Evening star., 1924-10-01
VAR CLAIMS AWARDS LARGEST
EYER ADJUSTED BY u. S. AGENTS
Many Lusitdnid Payments Included in $50 Settle
ments Calling for 500, 600, ,OOO-Neu
Methods Used in Gigantic Legal Task.

The recent awards announced by
the AmeriCan-Germ War Claims
Commission, aggregsting 0G.000.-
600, exceed the aggregate Of all in
dividual and corporate awards made
by any international commission to
which this nation has been a party.
To tn. $65.000.000 awards just
made public are added the $4,000. 900
heretofore entered by the commission.
The accumulated interest boosts the
S0,000,000 total to the mark which
puts the commission in the hall of
financial fame.
These settlements include many
Lusitania claims. and the American
agent. Robert W. Bonynge, has pre-
sented all other proper claims in
connection with that great sea
tragedy to the commission for de-
termination. and it is expected that
awards will be announced some time
this Fall. In the Lusitania cases
Germany admits liability. but her
representatives contest the amounts
demanded in many of the claims.
thus requiring the obtaining and pre-
Senting of vast amount of evil
dence in each individual case.
About $50 Cases Adjusted.
About $50 cases have now been
settled. The United States Govern
ment will receive s24.OOo.0O0 by the
awards announced by the commission n
through the Veterans Bureau: 81
American insurance concerns will get
over s34,000.000 and 66 individual
claims of various kinds are to be
satisfied by total payment of
s6.271,434. The commission at the
same time holds that ~ American
life insurance compa anieS are not en-
in,
nection with the loss of II lives in
the Lusitania disaster. The surviv-
ing dependents of the deceased, how
ever have or will receive awards
ard the amount of the insurance on
their lives will not be deducted from
their awards.
The decision regarding the life in
surance claims is especially notable,
as the national commissioners were
unable to agree. The American COM
missioner. Chandler p Anderson,
took the ground that the claims were
justified, while the German commits
sioner. DR. Wilhelm kiesSelbach.
held they should be disallowed. The
cases were referred to the umpire of
the commission. Judge Edwin B..
Parker. who dismissed the claims for
the following reasons:
1.-THE losses on which these claims
dT pdSSu are not III IeSdi
tion attributable to Germany's act as
proximate cause. The act of Ger
many in striking down an individual
did not in legal contemplation proXi-
mately result in damage to all who
had contract relations. direct or re-
mote, with that individual which may
have been affected by his death
OF equal interest was the decision
of the commission in dismissing the
claims of % foreign insurance COM
panies authorized under State laws
to do business. on the ground that
they are foreign corporations, asso-
Citations, partnerships or individuals
in whose behalf the United States is
not entitled to make. claims against
Germany under the treaty of Berlin.
The commission also dismissed
1.786 claims for war risk insurance
premiums, excess marine insurance
premiums, excess freight charges, ex-
penses of maintaining guards and
protective devices and claims of sim
liar character.
Among the awards to the 81 Amer