Omaha daily bee., 1897-01-23
PENSIONS GO ABROAD.
Veterans All Over the World on Uncle
SANS Pay Roll.

Colonel S. L. Wilson. the United States
pension agent at Washington, rs now receiV-
ing the vouchers from Germany which were
illegally executed. They were sworn to be-
fore the local magistrates, when they should
have been executed before an amtsrichter,
or a consular officer He is returning to the
pensioners their old vouchers, accompanied
hy a new voucher and a circular letter eN-
planning to them the recent decision OF the
commissioner of pensions regarding their
execution OF the whole number of Vouch-
ers received from Germany, Colonel Wilson
estimates that three-fourths of them will
have to be re-eXecuted
In speaking with a reporter of the Wash
ington Post. Colonel Wilson presented many
interesting facts in regard to United states
pensioners living abroad. 1t appears that
all the foreign pensioners of this govern
ment are paid through the agency at Wash
ngton. Their total number is 3,ISl, ana
they are paid each year s5S2,7353S, by
checks on the United States treasury.
1t is rather remarkable fact that in some
parts of the world these checks are at a
premium. The reason is that they are gen
orally understood to be payable in gold, II
demanded and as such they pass at the rate
of gold coin. Every three months these
checks are mailed at the agency here. They
go to all parts of the world.
When the war ended the soldiers scattered
all over the earth and now they draw their
pensions in Algiers and the South African
republics, in Switzerland and Tahiti, in Por-
tugal and Peru in Mexico and Mauritus, in
Belgium and Honduras, in Finland and in
Egypt In ALL there are pensioners in sixty
two countries outside OF the United States.
The pensioners in foreign lands are more
expense to the agency than those in this
country, for the reason that on all the
checks and vouchers sent to them, with
the exception of those in Canada and
Mexico, the agency has to pay postage. In
these two countries the government frank
carries all the letters, the same as in the
United States, but to all others the foreign
postage rate is paid so that postage is a
considerable item in dealing with this class
of pensioners. In the recent German episode
ii cost the agency Is cents to send the vouch-
ers and instructions and 20 cents apiece
to complete the payment. First, the voucher
was sent, and then, when new voucher
was required, it compelled them to return
the old voucher, the new one and the in
struction slip, which brought 1t over the
half-ounce limit, and thus required an extra
stamp.
In this country, If letter is overweight,
the difference only is required, but in Ger
many double rate is charged as a penalty,
so the department is careful to pay in full.
All vouchers and checks are necessarily
made out in English, as are usually all in
structions and papers. But sometimes, in
dealing with German pensioners, the docu-
ments are sent in the language of their
country.
There was a law passed some years ago
to the effect that when a pensioner went to
a foreign country his pension should be
stopped unless he swore that he was only
travelling abroad, and had no intention of re
siding there permanently But this did not
stay long on the statute books. For about
two years the foreign pensions were held
up. but when the law was repealed and
payments were resumed the pensioners re-
celved their back pensions in a lump sum.