Evening star., 1923-10-19
WAR CLAIMS BODY
DECISIONS At HAND
U. Sherman Suits and
Counter Suits TotaIing ST.
200,OO0,0OO involved.
BY FREDERIC WILLIAM VILE.

After having been constituted eX-
actly one year, the mixed claims COM
mission, United States and Germany,
is about to make its first decisions
Claims of American nationals against
the German government and German
nationals. aggregating roundly ST.
200,000,000. are involved. 1t is not ex-
pected that anything approximating
this full total will be finally awarded
70 our claimants. An unofficial esti-
mate places the amount more likely
to be eventually approved at some
thing around $500. 100000. Such a sum
would about equal the value of Ger
man assets held by the alien property
custodian. Under the KnoX-Porter
resolution, whereby the mixed claims
commission was created, the alien
property fund is a moral pledge" for
the satisfaction of awarded claims.
Few Claims Adjusted.
Thus far. although the claims COM
mission has been in existence since
October. 1922, less than per cent of
the aggregate of claims filed has been
fCted upon. A few weeks ago, y total
OF something over $4,000. 900, repre-
senting 155 claims affecting American
real property in Germany, was adjust
ed. The American and German agents
met in Germany for the purpose,
agreed on settlement and have sub
mitted their findings to the commits
sion for formal approval
The real work of the commission
the grinding out of regular de-
clsions on the gigantic mass of petit
tlonS before It's now to begin at
Washington. The American and
German agents have spent months
threshfng out the details of a variety
of typical or test cases." The
agents having arrived at mutual
agreements upon the merits of these
cases. as In the case of the property
claims in Germany, the commission,
sitting as a court, will now be able
to hand down decisions with rela-
lively little delay.
Lusitania Cases Up.
One elaborate series of test cases"
concerns claims for loss of life in
the sinking of the Lusitania. The
families of Fred S. Pearson and Mabel
W. Pearson, who lost their lives in
estate of the playwright. Charles
Klein. files a Lusitania claim for
S1.767.000. Charles Frohman's heirs
claim S25O,00O. Another extensive set
of test cases" deal with American
property sunk by U,boats.
filed claims aGgregating many mil
lions of dollars for tankers torpedoed
in the war zone. A large category
of test cases" is made up Of claims
under the classification of ''waE risk
premiums" These cover the high
exporters and importers on trans
atlantic shipments during the war.
Insurance companies. too, have filed
heavy claims for the losses which
they had TO pay both to ship owners
and to shippers. There is a long
list of claims covering property in
Germany and many calling for dam
ages suffered as prisoners of war"
Judgment by Classes.
The claims commission will now
proceed to pass judgment on out
standing types of claims in each of
the aforementioned classifications A
principle having been laid down gov
and awards in others of the same
general character will ensue more or
less automatically.
The commission is sitting as reg
ularly organized court. Its hearings,
however. are in camera There is
no appeal from its decisions. The
United States. thanks to the magma
nimity of Germany, has two members
on the court. The American COM
missioner is Chandler z. Anderson
and the German commissioner is DR..
Wilhelm Kiesselbach.
The umpire, who will have the
deciding vote in case of disagreement
between the American and German
commissioners is Edwin B. Parker
of Texas, appointed to that position
by President Harding in succession
to the late Justice william r. Day,
who resigned from the United States
Supreme Court to take the position.
The American agent, whose business
1t is to advocate and defend Ameri-
can claims, is Robert w. Bonynge,
formerly member of Congress from
Colorado. who succeeded Robert C.
Morris of New York in that capacity
last summer. The German agent is
the counselor of the German en-
bassy in Washington, Karl Won Lew
inSki.
Watched British Tribunal.
Mr.. Bonynge. while in Europe a
few weeks ago adjudicating Ameri-
can property claims in Germany, OBJ
served the procedure of the mixed
arbitral tribunals in London and
Paris. These are the allied organi-
cations akin to the mixed claims
at Washington.
Under the terms of our treaty of
peace with Germany, citizens of that
country are debarred from filing
claims against American nationals
except through the ordinary channels
of the United States courts. They
have, of course, no such guarantee