Need help interpreting a warning

[Peter Cline]

When using the -w I am getting the following set of warnings that prohibit 
execution of the code:

Use of uninitialized value at 
/oracle/web/docs-intranet/cgi/dispatcher/lib/request_sub.lib line 18, 
<CONF> chunk 1.
Use of uninitialized value at 
/oracle/web/docs-intranet/cgi/dispatcher/lib/request_sub.lib line 18, 
<CONF> chunk 2.
Use of uninitialized value at 
/oracle/web/docs-intranet/cgi/dispatcher/lib/request_sub.lib line 18, 
<CONF> chunk 3.
Use of uninitialized value at 
/oracle/web/docs-intranet/cgi/dispatcher/lib/request_sub.lib line 18, 
<CONF> chunk 7.
Use of uninitialized value at 
/oracle/web/docs-intranet/cgi/dispatcher/lib/request_sub.lib line 18, 
<CONF> chunk 8.
Use of uninitialized value at 
/oracle/web/docs-intranet/cgi/dispatcher/lib/request_sub.lib line 18, 
<CONF> chunk 38.

The code executes fine without the -w flag.  Here is the code about which 
the interpreter complains:

sub processConfFile {
    my ($configFile, $conf, $varValueSep, $configComment) = @_;
    my ($input) = "";
    my ($comment) = "";
    my ($var) = "";
    my ($value) = "";

    open (CONF, "$$configFile") || die("Could not open config file 
$$configFile.");

    while (<CONF>) {
       ($input, $comment) = split(/$$configComment/);
       chomp($input);
       ($var, $value) = split(/$$varValueSep/, $input);  #line 18, the one 
the interpreter complains about
       if (($var ne "") && ($value ne "")) {
          $var =~ s/^\s*(.*)\s*$/$1/;
          $value =~ s/^\s*(.*)\s*$/$1/;
          $$conf{$var} = $value;
       }
    }
}

1;

What I do not understand is that the variables in use here, namely 
$var,$value,$input, and $varValueSep (reference passed to subroutine)  are 
all initialized!  So what's the interpreter complaining about?  And what 
the heck is a chunk?

Thanks
Peter Cline
Inet Developer
New York Times Digital