The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-06-17
AUDITOR W. W. BRANDON
 EXPLAINS THE SITUATION
Increase of Pensioners Causes the
 Retrenchment.
prorntsrx of the Pension Money Was Done Under the Pension Law Passed by the Last Legisia-
 ture-Auditor Says Pen-
 sfouers Get More Mon-
 ey Than Last Year.

By the apportionment of the pension funds by State Auditor W. W. Bran don made yesterday, the pensioners or Alabama, consisting of the Confeder- ate veterans and their widows, Will re- ceive from the State on July less than half the amount paid them at the beginning of each of the other three quarters of the fiscal year. The de- crease in the amount of the warrants this coming quarter is due to the lack of funds available.
 The clerical force of the State Au- ditor is now preparing the thousands of warrants that are to be sent to the probate judges for distribution July l. Instead of receiving $25, the pensioners of the first class will on July l receive only $1O. The members of the second class who, for the first three quarters were gigen S20 each, will this time get only SS each. Those of the third class will be reduced from SIS to sS.40, while those of the fourth and largest class will experience a reduction from $12.50 to $5.
 The amount of the reduction, it will be seen. is approximately so per cent. Tn making out the warrants to it round numbers. the pension fund enjoys small balance which will go the future credit of the soldiers.
 Auditor Brandon yesterday issued a,
 
 in the old soldiers warrants this com ing quarter. He declares that even with the reduction the pensioners will have received by far more money from the State than they have received in any year of the past He makes com parisons to support this statement. The deficiency of the last quarter Is attrib- uted to the increase in the aggregate of the pension roll this year as com pared with that of last year and to the amendment of the law by the last Leg islature permitting pensions who at- tain to the age of 80 years to shift to the first class from any of the lower classes. Under this provision of the law hundreds of the old soldiers were promoted on the rolls and thus com kribufed heavily to the absorption of the fund available for all classes.
 Provision of Law.
 The proratinR of the money avail able for the last quarter of the current year was done under the pension law as amended by the last Legislature. By this the increase of the pensions was as follows per annum for each class: First class pensioners, from $6o to @t00s second class. from $50 to $50; third class. from s4o to $s4i and fourth class. from S30 to $50. The law defn- ing the manner of payment this year was changed from annual distribution of warrants to quarterly. and the pro- viso was inserted that if the balance for the Iast year does not justify the full appoftionment of the classes the amount should be prorated.
 The aggregate fund available this year for pensions was $760.S62.73, of which s6s0. .295.95 was paid out during the first three quarters, leaving bal ance of s70.55s.7s plus returned war rants which amount to $1s,746.3S. The balance was approximately 70 per cent of what 1t would have been had the pensioners received their full quota.
 The pension fund of Alabama Is de- rived from two sources. One of these is the special appropriation of $400. 900 annually for a period of three years beginning October 1, 1907. The other Is the established regular old soldiers tax of 1 per cent The prediction is made that as soon as the old soldiers get the benefit of the Increased valua- lions of property for taxation the fund from the taxes will increase according Iy, and 1t is also believed that the man afold increase in the hrst-class lists next year will be checked, thus allow ing probably the full quota to each soldier for not only three quarters but for all four, It is the opinion of the State Auditor that on october l, 1908.