The Washington herald., 1911-11-06
Continued from Page one.

the national legislature has been fire.
rquently importuned to take action, for
the only possible relief from the sitaa-
ton musA come from the lawmakers on
Capitol Hill
:. In their annual reports of the last two
years the Commissioners have sought TO
impress Congress with the needs of the
situation. They caused to be introduced
both in the House and in the Senate bills
which, II enacted into law, would make
impossible the annual slicing OF ponce
and f1remen's pensions. They have ap-
peared before a subcommittee OF the
House, presenting comprehensive statis-
tics and urging the absolute necessity
of remedial legislation in this regard. But
so far there has been no serious attempt
on the part of Congress to make the
necessary provision for the Districts fire.
fighters and guardians Of the peace.
Facing Serious Problem.
b The District is now face to face with
the necessity of cutting OF from 80 to 40
per cent of the payments due beneficiaries
of the police and firemen's pension funds
because the sources from which these
funds are supplied will again prove in
adequate 1t is believed it will be pos
sibIe to make full payments December l,
~
tremely doubtful If January 1 will find
the fund sufficient to pay all benefciaries
in full. District officials say there is at
present no hope of paying on some $15,-
900 still due benefciaries for the fiscal
year ended June 60 1911, or for deficiencies
of previous years.
Figures for the last three years show
that, while the number of beneficiaries of
the police and firemen's pension fund
have increased at a rate of nearly per
cent year, the total revenues accruing
to the fund have Increased at the rate of
about per cent a year. Even less favor
able conclusions are reached by a COM
parison Of the last two years, when the
total for the fund, instead of increasing,
shrunk from $l25,0O0 to $4,000. The year
ended June 30 1911, however, was unusual
in this respect, representing an increase
of $4,000 over the previous year. There
are now 36S benefciaries of the two funds.
The monthly payments to these bene-
nciaries aggregate about 81, 900, when full
payments are possible.
Sources of Revenue.
Under the present law the funds for
fiTemen and policemen are derived from
the following sources: One dollar a
month deducted from the pay of each
member of each department, fines i'm
posed on members for disciplinary meas
ues; Police Court fines, and dog IL
censes.
Under the law proposed by the Com
missioners and now before Congress, the
funds would be derived from the follow
ing sources: All fines imposed upon mem
bers of either service by way of disci-
pline; all rewards, proceeds of gifts
and emoluments that may be received for
extraordinary services, except such as
may be allowed to be retained by
missioners; a deduction of 1-2 per cent
of the salary of each member of either
department; fines and forfeitures paid
into the Police Court, except such as
are authorized by law to be turned over
to the Washington Humane Society.
The remedial part Of the proposed bill
provides that the Commissioners shall
direct the collector of taxes of said
District to deposit, and said collector shall
thereupon deposit, in the Treasury of the
United States. to the credit of said fund,
out of receipts for all licenses other than
liquor licenses. a sufficient amount to
meet any deficiency in said fund"
Would Remedy EVIL.
This provision. which, it is believed,
would clear up the situation for all time,
Is similar to provisions in pension laws
of other large cities, provisions that have
been in other police and fremen's pen
sion laws for years.
OF the benefits paid out of the fund,
In five cases the benefciaries are widows
Or dependent members of families of
policemen who shave been killed in line
Of duty, and IN nine cases are the re-
suit of deaths of firemen at or en- route
10 fires.