The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1911-06-08
PENSION "SHAV|NG"
EVIL IS CAUSE OF
VIGOROUS PROTEST
Notary's Fees Exacted Be-
cause of Government Rule
r.. on Pay Warrants.

When is United States pension only
part OF a pension?
Right now, is the answer OF 5000
ton agency.
Shaving" Of pension checks, the pet
ty expense Of cashing quarterly war
rants for pensions. is a burden, PEN
sioners complain. needlessly imposed up
on them by Government regulations.
Refusal Of the United States Treas
ury to cash pension warrants Of pen
sioners in this district is said to be
the cause Of much complaint among
pensioners. Because the warrants are
drawn upon the assistant United States
Treasurer at the subtreasurer at Bal
timore, the Washington office refuses
to cash pension warrants here.
Fees for Notary Services.
From Is to 30 cents to a notary. some
times an extra fee for legal execution
of pension vouchers, another fee Of a
quarter or half-dollar to pension attor-
neys or warrant shavers," or to spend
money with merchants to secure real
money for their Government pension
warrants is the burden upon many
Washington pensioners.
II is said that Washington banks, even
nationl institutions, refuse to cash pen
sion warrants, unless the pensioner is
identified. or has an account at the
bank.
This condition is said to be great
hardship upon many persons livlr< In
Washington who draw quarterly pen
checks shaved to cash them, or
spend money with merchants for the
accommodation of having them cashed:
Sometimes they must spend several
dollars to purchase merhcandise they
do not need or want. It is reported, in
ored to secure the balance Of their
stipends from Uncle Sam.
That warrants Of his Washington
agency will not be cashed at the Treas
ury here was verified today by Capt.
John R. King, chief of the Washington
pension agency, disbursing about ST.
ooo,o a year TO $1,000 pensioners in his
jurisdiction.
NO, the Treasury here will not cash
the warrants of this agency, because
they are drawn upon the Baltimore
subtreasury," said Captain King.
Pensioners have the checks cashed
at their own banks, or with, merchants
who are willing to cash them, SAID
Some pension attorneys cash the
checks for a small fee-a quarter. The
reason the TreasurT here will not cash
another Government depository-the as
sistant treasurer at Baltimore
Must Go to Baltimore.
Captain King says until six years ago
pension checks from his agency were
Issued upon the local, Baltimore and
New York repositories, but to avoid
confusion in accounting. a plan was
adopted to draw all checks of the
Washington agency upon the Baltimore
subtreasury. Now all pensioners in the
District, Maryland, Virginia, West Vir-
Cinia, and Delaware, with all naval
pensioners in the South, and all pen
sioners in foreign countries receive
checks upon the Baltimore subtreasury.
Pensioners without bank connections
are, therefore, It is said. dependent
upon merchants or warrant shayers'
to cash their checks-for a considera-
tion-at a loss from their face value,
aggregating thousands of dollars each
year.
What Mr.. McClung Says.
Lee McClung Treasurer Of the United
States, said:
1T is impossible that warrants shall
be made payable on all the subtreasur-
les Baltimore was chosen,rH believe,
because IL was deemed suited to the
needs of the greatest number.
Veterans living in Washington are
not, so far as l am informed, subject
ed to discount when they take their
warrants into shops here, but get the
full equivalent of the warrant in cash"