The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1908-12-20
FLORIDA PENSIONS


To rtAsst q payment of approximate
y y19Asa9 January Z. 4afe. with q
balance OF $4,000 in the pension fund
and possible collections or $4,000 bs-
fore the payment is due, Is the prob
lem that confronts the comptroller OF
Florida.
1t Is fortunate for the pensioners of
the state that the comptroller is
very rssourceful man, who win, If pos
sible, bridge over the shortage until
sufficient taxes have been collected
to meet the quarterly payments as
they fall due
Chapter $500, Acts OF 19o7-"An act
creating a state board of pensions;
defining who shall receive pensions,
WAC shall not receive pensions, who
shall be retained as pensioners; how
applications shall be made: how pen
sions shall be paid; duty of county
commissioners in regard to pensions;
providing for the levy of pension
tax, and authorizing the state board
or pensions to make regulations to
carry into effect the provisions of this
act was the most sweeping act of
the legislature OF 1907, a BODY un-
matched in the Democratic hisforv OF
Florida for reckless and improyfdent
measures II is the most liberal PEN
sion law in force within the bounds
OF the fallen Confederacy Borne on
a cieverly manipulated wave of SEN
,iment the measure swept through
Doth houses and became a law
A few of tle more conservative
members kept their heads and sought
10 amend some of it's provisions, but
In mouse and senate they were prompt-
~ voted down. In vain did the voice
or hopeless minority proclaim the
measure a shame and an outrage on
the taxpayers OF Florida. With bare
~ corporals guard against it the
bill passed.
Then for days its fate hung in the
balance. but at last Section 16-
fhat this act shall take effect upon
us approval by the governor" was
followed blythe words, Approved Nav
10Th, 1907
The Material Differences.
The most material difference be-
tween the present pension law and
the former laws is the absence of any
property restriction and admitting to
Its benefits that branch of service
known as home guards, which waS or.
ganized for local defence, and made nm
or men too old for service and BOYS
TOO young for service, who remained
AT nome subject to call during the
war, and now for the first time recog.
nized as a part OF the military organ
lzation OF the state.
Under the former law no person
who owned $500 worth OF property was
aHoweu pension, no person under
sixty-nve years OF age and no person
not suhering from physical disa bill i!
ties was allowed pension. That this
property restriction was ridiculous no
one denies. Placing the age limit at |
sixty years and removing all disabil- |
lily ana property restrictions, provid- |
ing for home guards and reserves. and |
bringing the Limitations of citizenship l
and marriage, in cases OF widows
down to ten years prior TO making
application, opened wide All gates for
merly closed. Forty-two hundred an
plications have been fled under the |
act of 1907. Seventy-three hundred |
names are now on the roll, and each
month brings an average of seventy
i've new claims.
Under the former law a levy of |
Four mills for pensions was authoriz-
Ell, but three mills was found to be |
sufficient to meet the payments and |
was the amount levied under the |
former law.
The levy authorized in the act OF
1907 was four mills. The exhaustion |
of the fund including a surplus of |
SECS, 900, which had accumulated un-
der the former law and the immediate
deficit shows how totally inadequate
the levy is to meet the ever increas-
Ing demand upon the fund
The next legislature must make |
some provision for the payment of !