RAFINO Report
ISSUE 21 - Fall 1998  - Return to Index

COMMERICAL ACCOUNTS IN AUSTRALIA
By Ralph Metzger

When the R.P.H. (Remember Pearl Harbor) group arrived in Melbourne, it didn't take long to find out that a ship of replacements and fillers had been diverted from the Philippines.  The ranking officer did assign personnel to necessary duties.  They needed office space, furniture, office equipment, quarters and messing facilities plus transportation.  The group didn't have a Purchasing Officer or a Quartermaster on board.  I suspect than anybody needing equipment conned dealers and merchants out of their wares saying that the US Government would pay later.  Some signed receipts.  Others did not.  

These purchases were not forwarded to the Purchasing & Contracting Officer or the Property Officer, QMC.  After months had passed, the dealers started looking for someone to pay these bills which by then piled sky high!  Finally a Purchasing Officer was appointed for each area.  He called on the dealers, and after the prices of the items were agreed upon, a Purchase Order was accomplished.  The QM then did the best he could to make stock records out of Receipt of Goods.  These documents were brought to the F.O. for payment.

There were thousands of claims and more and more complaints were received by Command Headquarters where the discrepancy hit the fan.  A Directive was published that all bills would be paid by a certain time.  At this point these outstanding claims were over a year old.  We Finance troops paid most of them by 29 Jan 43 through Class Be Agents stationed in Perth, Alice springs, Darwin, Daly Waters, etc.

My Commercial Account Section was gigantic.  It had to be to get the checks to the vendors in record time.  Lt. Col. Derby was Agent F.O. on shipboard and had funds to pay troops which they badly needed in Australia.  These accounts were taken in by the Chief Finance Officer.  I never did find out just how these partial payments were handled by the Personnel Sections.  Finally, however, the accounts were settled, and we went on with the WAR.