New-York tribune., 1920-06-13
War Risk Insurance
A Defense of the Bureau b,
Its Director


June 4, 1920, find an editorial headed
"The War Insurance Breakdown" Sc
verely criticizing the bureau and giving
the erroneous impression that the edi
torial is the reflection of the report Of
the Republican National Committee
advisory committee on policies ane
platform in so far as it deals with wa,
risk insurance matters.
In view Of the lengthy news story
headed Wage Reforms in Government
Service Urged" published on anothe,
page of the same issue of The Tribune
and which includes quotations from the
report of the Republican advisory COM
mittee, | feel that the editorial, which
obviously is incongruous with the ex-
tracts from the report itself, as pub
lished by you, must represent an un-
fortunate and very erroneous concep-
tion of the attitude and conduct of the
administration of the Bureau of War
y
understanding of its functions.
For example, the editorial in stating
that "the advisory committee on the
Republican platform recommended Z
complete > reorganization of the bu-
reau and the conduct of it's affair:
not by Impractical visonaries, but by
those who realize that fine words are nc
substitute for the pragmatic business
of promptly answering letters of in
quiry, issuing policies and making set
tlement for losses" would lead the
casual reader to believe that it is not
the attitude or the practice of the
bureau to render the important services
enumerated, and that the recommends
tions contained in the report consti-
tute a reproach to the bureau | am
unable to understand how such an in
depreciation of the report a. published ID
by you could have been made.
Claims Veil Handled
Instead of charging the Bureau OF
War Risk Insurance with neglect on
the part Of it's administrative officers
the report, as published by you, makes
the following statement in reference
to the handling of claims:
"The work in connection with all of
these payments and adjudication of
death claims is we'll up to date, and
there has been little criticism on this
account"
In another paragraph the report, in
reference to men totally and perma
nently disabled states:
There has been very little delay in
settling these claims"
The formal recommendations con-
tanned in the report, which does not
as I read it, reflect in any way upon
the official conduct of the bureau, sim
ply comedies with and affrms specific
recommendations which have been
made to Congress with the wholeheart-
ed and open support of the Treasury
Department during the last year.
1t is matter of record that as long
ago as last August an advisory COM
mttee headed by former Supreme
Court Justice Charles Evans Hughes
the members of which were especially
qualified to give counsel in the prob
lens of aiding former service men
met in Washington and formulated q
report, which was published widely
at the time, and which in substance
recommended the establishment OF
branch offices-a feature which also is
recommended in the Republican advi-
sorry committees report.
Bills pending in Congress at the
time of the recent adjournment pro.
vided for the coordination of the
work of the Bureau of War Risk In.
surance, the United States Public
Health Service and the Federal Boarc
for Vocational Education notably the
Rogers bill, H. R. 134o7.
Branch Offices Established
Eight branch Offices already have
been authorized for the bureau, ane
in so far as it has been legally posi-
BILE, in the absence Of specific legisla
tion, these Offices have been located
in the same building with the Office.
of other governmental agencies the &C
tivities of which contribute to the wei
fare of former service men under tn,
War Risk Insurance act.
The recommendation that premium
be collected through the local post
Offices was carried in the Wason bill
which passed the House and which
was in committee in the Senate at tn,
time Of adjournment
The list Of beneficiaries in the per