as the War Risk Insurance
act.
This IL the act under which provision
was made for the insurance Of all SOL
diers at nominal cost to themselves
and also established a system under
which the government helps to take
care Of the dependents Of soldiers in
the service.
The general working Of the allot-
ment system Is too we'll understood by
those most interested to warrant ex-
tended explanation at this time. fur
ther than to say that 1t provides that
dependents are to be taken care Of by
the government in cases where the SOL
reliance for support contributes a
certain part of lis pay for the purpose
Like all good laws that have to be Of
gener application in accordance with
fixed principles and conditions, this act
has been the means of no little harm
along with a great deal Of good.
For instance, there are people, thou
sands of them, who are best Off when
they are steadily at work; but who
work only because they are obliged to
work. Many of these have come with
in the benefit Of the allotment provi-
sion Of the act. and the main result has
been to make industrial slackers Of
them. That has occurred to a larger
extent among negro laborers Of the
south probably than anywhere else.
The act is not to be condemned on
account of the situation described-a
mere incident that Is as nothing COM
pared with the good that Is done in
helping real dependents who need and
merit help.
But the most Objectionable thing in
connection with this act has been the
miserable .ineffciercy Of its admins
|tration, for because of this much Of the
good that should have come Of 1t has
been all but lost.
The work Of the war risk bureau has
become all "balled up" through in
competent management, and allotment
checks to the amount Of millions Of
dollars that should have gone out
months and months ago, have never
yet been received by the people who
have all along stood in woeful need Of
them. In fact so badly behind Is the
bureau with its work, there is no tell
ing when it will ever catch up, and In
the meantime no doubt thousands and
thousands have suffered and are suf-
fering misery and distress for want OF
the help to which they were entitled
and which should have reached them
long ago.
The trouble is pretty generally at
tributed to the clerical force Of the war
risk bureau, which now has the repu-
tation Of being the most worthless
Gle rical force in the national capital.
Behind this inefficiency there is a
little story. william P. Borland, DEM
ocrat, of Kansas City, Mo-. believing
that everybody should work little
harder during war time, than at other
times sought the passage of a bill to
require government clerks to work
eight hours day instead Of only seven.
This war risk bureau crowd worked up
a combination Of most Of the clerks In
Washington. as The result Of which NE
Borland was defeated for reelection,
and since then the war risk clerks. in
stead Of the responsible managers
have been the bosses Of the bureau.
A regular army officer, with force
of enlisted men of about one-fourth
the size Of this war risk bureau mob,
would turn out twice as much work in
half the time, without working the
men more than eight hours day at
that.