The Washington times., 1920-07-12
WAR RISK CUTS
FORCE IN HALF
Bureau Figures on Breaking All
Records Next Year Despite
Loss OF Personnel.

It's personnel reduced from more
than $4,000 20 1900 at the close OF
the nscal year ending June 80. last.
the Bureau OF War Risk Insurance,
the largest business OF its k.ni in
the world. is prepared TO break all
previous records during the present
current year.
Total disburs oments on insurance
claims amounting to S7,626.+32.s7 durv
ing tho month OF June only a single
item In the list OF accomplishments
by the bureau. indicates the vast
magnitude and scope OF the opera
tions and the progress which has
been made in bringing the work OF
the bureau TO a current basis.
Despite the great reductions in per-
sonnel. Director X, @. cholmeiey- Jones
announced today, the work OF the
bureau has been materially expediat-
ed by the application OF improved
methods and modern equipment. Re
ductions in the enormous staff OF the
War Risk Bureau, ordered by Con-
gress after a long nght led by Sem
stor Reed Smoot of Utah. necessitated
the dropping of thousands OF en-
ployes during the last six months.
yet without serious handicap to the
vast amount OF work involved in
meeting the payments to more than
100000 OF Uncle Sans soldiers, sail
ors and marines.
FIVE PARTS TO BUREAU.
The Governments biggest bureau
II divided into five main divisions.
each doing a complete and separate
business Of It's own. These are the
Marine and Ssamens' Insurance divi-
sion: the Allotment and Allowance
division; the Compensation and lnsur-
ance Claims division the Insurance
division and the Medical division.
The insurance division, which i'm
mediately on it's creation became one
OF the largest insurance companies In
the world, has written in less than
two years 4,63l ,09S policies covering
insurance to the amount Of $40,2S4.-
so2 800.
The gross premium remittances from
all sources approximated $33s, ,612, 900,
while l2s,30O claims for insurance on
account of death is represented by In
surance to the amount of S1l4l.SlS,-
l334S. 1t is estimated that 3256
claims for insurance on account OF
permanent and total disability in
Volve insurance amounting to $685.
636.540.
The medical division, through the
administration of which the Govern
ment became medical adviser to the
army of men exposed to all hazards
OF war, has deeloped medical prac-
tice full of the following proportions:
Patients given treatment and examt
nation, 452, 600; patients admitted to
hospitals under Government super
vision. 54,799; patients at present re-
ceiving hospital treatment, 1880; po-
tential patients. Gal 900.
TWO BILLIONS IN HAZARDS.
Next to the soldiers insurance d.
vision, the biggest volume Of busi-
mes was done by the marine and sea-
mems insurance division, which, dur
Ing the early part of the war wrote
war risk hazards on hulls, cargoes
and seamen amounting to $2,4SI ,o13,-
331.74. The amount Of premiums col
lected is SAT ,5S5, $50 81, and paid claims
on 35,395 policies amounting to $780,
11S.3S7.32. The end of the fiscal year
finds a surplus in the division Of $17,-
500 ,s2156 over expenses and refunds.
The allotment and allowance d.
visior, which developed into bank
ing business run for the benefit of
soldiers, sailors and marines and their
families and dependent relatives, has
since the beginning of the war ap-
proved 1000, 1893 claims for allotments
and allowances involving payments.
The allotments amounted to $780,
S33 9O600; allowances amounted TO
S2U6,4 4S1 sos. .43 the total expenditure
amounting to s555. .s15 ,511.54
Payments for the month OF June
1920 alone amounted to S1,101 ,5260S
for allotments and $1.374990.S0 for
allowances.
READY TO BREAK RECORDS.
The compensation and insurance
claims division which made the Gov
ernment in its relations to service
men the head of an employees liabil-
ity company organized in their inter-
est, approved in the course of its
existence 44,546 claims for compen-
sation on account of deaths in the
service and 1S4,405 claims for COM
pensation on account of disabilities
through service.
The division at present Is making
payment on 42,945 cases of death
claims with an expenditure OF S1,l32,-
447.35 and payment of 134,40S cases
of disability claims amounting to
S5,032 .646.11, including S0,S61 burial
awards amounting to $2,1I5,2I0.06.
with this record for the first two
years of it's existence, the Bureau Of
War Risk Insurance is preparing IT.
self to break all previous records for
next year volume of business. 1t is
not expected that the peak of the