Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1920-05-14
sv JAMES p. HoRNADAY.

BY JAMES p. HORNADAT.
Washington.-The passage the other
day by the house of representatives,
o. the annual pension appropriation
bin, the bill that makes provision for
the payment of pensions chargeable
TO the Mexican war, the Civil war
and The Spanish-American war, served
to call Alteration TO the money cost OF
war. That pension bill carried APP
preparations amounting to $214O2O,-
600. Legislation broadening the scope
of the existing pension law which has
already passed the house viii, If con-
Cured in by the senate and approved
by the president, increase the above
sum by $77, 100000 making a total OF
$291.520,00O chargeable to the wars
prior to the recent world war.
Congress has not yet been able to
gain any very definite idea as to what
the world war will cost in the way of
benefits as the years go on. Just now
ii is concerned with the appropria-
tions that must be made for the next
fiscal year. The bureau of war risk
sary TO pay compensation for death
and disability for the fiscal year be-
ginning July ] at $19o, 100000; the
federal board for vocational educa-
ton estimates its expenditures for the
next fiscal year at $125,0O0,0OO. and
the public health service estimates
that 1t will be called on to expend up
wards Of $la0000,000. These esti-
mates aggregate $423,0O0.000 as the
amount that will be required to dis
charge the obligations Of the govern
ment to the survivors of the war with
Germany during the next year.
Bonus Would Add Two Billions.
This estimate with which the appro-
priation committee Is now dealing
Goes not take iDto account bonus legis-
lation. If bonus legislation of the Kind
that has been proposed is enacted 1t
will call for an expenditure of up
wards OF $2.000,000,O00. That legisla-
ton, If enacted win, of course, be re-
garded as special: K viii call for one
payment only and the money will have
to be raised through special taxation
of some sort.
Joseph g. Cannon, the veteran mem
Der of the house from Illinois, In pre-
senting the regular pension bill to the
house reminded the legislators that
the governL mt must not fail TO give
proper attention to the financial de-
mand that will be made on ii for
years to come as a result of the world
war. He reminded his fellow congress-
men that In the year 1918. according
to the surgeon general OF the army,
there were 2,422,362 admissions to the
hospitals for disease, 49,, $50 admis-
sions for ordinary injuries and 277.-
S55 admissions for battle injuries.
Here, he pointed out, We're nearly
100000 admissions to the army hos
pitfalls I'm the year 1918, and while
some were no doubt Implications, no
one could accurately estimate how
many of these men with hospital
records may be found totally or partial
~ disabled and the cause traced to
their war service.
The venerable representative ex
pressed the opinion that within ter
years congress would have to appro
pirate billion dollars a year 10 dis
charge its financial obligations TO the
survivors of all our wars. 1T Is bis
obligation" said Mr.. Cannon. "hut one
that the government mas already &C
cepted. / call attention TO the situa.
ton so that no one In the country
need deceive himself as TO the obliga-
lions we will have TO meet In the
future"
Parcel Post TO Foreign Countries.
The international parcel post has de-
veloped into most important and for
midable function of the worlds great.
est transportation medium--the pos.
tai service. The United states mall
carries more eparately-handled units
of commodity than any other single
transportation system. The domestic
parcel lost alone has long since passed
hhe billion mark In yearly shipments
while the letters and periodicals, eact
separately handled through half Cloz
en- processes, run into those staggering
figures vaguely called billions upon
billions"
In 1918, when Postmaster Genera
Burleson took hold of the postal serv
ice. one could send parcel post pack
ages 10 but "A countries IN the entir,
world. and the greatest weight limi
was IL pounds. Today the American
foreign parcel post service has beer
extended to $50 nations and colonies
and TO Is OF these countries, including
our biggest customers in Latin Amer
lea and the Orient, you can send par
cells up TO % pounds, and to one Of
1hem--Panama-up TO 80 pounds. Ii
1912, there were dispatched from the
United States 2.2T0,215 pounds Of ex
pert parcel post. During the next fis
cal year our increase over 1912 wa:
less than 100000 pounds. anu the In