New-York tribune., 1919-01-17
ThousandsHeld Up by Audi
tors Demand for Proof
Premiums Have Been Paid
Task Almost Impossible
Congressional Legislation
Probably Will Be Neces-
sary to Clear Up Tangle
By THEODORE NJ. Knappen

W
Colonel Henry D. Lindsey. the new
head Of the War Risk Bureau, is re-
sarded as q very competent man and
so favorably impressed the House Com
mittee en- Rules that it decided not to
ga ahead with its investigation before
giving him chance to clean house, it
is believed he has taken on task that
is beyond his strength.
In fact, an expert familiar with the
maze of problems and difficulties that
has wound itself around the soldiers
insurance and compensation work says
that it is beyond the strength Or ability
of any one executive, and requires for
It's handling at least half a dozen Of
the greatest executives and organizers
in America.
beyond the ordinary civil service off
cial, no matter how faithful or indus
trious. In the end it may be neces-
sary for the Treasury Department to
cali for volunteers from the ranks of
the greatest business executives of
America to help until the tangle is
straightened out and an efficient rou-
tine is established.
Auditor Demands Proof
To the other staggering problems
that have been before the War Risk
Bureau the Treasury auditor for the
Var Department has just added an
other which is paralyzer. Since the
beginning of the war there have been
almost 100000 deaths from casualty or
disease in the army. V;-tually all of
the deceased held government life in
surance policies.
The War Departr mt auditor now re-
fuses to approve vouchers for checks
to settle these derth claims unless the
War Risk Buresf, will certify to him
IN every case t.at all the premiums
bad been paid il. full This is an abso-
lutte impossibilty The bureau would
proceed on the theory that since the
premiums are automatically deducted
from the soldiers pay, it is fair to as
sumo that they have been paid ir every
case. but this does not satisfy the
auditor, who demands individual certif-
cation. Tie only way in which the
data for sucn certification can be OBJ
tanned IS by an examination of the nav
rolls OF the army. These rolls, how
ever, are made up according to the re-
Turns OF dlsbursing officers instead of
according to military units.
Almost Impossible Task
man might be paid one month by
one disburs!ng officer and another
month by another. To ascertain be-
LCnI +ha
NE premium had actually been de-
Quoted III any individual case it might
De necessary to examine hundreds of
rolls, some of them with MANY thou-
sands Of names on them. The clerical
LABOR involved would be enormous and
SuoJec, TO error. A mans military
uulI IS only partial guide to the
location OF nus name on a particular
Payroll. This ruling of the auditor is
holding up thousands of death claims
tnat nave been passed by the bureau,
ana Il 1t is not modified Will probably
hecessltate special remedial legislation
by Congress-
The bureau is far behind in its pay
ments OF allowances and in its com
pehsation work Cores spondcnce re
earding compensation claims is fully
SIXTY days in arrears. Aside from tho
aeiays. which are the result Of clerical
haollity to catch up rather than of
confusion. the real troubles of the
bureau and around which the storm of
oitter criticism turns, is the question
OF what constitutes dependency in re-
iatlon 20 soldier.
10000 Dependency Claims
~ The bureau has rejected upward of
.p,Voo dependency claims, many of
.hem after payments Of allotments had
been made for some time on the
soldiers assertion of the existence of
the dependency relation. The great
majority Of these alleged depen-
cents consider themselves grieviouslv
%ronged. and when the soldier who has
peeh setting aside part of his pay for
sucn dependent learns that the gov
el"neh' is refusing to match it with
and aggrieved
me cause Of this trouble is in the
law Itself, which provides that the de-
pendency be actual To delve into hum
oreos OF thousands of cases in which
me scaer claims dependency to asccr-
ldlh "netntr II IS real or not is not
Vhiy task Of bewilderinP proportions,
put one that is bound frequently to
seault IN error and in a sense Of wrong
even II correctly determined.
=, rms situation explains MANY Of the
thousands Of cases in which relatives
% soldiers complain that after receiv-
ing allowance for time they have
oeen cut of and refunds demanded.
Causes Many Mistakes
Had Congress been satisfied to leave
Ine question Of dependency to be de-
termincd by any soldier who was will
ing 70 give UP part of his pay because
oi his belief in It's existence there
you'd have been ample course be-
Iore the bureau. As it. il, the course
labyrintinc maze, involving a
prodigious amount of investigation and
subtlety OF judgment that would be
worthy Of Solomon.
when 10 these special com plicationg
are added the division Of administra
Ave functions with the army, the ordi-
nary routine and incidental problems
oI what has become the greategt in
sefance business in the world in the
hands of green organization Of non
oescfipt personnel, which has had TO be
created from the ground up since the
csginning Of the war it is possible to
gst some understanding of the heart
breaking delays, the manifold mistakes
~ne pister disappointments and the
multitude Of complaints that surround
'ne Whole enterprise
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T.