Daily Kennebec journal., 1906-03-03
Old Ane Pensions.

NihstihoCi VI LCputiSo - Pe'S
measure which provides for an old pen
sion for workingmen who have passed
the age of 65 years causes renewed m
terest to be taken in the project of Old
age pensions. 1t is form OF pater-
nalislr or socialism which has made
considerable advance in various sec
tions of the Old World. II is one of the
items in the program of the Labor
ite narty. which has half hundred
members in the present English Parlla-
ment. Germany has had since 1888
system of old age pensions for septua-
penarians. annual payments ranging in
amount from about SIG to about s51.
Sweden. Iceland, Finland, Belgium.
Austria. Rounania all have recognized
this principle, in some cases making it
compulsory in the form of state insur-
ance, in others voluntary. The high
est government pensions for old age
are probably those of New Zealand
$50 a year.
The people of the United States have
never manifested any particular desire
for old age pensions, yet in modified
forms the system has made consider
able headway here. The national gov
ernInent pensions it's war veterans and
retires its officers on half pay, and the
President recommends pension for
the iife-saving service. Some of the
large cities retire their policemen,
school teachers and firemen on half pay
Many railroads have provided for old
age pensions, notably the Pennsylvania,
Illinois Central, Union Pacific, Phia-
delphla and Reading and the Metropol-
itan system in New York. Pensions
are also granted by the Consolidated
Gas Company of New York, the Stand
ard Oil and the Carnegie mills at Pitts
burg.
This growing tendency leads the New
York Mail to ask what it would cost
to grant a pension TO every American
over 65 years of age. 1t answers that
be imagined. There are in the United
States. according to the last census
3.OS3. .955 persons Of 65 years or over. and
of these about a million are already in
receipt of pensions as civil war veter-
ans or their dependents. The govern
mtnt spent $l42 200. 600 last year in the
support of the latter. or about s142 for
each nensioner. If it We're to grant old
age pensions. and apply them to veter-
ans as we'll as civilians it could pay
every one of its three million old people
the maximum German pension and yet
increase its total pension expenditure
only from SAP .0O0.000 to $4,000, 600. If
it paid them at the highest old age pen
and rate. it would need to spend about
s215, ,G0c. 900 a year. or nearly double it's
present expenditure for war pensions
If it paid every aged person at the
same. liberal scale it pays it's veterans.
it would have to spend about $42O,000.-
900 year. where it's total expenditure
for all purposes last year was 1851. AL
Gil.
Certain deductions must be made,
however. from the cost Of an old age
pension system as calculated on the
maximum German, the New Zealand
or the veteran pension basis. A large
part of the sums spent for charitable
purposes would be saved and rendered
available for the pension fund More
over. no old age pension system con-
templates that the government shall
bear its whole expense. WOrkngmen,
employers and government are supDos-
ed to contribute on about an equal
scale. If they did, the national govern
ment could award pensions of Sl42
apiece, equal to the average veterans
pension, to every one of it's 3,0S3, ,9l5 cit
iZens Of Sixty-five years or over. with
out spe nding a cent more than il spends
now