Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1918-12-20
PAYROLL TANGlES.

PAYROLL TANGLES.
Ineffieieney and Red Tape Give Much
Trouble. !,
Thousands and thousands OF pay
allotments to the wives and relatives
Of the American soldiers. many d.
whom are in serious need Of money
are being held up through the un.
warrented and unauthorized action oi
the quartermaster general Of the army
in taking the distribution Of the SOL
diers' pay away from the War Risk
Bureau and directing that the work
be done by his division. It is declared
by Congressman Edward Saunders OF
Virginia. writes a staff correspondent
OF the Philadelphia Ledger from
Washington.
Mr.. Saunders Is so wrought up over
the matter, which he styles wanton
assumption Of authority without act
tion by congress, that he has intro
duced a hill directing the quartermas-
ter general to begin Immediately pay
ing the allotments to the soldiers de-
pendcnts and to promptly pay up all
arreaiages.
"The abominable delay in making
payments of the monthly salary allott
ments to the wives and families OF the
soldiers has all been brought about
by the action Of the quartermastef
general in taking over this job from
the War Risk Bureau" said Congress-
men Saunders. .
"The War Risk Bureau had tackled
an enormous job that Of distributing
monthly allotments and allowances to
more than 100000 soldiers and sail:
ors. but after a series Of vexatious
delays was getting along In pretty
GOOD shape until July L. continued
Mr.. Saunders. "Then the quarter
master general Of the army took away
from the War Risk Bureau the pay
ment Of allotments where there were
no accompanying allowances, and the
said checks would be sent direct by
the war department. 4
"The quartermaster general SEM
out what Is known as General Ordef
3S to all commanders. instructing THAI
all men make out papers for allotmena
of salary upon printed forms suppl.
cd by the department.
"Orders were issued by the quarter
master general disseminating all pay
mcnts of allotmcnts not carrying al
lowances until receipt of the printed
forms. .
I'm cases where the men were near
Washington and where prompt action
was possible there was not much de-
Law in the taking up Of the monthly
allotment payments Of the war de-
partment. But in thousands OF In
stances the blanks were not returned
promptly and papers from thousands
ESf other soldiers IN France and othez
points have not yet been received.
As a consequence, the payment OF al
Iotments to the wives and families has
ceased since July 1.
Soldiers Families Suffering.
THE result has been that thous-
ands and thousands Of soldiers have
not returned the printed forms, CHIEF
" through no fault of their own. and
the families are suffering because
they have not received any checks
since July l."
The navy department also took over
the distribution of allotments to the
wives and families of the sailors on
July /, 1t is learned but there have
been no complaints Of delay In salary
allotment payments by the depart
ment.
Inquiry ut the war-risk bureau to-
day as TO the reason the war depart
ment has not made payments to the
soldiers beneficiaries, while the navy
department has made them promptly
brought this reply from higher OF
fetal:
"The navy has q perfectly smooth
running organization while the quart
crmastcr generals division OF the war
department Is all in the air and WITH
out any organization at all; thars
your answer briefly"
This high official Of the War RISK
Bureau then explained that before the
change was made on July l. the navy
department sent out orders by radio-
graph to all commanders to have the
necessary papers sent in quickly from
the men making allotments and they
were sent in. Even without these au-
thorities the payments could nave
been, and they were made promptiy
by the navy department, because II
had on file duplicates Of all papers IN
the War Risk Bureau. he said. ihe
war department did not
The Saunders bill after declaring
in its preamble that the War RisK
Bureau was established to pay the al
lotments to beneficiaries: that the
enlisted men filed the proper authori-
zation papers, that payments were
regularly made by the War RISK bu-
reau UP to July l. and than on tna'
"tr tho uuartermaster general or the
army. pending receipt OF new au-
thority to allot from the enlisted men
discontinued all the payments, d.
rccts the quartermaster general 10
make allotments indicated by papers
on file with the War Risk Bureau anu
to promptly pay up all arrearases'
In a speech to the retiring orai'
hoa rda In New York last SaturQay, Mo-