The Topeka state journal., 1913-09-26
1t Will Be Larger Next Year
Than Last.
Estimated That 100 Civil War
Veterans Die Every Day.
YET PENSION ROLL HIGHER
Increase Due to 1912 Act Pay.
ing Dollar a Day.
Over 10000 Veterans Now Re-
side in Kansas.

Washington, Sept. 26.-Although it
is estimated that 100 of Uncle Sam s
pensioners die every day, or approx
mately 36,5O0 every year, there is
strong probability that the appropria-
ton for the coming fiscal year, begin
ming July 1, 1914, will be larger than
the amount appropriated for pensions
this year.
The pension bill this year carried
about $1SO,0OO,0OO, not including a
SIS, 100000 item in the general defi-
cheney bill, which was passed in the
closing hours of the last congress.
Death keeps thinning the list of names
on the pension rolls each year, but
somehow or another the amount of
money that the government has to
eXpend keeps on getting larger, and
experts are of the belief that the pen
sion list will not show an appreciable
decrease in the mount of money paid
out for several years to come. Much
of the recent increase is due to the
act of May, 1912, which provided,
generally speaking, dollar day for
veterans of the Civil war.
This is the state of affairs that the
government is confronted with, fifty
years after the close of the Civil war.
There is q possibility that next year
may prove the high mark in pension
appropriations provided, of course,
that congress does not enact some new
legislation which will increase the size
of the average pension paid out.
1t is estimated that there are some
thing over 10000 old veterans of the
Civil and Mexican wars now residing
in Kansas, a large percentage of
whom are now on the pension rolls.
In the urgent deficiency bill now
pending in the senate is contained an
item appropriating $4,000 to defray
expenses of holding civil service eX-
aminations of the 10000 or more
fourth-claSS pOStmaSterS in the states
and territorial possessions of the
United States. During the early part
of May the postmaster general is
sued an order directing that all post
masters of this class shall be exam
ined by the civil service commission
to determine their fitness to retain
their offices.
Already orders have been issued for
the examinations of fourth-class post
shire, Florida, New Mexico, Virginia,
Delaware, North Carolina and Ohio.
The examinations in these states will
not be held until congress appropri-
the examinations. In the meanwhile
other states will be cited for examina-
ton.
This efficiency test will involve the
jobs of 943 fourth-claSs postoffices in
the state of Kansas. 1t is well for
the pOStmaSterS OF this class in the
state to post up on the examination
which is outlined in a circular recent
ly sent out by the department.
Approximately one-half of the 4O,-
900 more fourth-clasS postoffices
in the country pay an annual COM
pensation of less than $3.50 year
Examination of postmasters holding
such offices will be made by postoffice
inspectors. All offices paying over
$3.50 per annum will be examined by
the civil service commission.
Kansas poStmaSterS appointed:
Ernest E. Woolman, AshervilIe; leila
H. Shook, Murdock; Charles J. Bald
win, Rolla.
Empire City postoffice, Cherokee
county, Kansas, has been discontinued
Mail to Galena.
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