Judge, 1918-04-13 · page 14 of 36
Judge — April 13, 1918 — page 14: what you’re looking at
What you’re looking at
This cartoon satirizes the absurd bureaucratic inefficiency of World War I-era government procurement. A soldier seeking overalls is sent on a maddening runaround through multiple overlapping departments: Bureau 5, Department 96-K, Division 672-8, Bureau 6529, the Board of Wearables, the Textiles Board, Division 292, and various secretaries. The joke exposes how a simple request spawns endless forms, stamps, and referrals—each official redirecting him elsewhere. The caption "An intimate peep into the great war machine" delivers the satirical punch: the military bureaucracy itself is as much an obstacle as enemy forces. By war's end, the soldier still hasn't received his overalls, illustrating how government red tape wastes resources and time when military supplies are urgently needed.
📄 Transcribed text from this page (OCR, searchable)
Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.
Red “ALL RIGHT - JL MAKE YOU OUT A REQUISITION, ‘TAKE IT To BUREAU 5 TO “\'>D LIKE ~ pa OF OVERAUS , SIR.” “THESE VOUCHERS MUST BE STAMPED AT THE CLOTHING BUREAU,” “ALL OF THESE FORMS | EXCEPT YOUR REQUISITION ARE USELESS — TAKE IT TO DEPARTMENT 96-K,” “TAKE THESE FORMS TO DIVISION 672-8 OF BUREAU 6529.” Draten by R. B. Futter Tape anda Pair “iLL MAKE OUT ANOTHER FORM OR TWO TO GO WITH YOUR REQUISITION, “THEY WILL FACILITATE MATTERS AT “THESE DONT BELONG HERE. TAKE EM TO | AY THE BOARD OF WEARABLES, “WHERE ARE THE 27 OTHER FORMS “TO GO WITH YOUR REQUISITION ? You MUST SEE SECRETARY NO, 2722 “LEAVE YOUR PAPERS HERE. ‘YOu'Lt BE NOTIFIED WHEN YouR. OVERALLS COME FROM THE FACTORY. An intimate peep into the great war machine of Overalls “THESE GO To THE TEXTILES BOARD YO BE VISED.” “THESE PAPERS GO TO DIVISION 292, OF BOARD x-Y-2: “ALL O.Ki= TAKE EM TO! THE CLOTHING ~~ comicisoo!