The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1904-10-27
NEWS OF A DAY IN
GEORGIA'S CAPITAL
DEFICIT IN PENSION FUND.
LINDSEY THINKS THERE WILL DE
A BIG ONE.

Question Will BE Put Up to the
Legislature at Its Next Meeting
Not Yet Has 1t Been Determined
just what Form the Reprimand'
of Lieuts. Nell and Griner Will
Take-Matter Soon to BE Decided
Atlanta, oct. 26.-There is a likeli-
hood of a big deficit in the state PEN
sion fund for 1905, according to re-
port made to Gov. Terrell to-day by
Commissioner of Pensions ]. w. Lind
sey.
This will be due to two facts. In
the first place there has been an un-
usually large number of applications
this year, far more than was expected,
and then the Legislature passed a law
at it's last session which requires the
Pension Commissioner to pay the PEN
sions of all those veterans who die
after their pensions have accrued. Any
disabled soldier who dies after Oct. 26
and any INDECENT soldier or widow who
dies after Jan. l, whether their PEN
sions have been paid at such time or
not, must have their pensions paid to
their heirs. or in case they have none,
the money goes to pay their funeral
expenses.
Out of about 1000 applications the
Pension Commissioner has approved
this year 1926, which is SS5 more than
were approved last year. There were
approved last year $50 claims. and
there were S19 deaths, giving net
increase of only 70.
1t will appear from the new law that
the death roll will probably be less
this year than last, so far as pension
payments are concerned. The indica-
lions are, therefore, that there will be
a net increase of at least 400 pensions
for 1905, and this number may even go
10 600. The promised deficit, there
fore, will be somewhere between $685.
900 and $50, 900, matter with which the
Legislature will have to deal at its
next session.
The total expenditures for pensions
this year were 1852 900, and the Legis-
lature gave for 1905 1866, 900, the indi-
cations being at the time that this
amount would be sufficient.
How Are They to Be Reprimanded.
The delay in issuing the orders car
rying out the sentence of the court
martial upon Lieut.. George A. Nell
and Lieut.. Henry L. Griner is due to
a difference of opinion among the state
military authorities as to just how a
public reDrimand should be admins
tered.
Adjt. Gen. Harris takes the view
that the public reprimand should be
administered by the commanding Off
Ger of the regiment acting under spe-
cial orders. and before the entire regi-
ment. This is the way it was done in
the old days, and this gave it some
what of a spectacular effect. Other
military officers think it should be done
by the issuance of general orders,
copies of which should be sent to
every military officer and authority
in the state, thus dispensing with the
necessity of calling the recreant Off
Ger uD before his regiment.
The matter will be decided in the
next day or two and the necessary or
ders issued.
Atlanta to Have Range.
The Atlanta Rifle Association has
been organized among the military
here, especially those interested in
rifle shooting. Col A. j. Scott, as
sistant adjutant general, has been
elected president of the association,
and Capt. w. T. B. Wilson of the Gov
ernor's Horse Guard vice president
Col. w. G. Obear is chairman of the
Executive Committee:
The association purposes to secure
as soon as possible complete up-to-
date rifle range, such as those at Sea
Girt and Fort Riley, and then it will
go to work to bring here the state ma
tional and even International contests.