Evening star., 1919-04-20
Finance Divisions
Have Their Trouble

Finance Divisions when it en-
Have Their Trouble. ,sr .ros,
sione for the enlisted man and etHcers
on their discharge from the military.
service
One 'bh -of Legislation thai Imposed
q lotsof detail 10 of q class that they
all gladly undertake-the paymsnt
Of the $50 6sbonue to dfschafeed msn
NeverthsAees, It has entxifed a lot Of
detail. upon the pay o33cos of these
a million soldiers, sailors and ma
rine61nad boen discharged before Sths
signature of President wilson rto IL hes
fevsune bill 'completed the-3awk win CHI
gave this: lift to the men on sthe wayi
10 a re-establishment of themselves;
IN the business and social interests;
OF thetcountry. Within forty eight.
hours, Brig. Gen. HIN Lord. director.
Of Army finance, 8 and telegraphics in
stfuctinons ont all over the United
States directing claimants how to>se-,
cure the bonus. The Navy, and the
Marine Corps followed, suit, although
neither Of the others h&d any such
problem as that which confronted
the Army. as their total discharges:
AtF that time were relatively light
Cen Lord had TO create. q special or
gani3Ation Of nearly a thousand 10
handle the claims that have been
pouring in upon him; and they. al
though handling thousands Of claims
a day. are far from the completion
of the big task in accounting and
disbursement set for them.
Another act passed near the close OF
the session increased the mileage rate
cent and a half.a mile. Every one
Of the Hundreds of thousands who did
not receive their discharge in their
own home towns, or, more accurately,
at the place of their enlistment, IL
entitled to this additionaf mileage. In
many instances the sum IL % tridine
that the soldiers will never present
the claim, and that fact will defer'the
hnal closing Of the books for many q
year. The same act provided that the
soldier may have his, mileage either
to his homo or to his place. Of enlist
ment. In consequence All who have
received mileage are entitled to
larger sum. If their homes are fur
ther than their enlistment places. But
again. the act did not say how the
pay onicers should ascertain where
the homes of the discharged men
were located. A man who enlisted in
the city of New York might be enti-
tied TO no mileage; but IL he discov-
cred that his home was in San Fran
cisco, would, at the, rate of cents
mile from New York, have quite flne
extra sum coming to him for a trip,
which he need not take. across the
continent.
Gen. Lord decided that his Office
could not take the responsibility of
deciding what proof of his residence
is necessary on the apart of the SOL
dier to get this extra amount, and
Treasury officials will have to advise
the finance division on this question,
trifiing in most instances, but in the
aggregate huge sum.
In the spring of 1918 the Secretary
of War decided that the pay of avia-
tor students should be reduced. and
reduced it was: but the controller Of
the Treasury decided that the law did
not authorize The reduction. Hence
thousands of aviator cadets have
been fling claims for additional pay.
and the finance division has been put
ting a large clerical force at work
upon the adjustment. These are
some of the reasons Why it is impos-
sible to reduce the Office force in this
division.
The national defense act provides
for the partial support OF the
Eatio n al
Making Provisions for Guard from
National Guard. funas hut
one Of, the things that the hast Con-
'gress did not do was to appropriate
funds to be used for the purpose
The drafting of the National Guard
into the federal service separated the
personnel SO drafted from their obli-
CATION to the guard: And, therefore,
the states are in the plight Of hav-
ing few, II any, guard units left and
at the same time are deprived of
federal aid for reorga anization, equip
ment. training and maintenance. Some
of the states are sadly in need OF such
organizations to support their admin
istrative machinery: and in this state
of things the bureau of militia af-
fairs of the War Department is is
suing a letter to the state adjutants-
general announcing its policy as to
recognition of new units in the Ma
tional Guard. 1t will set forth the
wish of the War Department to pro-
vide equipment for as many units as
the funds available will supply. The
states which seek such assistance in
the organization of the guard units
must give cogent reasons for their
recognition and must undertake to
complete the organization prior to
June 80.
The militia bureau is making it
quite plain that the War Department
is not calling upon the states to or
EaRige guard units al the present