Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1918-05-21
Uncle Sam Writing
More Insurance Than
Twenty Big Companies

Washin gton, May 21.-More than
sic, 900, 900, 900 Insurance on the lives Of
more than 1900, 900 soldiers and sailors
already has been written by the bureau
| of war risk insurance. That IS sald TO
! be more insurance, all written since
the middle of last October, than is to-
| cay on the books of the twenty largest
life insurance companies in the world.
All kinds of problems have been met
with in achieving this gigantic task,
according to information furnished to
congress by Thomas B. Love, assistant
secretary of the treasury, In charge OF
the bureau. and other officials.
The war risk law provided for pay
ment of family allowances and allot-
ments and for administration or COM
pensation insurance law applicable 10
, 1000, 900 risks and for the writing OF
this insurance on the lives of pos
sible 100000 soldiers and sailors. Inc
applications for allowances and allot-
ments of the soldiers or sailors pay
had to be obtained from the ends of the
earth to which those in war service
have been scattered. From Dec. ~
until the beginning Of this month the
bureau mailed out 100000 individual
checks to families of dependents in the
United States. approximately S60,OpO,-
Gee has been paid in allowances ana
allotments; and in addition many thou
sand claims for compensation have been
made some paid and others disalloWed.
More than 95 per cent Of the soldiers
and sailors listed in the bureau have
taken the insurance and applications
Fo, - at 1a tlN in
yolving from s50D00,O00 to 100000, 900
Of Insurance during the last month.
clerical force of about 1890 people is
employed by the bureau in the work.
a bill is now pending in congress, fav-
Crably reported by the house interstate
commerce committee. amending the law
in a number of details, providing Tor
instance that automatic insurance shall
be payable to the mother whether de-
pendent or not and to the father a.
well, and making other broadening
features in the interest Of the soldiers
nearest Of kin.
Bureau records show that there are
1662,091 application blanks returned on
which the man states he has no depend
ents of any kind. There is a surpris-
ingly large percentage OF those men
who do have dependents, the first
knowledge OF whom the bureau learns
when the dependents write in for in
forma ton
One of the surprising Developments
is the number of complaints that tho
bureau is getting from men who have
asked exemption from their wives or
who claim they have no wives In one
city recently Commissioner Nesbit, OF
the bureau, has advised congress, ne
recently sent an investigator to look
into thirty-three cases where men mao
claimed exemption from their wives
and said they did not know where the
wives were living. The bureau located
thirty-one of the thirty-three wives
within a week and the government has
absolute evidence that many OF these
men knew where their wives were. The
men did not want the wives to get the
money.
In the course of the testimony recent
" given before the house committee
Paymaster General COwie. of the navy.
declared that in the exceptional cases
where naval officers do not support
their families they are made to do so
very quickly. About six weeks ago
Wlfe called at the navy uepot ...'e'
about failure OF support and inside OF
fifteen minutes" said Admiral Cowie
that gentleman was sent such a letter
that he looked out for her in proper
order and inside Of three days ! had
an allotment in my office from him
The war risk amendments are being
| handled on the floor Of the house by
Representative Rayburn, of Texas,
member of the interstate commerce