The Washington times., 1936-12-22

in the editorial room by 5:15 p. M, or
should phone DI. 1000. branch 21O.
Blobs Of mud splashed on the
efficiency Of the General Account
ing Office, inspired by politics,
dissolve before the rainwater OF
fact.
Since the depression caused TO-
nation of the emergency agency
set-up, the G. A. o. has been con.
stantly ION the pan" with various
bureau heads, old-line and New
Deal, for alleged delay, particu'
larly in voucher auditing.
A survey of confidential figures
within the agency, however, has
revealed G. A. o. to be as eff.
ficient as its criticizing agencies
if not more so, and has shown
that any tied up work is due en-
tirely to lack of personnel, space
to put the personnel, and suf.
ficient money to get both. And
to lack of cooperation by critt
ciZerS.
Although there have been COM
plants that it takes a month to
get a travel voucher repaid to an
employe, and although this is fire.
quently a fact, G. A. o. officials
declare that their figures show
the average time taken on a
voucher is but five. days. This in
dicates two or three weeks of
bouncing around the vouchers
home office before it is sent to the
old Pension Office Building. Said
one:
MANY field men have to
wait longer for their offices to
pay them travel expense money
after we have certified their
voucher than 1t takes us to
handle it,"
During November the G. A. o.
preaudited $4,000 vouchers, and
since the beginning of the fiscal
period in July its preaudit total
prior to December reached over
100000, yet there were but Sc
vouchers held up for one reason or
another.
Among To-day" accounts, re-
ceiving action three times a month
to keep them as up to date as pos
Sible, those involving travel ex-
penSe, administrative pay, security
wage workers and miscellaneous
items are we'll UP to date, but it
is admitted accounts involving
contracts for emergency and other
agencies are two months in ar.
rearS.
According to G. A. o. figures,
however, it has been faced with
the additional post-auditing task
Of handling 100000 bonus
vouchers, for liquidating adjusted
service certificates, and on Decem.
Der 18 had polished off 1882. 900
of them. Started September /,
this work will be completed by
June.
With a total of 100000 vouch-
ers having poured in since the
emergency began, and those from
AAA's rental-benefits and Hole
not having been transferred to
G. A. o. as yet, the accounting of.
flee has necessarily allowed it's old
line regular" accounts to take
second place in its schedule.
Nevertheless it has made prog
ress on the regulars" since a
compact auditing division was
formed, cutting its overdue time
on this type of account from 18
months to but eight at present.
The total of unaudited permanent
accounts grew, however, from
8,131 on June 80, 1934-just before
the avalanche of emergency work
crashed down on G. A. O.-to
1923 a year later. It has re.
manned at this level and totaled
14,428 on November 80.
Lack Of space at G. A. O.'s main
building has also caused trouble.
officials criticizing personnel and
personnel criticizing its bosses
under cover. The cafeteria is too
small and lacks hot food, but
there is no space to expand. One
of the upper balconies lining the
Pension Building can't be used, it
is explained, because fire regula-
tions against blocking a corridor
would prevent it," Likewise, COM
fort facilities are few and tiny,
50 that workers have made a prac.
tice of leaving desks before they
should in order to wash up either
for lunch or closing time-and
thereby escape a disastrous delay
Cash and cooperation, sans criti-
cism, seems the vital need.
Obediah L. jerks and Percival
Pumpkin no longer can call them.
selves o. L. jerks and P. Pumpkin
on Government pay rolls. This
order has been circulated by Act
ing Comptroller General Elliott:
'In order to further insure
that all payments will be made
only to the individuals entitled
thereto, the practice in compar-
atively few instances heretofore
followed of showing on vouchers
and rolls the INITIALS and sur.
name of individuals will be dis
continued, insofar as may be
practicable, and commencing not
later than February l, 1887, all
vouchers, rolls and checks of the
departments, establishments and
agencies of the Federal Govern
ment and of the District of Co
lumbia shall show the Christian
name, additional initials, if any,
and surname of each individual
entitled to payment. Employ
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