Weekly journal-miner., 1918-06-12
FIGHTERS TAKE VERY READILY ID
 INSURANCE
MORE THAN SIXTEEN BILL LION DOLLARS WRITTEN ON THE LIVES OF THE SAILORS AND SOLDIERS OF UNCLE SAM.

WASHINGTON, June S.-More
 than Sl6000. 100000 insurance on the
 lives of more than 1,SOO.OO0 soldiers and sailors already has been written
 by the Bureau of War Risk Insur- ance That IS said to be more insur- ance, all written since the middle of
 last October, than is today on the books of the twenty largest life in
 surance companies in the world. An kinds of problems have been met with in achieving this gigantic task, ac- cording to information furnished to congress by Thomas E. Love, assist charge of the bureau, and other off cials.
 The war risk law provided for pay ment of family allowances and allot- ments and for administration of a compensation insurance law applica- blc to 100000 risks and for the writing of thisfnsurance on the lives of a possible 2,0O0,OOO soldiers and sailors. The applications for allow anccs and allotments of the soldiers md sailors pay had to be obtained from the ends of the earth to which those in war service have been scat tered. From December 20 until the beginning of this month the bureau mailed out 2,300,000 individual checks 10 families of dependents in the United States. approximately S6O,- 100000 has been paid out in allow ances and allotments; and in addi- ton many thousand claims for com pensation have been made, some paid and others disallOwed.
 More than 95 per cent of the sol diers and sailors listed at the bur cau have taken the insurance and ap- DlicatiOns for 1t have come in at a laily rate involving from S50.000 to Sl00,0O0000 of insurance during the 'aSt month. \ clerical force of about 4,300 people is employed by the bureau in the work A bill is now pending in congress favorably re- ported by the house interstate com merce committee. amending the law
 a number of details, providing for instance that automatic insurance shall be payable to the mother whether dependent or not and to the ,ather as well, and making other broadening features in the interest of the soldiers nearest of kin.
 Bureau records show that there arc l,062,O9l application blanks returned on which the man states he has no de- pcndeuts of any kind. There IS a surprisingly large percentage of those men who do have dependents. the first knowledge of whom the bureau learns when the dependents write in information.
 One of the surprising developments is the number of complaints that the bureau is getting from men who have asked exemption from their wives or who claim they have no wives In one city recently Com missioner Ncsbit, of the bureau, has investigator to look into B cases where men had claimed exemption from their wives and said they did not know the wives were living. The bureau located 3l of the B 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 re- gently given before the house com nittec Paymaster General Cowie, of the navy. declared that in the eXcep- ,ional cases where naval officers do not support their families tIey arc made to do so very quickly. About six weeks ago a wife called at the navy department about failure of support and inside of fifteen min lteS," said Admiral Cowie, that gen lcuan was sent such letter that he looked ont for her in proper order and inside of three days I had an allotment in my office from him.
 The war risk amendments are be- ng handled on the floor of the house ly Representative Rayburn of Texas, | member of the interstate com-