El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1919-05-29
War Insurance
OfGOUernment
Big Business
Bureau Signs Checks By
The Million and Gets
Mail By Carload.
Il FREDERIc ]. HAsKIN.

other bureaus created Tor war pur-
poses are dwindling or being abol-
ished. the bureau OF war risk insur-
ancs has grown TO be the largest Of
all government departments and the
largest enterprise Of its kind in the
world. II has recently moved into
new and permanent quarters in a big
building which was originally in
tended for Washington's most gor-
geous hotel
This government war baby Is a per
manent part OF the government, for
its obligations viii not be discharged |
until the last dependent Of an Ameri- /
can soldier killed IN the war has died. 1
and some OF those dependents nave /
just been born They VIII give the I
war risk bureau a mission IN life for /
IS or 50 years. If We do not have an
other war during that time, the bu- I
reau viii possibly 80 out Of exist l
ence-
The big business Of the bureau for
a generc ton is going 70 be handling
the permanent insurance policies 1or !
men who have been in the service, I
which have now been authorized By |
congress. This means simply that /
any man who took out insurance as /
insurance with the government as I
civilian. by converting his policy into I
one OF a different type The insur- /
ance viii be less expensive than that /
issued by private firms. because the
government VIII bear the administra-
May Become General
There IS every indication that
large proportion Of the men who were
ia the service VIII take this oppor-
To- aaH.H 30 HHn aaHa n.na
dowment insurance. Some observers
believe thar this VIII lead 70 the eX-
tension OF government insurance 20
civilians generally With possibly
several million Americans enjoying
government insurance at low rates,
thew say, demand wiz spring up
among American citizens generally
/ for the same benefits Old age in
surance for government employees is
{ being urged in connection with the
/ proposed reform OF the civil service
Z Government health insurance is also
7 being widely discussed, and several
1 state legislatures are considering such
measures. State OF government health
{ insurance means that BY paying a
I certain amount q year to the govern
ment- you would be assured Of medi-
! cal attention, hospital service and
I support while iucapacitated- The ad-
I rocates OF such a measure point out
that medical and hospital service
would be within reach Of many who
] are too poor 70 afford Il now Sucn
i measures are opposed by many per-
7 sons. who argue that our great IN
/ surance companies are all dlscharging
such functions with great e11lciencys
and that 20 would take the govern
ment a long time 70 learn how to do
Does vast Business.
] This IS probably true. but the gov
Z eminent is now getting some zine
Z practice In running an Insurance.
business. The amount OF insurance
which the war risk bureau has issued
: is greater than the total amount OF
Z insurance IN force for all American
insurance companies. It is now doing
business with 100000 Americans.
/ including over 4,990'gg0 fighting men
and over 25.00o,000 dependents. To
these dependents has been paid morn
than 500, 100000. In order TO make
all this real TO you some genius has
{ figured out that II the amount OF IN
: surancs issued by the bureau was
! represented IN dollar bills Joined END
I to end, the strip Of greenbacks would
{ extend % the moon and back seven
times. The same lightning calculator
has doped IL out that II the women
I employees Of the bureau alone were
stood in a row. the row would be Is
+ miles long. And he claims that the
war risk bureau has the prettlest
/ women employed in Washington. The
{ Job supports 1900 employees in all
Million Checks n Month
I This is probably the greatest check
( writing institution IN the world. II
writes more than 100000 checks
month If all this had TO be done by
I hand, the entire army could be given
Z jobs looking after Its own depend
II entsents; but all Of this work is done
I by machinery. Every persons who
I deals with the bureau Is represented
by an individual file, and an address
\ plate s. printed for each one II
II keeps 100 operators busy making
| plates. One machine and two girls
n can now turn out about 10000 checks
day. This used 70 require about
| 900 employees All checks are signed
I BY a deputy disbursing clerk with a
n mechanical device which signs 20
II checks at one time, all signatures be-
/ ing actual pen signatures
II Checks from the bureau OF war risk
n Insurance 90 10 every corner OF the
: world More than 10000 checks are
: mailed monthly to foreign countries,
n Checks are sent 10 Africa Australia,
Z Belgium, China, Haiti, India, Japan.
I Gibraltar, spain, Syria. Korea, New
Z Zealand, Portugal Sweden, SWitzer-
+ land and other foreign lands, each
I check representing a man from one
Z OF these foreign countries serving IN
/ the military or naval forces OF the
/ United States More than 200 for
/ eign checks are being held by the
! bureau because OF suspended mail
I vice Among the checks held are
/ three which are destined for Ger
I many over 1000 checks are being
+ held for persons in Russia and zls
Z are held for persons In Poland
Has Heavy Mall
More than a ton Of mail comes in
I each day and the organization built
I I'D to distribute mail within the bu-
Y reau is larger than any private postal
/ or mail system IN the United States
I Eighty thousand pieces Of incoming
I mail each day are the average and
I more than $4,000 OF these are letters
II There are about $4,000 outgoing let
I ters each day. exclusive Of checks
/ Reading the mail OF the bureau OF
I war risk Insurance Is task which re-
/ duires an intimate knowledge OF the
/ various divisions Of the bureau and
I the work that each division handles
Il Highly trained women, most Of them
/ college graduates, are employed as
I mail readers. Each reader must de-
| eide from the text Of the letter where
| it should be referred and there are &c
\ different sections to which these
II readers may refer letter Many or
I the readers are capable Of reading
|. 1900 letters a day each. One hundred
and thirty people are employed 70
! handle the mail.
Questions are one Of the problems
L Of the bureau Of war risk insurance
The war risk Insurance act Is lntIl-
cate and complex and the vast major
ity Of the public does not understand
it, For this reason. the number q