The Washington herald., 1909-03-21

London. March 2&-Old age pensions
have become 50 popular that she tax
payers who have 70 provide the money 20
pay them arc viewing the prospect with
anxiety. and even the government. which
admittedly instituted these pensions
without properly counting the cost, IS
growing uneasy over the extent OF its
miscalculatons.
Mr.. Asquith made provisions IN the 1913
budget FOR the expenditure Of $4,000
for the first three months operation OF
the act. from January 10 March. 1853
This has been spent, and a supplementary
sum Of $4,000 has had to be voted by
Parliament.
In estimating the cost OF the pensions
Mr.. Asquith thought that for the first
year many persons eligible 10 receive
them would be deferred by shyness from
applying Results have shown him TO
be an exceedingly poor judge Of human
nature IN This respect
slipped Up in Ireland.
In Ireland especially did Mr.. Asqulth
nisjUdge the mOdesty Of elderly human
ity- The total number OF persons OF sew
official statistics. IS $4,000. OF these
22ooo are in receipt OF poor relief. and.
therefore. disqualified. leaving 152000 eli
gfble for pensions. The actual number OF
pensions granted 90 the end Of Feb
ruary had reached IS2.174. and IN addi-
ti0n there we're something ike 500
applications still under consideration.
These figures leave no doubt that ex-
tensive frauds have been carried out:
IN fact. one authority who has analyzed
the statistics IS OF the opinion that be-
tween 50Oo0 and 1000 persons OF all
ages in Ireland are to-day receiving old
age pensions who are not qualified under
the sct- This discovery has forced he
government 20 order a thorough invss-
tigaIioa 70 De made
But IL win be no easy task 70 bring the
guilty ones % justice. The registration
Of births IN Ireland seventy years ago
was neglected. and where c--isteninE rec
ords were taken by parish priests. the
book have. IN many cases long been lost
OF the entries in them are UndeCipher-
able.
Archbishop Appeals for Honesty.
Archbishop Healy. Of Tuam. in his Len
ten pastoral made an appeal 10 his peo-
PIE 10 act honestly With regard % cid
age pension claims. He sad:
We sincerely hope that there VIII be no
attempt al fraud. either IN satIng the
age or the means OF the applicant. and
that none OF the money viii find SIS way
10 the public house Fraudulent state
ments would be not only sinful and dis
graceful in themselves. hut would in
volve making restitution for the grants
obtained thereby, which would be the
wages OF iniquity earned By the com
mission OF crime
The difficulty Of the task OF fixing the
age OF the claimant can he Judged By
the following bit Of conversation. which
IS typical Of what happens in many
cases;
How old are youe'' asked a pension
officer
SLure, your honor's iordship.'' said
the cheerful applicant amy age that's
plazing 10 ye."
But are you seventy9"
Faith, I am that. SOFT"
When were you bOrnZ'
In the year OF the big Wind-so me
grandmother tells me"
Year OF big Wind" a Record.
The year OF the big wind was 1Ss-.
when a great storm swept over Ireland.
This IS generally known 10 be over sew
enty years ago. and Fl IS remarkable
how most OF the applicants have heard
their mothers tell that they Jthe apDli-
cantS) were babies In the cradle al the
time the angry elements were raging
without
one man insisted upon describing him
self as seventy English years" OF age
When pressed for his meaning. he said
It's plain % see that If ten Irish niles
equal fourteen English miles
his course OF reasoning vas cut short
by the the OverwOrked 0flcer. curtlv IN
forming him that he was not eligible.
There came 60 the pension officer one
DAY big. healthy man. who might have
been seventy, but looked no more than
fifty.
But Flynn expostulated the officer.
you're not seventy"
'I am that. s0rr,~ said Flynn.
fou must bring proof Of some kind
said the officer. and Flynn went away.
Newspaper a Evidence.
The next day he came back in triumph
with torn newspaper cutting u was
dated 1851 and ran Thomas Flvnn.
aged ferty-three, was charged at -
petty sessions. with shooting with IN
tent. The prisoner was sentenced
10 nine months Imprisonment with hard
labor
That's ne. sorr.~ said the old man.
complacently. as be handed the docu-
ment which disqualified him forever
from the benefits Of a pension. Not that
it mattered much. for II was found that
the applicant had a farm which pro
dUced Sl.op0 yearly.
one ragged individual coufGentiauv In
formed an officer that the pension. small
as Il was. would be q godsend. because Il
would Just pay me income tax" As a
matter OF fact. the mans income worked
out az something Ike S2.5e9 yearly.
Ignorance often Causes Mistakes.
Ignorance has been responsible for the
making OF many claims which have
proved preposter0us on examination. For
instance. an e r-poIice officer quite hon
estly returned his annual income as
nothing he frankly admitted thet he
received a police pension which. with
other earnings. amounted 10 $50 a year.
But" he added. when I have pro
vided for myself and wife and children.
there is nothing left"
Il IS TO Be feared that the Bible itself
has been put 10 base uses by some. for
examination by Official scrutineers has
brought 10 light curious instances OF in
cOntestable frauds In one case. although
the entry Of the claimants birth was or
purported TO be made in the year 1SsS. the
date on which the volume was published
was discovered 10 be many years later
In another case the entry NJ r,o claim
ants birth was made in his own hand