Evening star., 1936-10-25

was no way Of knowing If q bonded
deputy had not signed an extra IS
signatures, for no tabulation was pos
sible. Today, by means OF the sign
ing machine, not one signature more
nor less than the number of checks
sent through the addressograph can
be secured.
The signing device, which bears Mr..
Aliens signature, is kept under lock
and key within the safe when not
actually in use. Only certain en-
ployes have keys to the machine, so
no one can tamper with 1t. There are
two counters on the machine and
they count every signature made and
check against each other. A record
is kept of every signature made on
the machine. This device was made
to specifications provided by the Di-
vision of Disbursement and is used
In Washington and in regional offices
throughout the country. 1t was neces-
sary to obtain special consent Of the
Secretary of the Treasury for its op-
Grafton when the volume of signing
became so great that the old signo-
graph system became inadequate to
meet the situation.
When the checks come from the
signing machine each one is proof
read before it leaves the Disburse-
ment Division. In case Of typo.
graphical errors, within the division,
substitute checks are issued and the
old ones accounted for. If a check
once gets out and is returned be-
cause some department head made
a mistake in name or amount, that
check has to be Cancelled. A stop
order" Is sent out on it and the
voucher must be recertifled by the
administrative head in whose depart
ment it originates. and the entire
process of sending it to the DisburSe-
ment Division, checking and record
ing must be gone through with again.
The function of the actual distribu-
ton of the checks is delegated by Mr..
Allen to representatives of the various
departments selected for that pur-
pose. The evening before pay day
checks are sent to these various agents
and they make the distribution in
the departments, securing the receipt
of every employe to whom a check Is
given.
But these 10000 checks do not con-
stitute all of Mr.. Aliens paying activ-
tiles the 18th and 30th of each month.
There are $4,000 employees who are
paid In cash for their services. For
the most part these represent em-
ployes who earn $4,000 or less, and
cash payment is usually by request
of the department head.
Actual recorded figures show that
each fortnight period these cash pay
ments amount to $1,650,000. The cor
rect amounts for each pay envelope
are put up in the Treasury vaults.
Two or three days before pay day
a force from Mr.. Aliens staff goes
over to the Treasury Building and
there in two especially constructed
rooms within the vault itself they
set to work to make proper division
of this enormous amount of money.
The rooms are air-conditioned and
everything is made as comfortable
as possible for the men while they
work. 1t is their job to divide the
money and place the proper amount
in each pay envelope as provided by
the department head.
A MOTHER carefully picked crew
attends to distribution of these
envelopes throughout the departments.
They are sent under armed guard
and in armored cars to different points
in the departments, where booths are
set up. Two agents from the Dis
bursement Division attend to distribu-
ton from each booth, one locating
the pay envelope and the other seeing
to it that each recipient signs for his
money.
So remarkably well has every func-
tion been co-ordinated in connection
with this matter of paying Uncle
Sans 115,00O or so employees that
one is scarcely conscious of the vari-
GUS phases of the machinery. This
is fine tribute, certainly, to the man
who is responsible for all this mech
anism having to do with the disburse-
ment of money.
Long experience in the financial
world and Government background
and responsibility have fitted Mr..
Allen for the job. When he was
appointed chief disbursing officer in
December, 1888, there were 500 diff
ferent officers, managing 500 sepa-
rate accounts, and disbursing funds
throughout the United States. He
was brought in to consolidate these
forces within his own Office, and this
he has done, to the end that large
sums have been saved by reducing
appropriations required heretofore to
carry on the scattered activities of a
corps of disbursers. Likewise, Mr..
Aliens department has absorbed a
big increase in divisional functions
without asking for an increase in ap-
propriations.
1t was back in 1901 that Mr.. Allen
first worked with figures. At that time
he entered the Treasury Office as book
keeper. He was chief of the Account
ing Division from 1918 to 1920 and
for two years was Assistant Treasurer
of the United States. He was Treas
urer for four months, when John
Burke resigned on January S, 1921.
Mr.. Allen was Treasurer until May,
1921. Prior to this time, and while
he was chief Of the Accounting Di-
vision, the Secretary of the Treasury
sent him to Europe during the war to
do consolidation work in France and
England. After his brief period as
Treasurer. Mr.. Allen became execu-
tive assistant to the director of the
budget, a post he held for IL years,
until his appointment to his present
Office.