Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1919-04-01
A TANGLE IN ALLOTMENTS
By Frederic j. HaSkin


vASHINGTON, D. c., March 2.-Every
W. day, large number of returned SOL
diers, bearing scars Of war and in
sigma of overseas regiments, visit the head
quarters of the finance division of the war de
partment here in search of missing allot-
ments. Most of these men have been allOtting
a certain portion of their monthly pay to rela
tives or to business concerns ever since hey
were sent across and it is rather disappcint-
ing upon reaching home to find that the
money mas been held UP SOm9Wh &c by a mass
of government red tape.
"My mother tells me that she hasn't re-
ceived q cent from the government since
early last summer" said a young One-armed
soldier the other morning, land yct the
p&ny commander has been deGuciing ten dol
lars from my pay every month to be sent to
my mother" He was very courteous and
cheerful about it--much more So commented
the lady who looked up his case than she
would be under similar circumstances.
After diigent searching 40 record could
Oe found Of this particular -oid.er's ajlOt-
ment, so he was taken before notary public
and asked to make an affidavit conce ming
his allotment. A check for he am mt whicO
he had paid and which his mother had not
received was then presented him by the direc-
COR of finance.
This is what the government is doing in
every case where mans service locOrd can
not be fOund-accepting mans affidavit and
will be able to trace the unpaid all@fmeni and
change its bookkeeping later. This is the
only fair way to settle an unfortunate mis-
understanding, and it is safer thau it looks.
By psychological test, the crimina, element
was eliminated from the army in the early
part of the American mobilization, and the
average man does not make q fa.se affiHavit.
1t is only too true that, While hlndreds of
thousands of alOtments lave emo ltllly
reached their destination without misunder
standing or miGhap, several hundred have not
II numerous cases it is beca"se II films out
the applications fer 2llotmel.s tn men iave
made mistakes, They give the wrong adj
ii eas, or they give such unsa tisiactory adj
dresses as king Georges county" or New
York City. Sometimes, moreove', the person
to whom the allotment is to be paid moves
to a now address without letting the Wal de
partment know. But in 90 per cent of the
cases the blame can be placed upon The tangla
Of red tape which stretches from the risk
bureau Of the treasury department to the
finance division Of the war department.
1t is an extremely complicated affair so
we will begin at the. beginning. Since the
year 1899 the finance division has been han-
ding the allotments made to their families
and for other purposes by officers and en-
listed men outside the continental limits Of
the United States. When the United States
entered the European war, however, the war
risk bureau was established, which took over
all family aIlotments, compulsory or vLtun-
tary. This left the finance division with lit
tie to do but to take care of the mans bust
ness interests-the numerous miscellaneous
allOtments made to cover such Thugs as the
interest on loans and mortgages, real estate
investments, bills, lodge dues. bonds, and
club and church subscriptions.
Last summer when an amendment to the
war risk insurance act was nassed by con-
greSs, providing a specific government allow.
ance to meet a specific allotment from every
soldier, attention was called 20 ,fe fact that
the war risk bureau was h 1ndling large
number OF voluntary alotments of the old
army type for which it did lot necessarily
have any authority under the law.
At a conference held between the secretary
Of war, the secretary Of the navy and the SEE
rotary of the treasury, it was decided that
since the war risk bureau was so Overwcrked
anyway, it would be wise to transfer the VOL
untary amily allOtmcnts it lad been paying
back to the finance division Of The wal de-
partment. (By voluntary allotment, be it
| understood, is meant that part { d mans pay
which is contributed by him without request
for allowance from the gOVernment) Ac-
cord1ngly, instructions were framed 10 be
| sent to the commanding officers of every
| regiment, explaining the nature or the trans
| fer and requesting that the men be informed
Unfortunately, these instructions were sent
out long after the transfer was made The
men did not know that they w ere expected to
send in Their voluntary allCtments on what
/ .
the war department instead of the blank for
merry used by the war risk bureau In other
cases the blanks were lost before they rea. he'd
the finance division. The deductions for al
| Otments from the mems pay were entered On
| the books of the depot Quartermasters but
| there the record ended.
Without the applications for a,lotments
| the finance division had no authority to pay
| out any money. The authority had been
| taken away from the WNr risk Bureau which
| did have the applications, am IS a result, the
| allOtments were not paid. At the time it was
| suggested that the records of the war risk
| bureau be turned over to the finance division
| but the war risk bureau refused t. do this,
| because their records were all they had to
| show as authority for making past payments
! Thus, in attempting to correct an error made
| in the early part of the American engage
| ment, a greater problem was created than if
! it had been let alone.
| A party of Americans was being conducted
! over the ancient abbey in one of the old Eng
| lish towns. The learned attendant pointed
out the ages of the various parts, and re
| ferring to one arch in particular said:
THAT arch may possibly go back to vii
| liam the ConQUerOr"
Don't you like it," promptly asked one
| of the sightseeTs.
The attendant signifed he did not under
stand.
'Wall, why ere you sending it back, any
Way?" was the reply. Don't it suit yOu?"