The Pensacola journal., 1917-07-20
$4,000 Insurance May Be
Furnished Every Man
Going to Europe.
ALLOWANCES FOR
FAMILIES ALSO
But Thiss Applies Only to
Small Class, as Single
Are Being Taken.
Washington Bureau,
Pensacola Journal.

Washington, July 16.-Satisfactory
progress is being made by officials of
the treasury, labor and commerce de-
partments on the formation of a plan
to insure the lives, limbs and health
of every American who goes to Eu-
rope to engage in the war against
Germany, and to provide separation
allowances for the maintenance of
their wives, children and other depen-
dents.
The first announcement made by
the administration regarding this plan
about six weeks ago was to the effect
that the government intended to take
out an insurance policy of $4,000 on
the life of every officer and enlisted
man of the army and navy in lieu of
pensions.
Since then the scope of the plan
has been widened considerably and the
proposition now being investigated by
the departments contemplates insur-
ing each OF the fighters against death
and also total or partial disability and
embraces a plan of paying allowances
to the wife of the soldier or sailor
according to- the number in the family.
Because of the fact that no men
with dependents are 20 be drafted into
She national army and that men with
dependents are to be excluded as far
as possible from the national guard
the number of men for whom separa-
tion allowances must be made will be
comparatively small and confined
E>hiefly to officers and regular army
| nen.
Y The matter is now in the hands of
the war risk insurance bureau, in
the treasury deuartment, which is
making all possible haste to prepare
a blll tor submission to congress. This
bureau, under direct charge of Assis-
tant Secretary of the Treasury Rowe,
is giving consideration to the plans Is
operation in the other warning coun-
tries and suggestions made by some
OF the large insurance companies.
Before the conference of represen-
tatives of all the insurance companies
called by Secretary McAdoo, met here
on July . to discuss the proposition,
Assistant Secretary of Commerce
Sweet, with some other officials, had
made an extensive investigation of the
present to the insurance men.
AS an expression of the attiture Of
the administration towards insurance
for the soldiers and sailors the state
ment made to the insurance men at
the conference by Assistant Secretary
Sweet is interesting. He said:
Il believe there should be created
IN connection with one of the federal
departments, a soldiers and sailors
indemnity bureau, with a competent
man of insurance experience at its
head; that the necessary actusyial
and clerical assistance should be pro
vided; that protection for a definite
amount, not exceeding $4,000, should
be automatically furnished to every
one in the military and naval service
of the United States, without regard
to risk and without expense to the in
sureT; that such insurance or protec-
tion should cover partial and total
disability as we'll as death; that no
medical examination should be re-
quR'ed except that necessary for ad-
mission into the service: that all
losses should be paid in regular in
stallments that all adjustments should
be made with the least possible delay;
and, that limit, analogous to stat
utes of limitation, should be fixed for
the correction of records and the pre-
sentation of claims
"In addition to the protection thus
furnished to all engaged in war SER
vice, | think the same bureau should
be authorized to furnish death and
casualty benefits or protection to SOL
diers and sailors to the amount of
$4,000 to one individual, upon terms
as favorable as in times of peace"
Mr.. Sweet then made the following
recommendations TO the conference:
/. That the bureau be given au-
thority to arrange with one or more
insurance corporations for the trans
action of this business if expense can
be saved thereby.
,. That at the close of the war i'm
paired risks which have not become
actual claims, but which insurance
associations would not accept, be con-
tinued by the government.
5. That the amount of protection
to be furnished without cost to the
insured be in proportion to the num-