Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1920-04-21
Pensions Going Up at Enor-
NOUS Rate. Likely to Reach
$6OO,OOO,OO0 by 1921.
Boston Transcript.


make to soldiers and benefciaries of
soldiers during the fiscal year of
1921 may exceed S60O,0OO,OOO,
three times the pension bill for
the fiscal year of 1919, and, as mat
ter of fact, one-ninth Of the total
amount the country has paid in pen
sions in the last 129 years. The tre-
mendous increase is due to compen-
sating veterans of the great war,
who will receive s332,S65,000 from
the government, if the estimates of
the house committee on appropria-
tions are accurate. Pensions paid un-
der existing law will be kept down to
$214,0OO,OOO, reduction of $1,000
900 from last year, but new legisla-
tion which has passed the house and
is likely to pass the senate necessi-
tating an expenditure Of S777,500,-
900, together with the expenditures
which will be made under the war
risk insurance act, promise to bring
the total of I63O,659,600.
Payments Have Increased.
Conditions as they exist today
have caused the committee to make
an exhaustive study of pensions and
the members have found that pen
sion payments and the number of
pensioners have increased greatly in
the last 60 years. In 1870 there were
19s,6s6 pensioners, with payments
and expenses totalling $29,952,4S6.
In 1880 the figures were 250,SO2 and
s57,624,256; in 1890, 537,944 and
500, ,62O,232; in 1000, 993,592 and
s142,3o3,ss7; in 1910, 921,0ss and
S162, ,729; and in 1919, 624,427
and s223,592,4S4. It will be noted
that the number of pensioners de-
creased in 1910 and 1919, but that
the payments increased. Pension leg
islation has been enacted at almost
every session of congress and this
year has been no exception. The
house has passed two bills since Jan
uary l, one "equalizing the rates of
pension" to Confederate war veter-
ans and other pensioning soldiers
who served in the war with Spain,
put down the Philippine insurrection
and went to the relief of China. If
the senate concurs with the house
the first will cost the government
$65, 100000 annually and the sec
ond S12,5OO,OOO annually.
Claimants May Total 100000.
The pension bill which the COM
mittee has reported to the house, car
rying appropriations of little more
than S2OO,OOO,00O, cares for very
few. men who participated in the
great war, lis to be exact, who be-
came entitled to pensions between
April 6 and October 6, 1917 which
was prior to the approval to the war
risk insurance act. Disbursements
by that bureau to March 81 last,
however, totalled SS3,637,72O. The
bureau estimates that during the
fiscal year of 1921 it will be called
upon to care for 100000 persons and
that the expenses entailed will total
$197,S65, 900. The bureau, indeed,
estimates that under the existing law
there may be 100000 claimants for
compensation, with the total eXpen-
ditures proportionately larger. The
payment of the $50 bonus when COM
pleted will total approximately $500
100000. Bonus disbursements made
by the war department to November
80 last, aggregated S211,797,000
and it is estimated that this sum will
be increased to $226,000,000 by
June 80 next. Similar disbursements
by the navy department to date ap-
proximate 24,OOO,OOO and it is es-
timated that $1,S00,0O0 will be re-
quired to complete such payments to
naval personnel. The marine corps
has disbursed S3,500,00O and will
pay out 100000 more. Members of
the coast guard have received s24S,
220 and expenditures in that organi-
zation will total more than $300,000
before they are completed.
Payments Nearly Six Billions.
By poring over dusty files, the
committee has learned that from
1890 to 1919 the country paid the
pensioners S5,617,52O,4O2. War of
the Revolution pensions total S70,-