The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1920-04-21
GOING UP
AT ENORMOUS RATE
Boston Transcript.

make to soldiers and beneficiares of
soldiers during the fiscal year of l9-
21 may exceed $6O0,OO0,0O0, three
times the pension bill for the fiscal
year of 1919, and, as matter OF
fact, one-ninth of the total amount
the country has paid in pensions IN
the last 129 years. The tremendous
increase is due to compensatlng
veterans of the great war, who will
receive s332,S65,OO from the gov
ernment, if the estimates OF the
house committee on appropriations
are accurate. Pensions paid under iex-
isting law will be kept down to $214,-
OOO, 1000, a reduction of S1,OOO,OOO
from last year, but new legislation
which has passed the house and IS
ikely to pass the senate necessltatlng
n expenditure of S77,5O0,OO0 to-
petber with the expenditures which
will he made under the war risk IN
surance act promise to bring the total
sG30.659,600.
Payments Have Increased
Conditions as they exist today have
consed the committee to make on eN-
haustive study of pensions and the
n,ombcrs have found that pension
novments and the number OF pen
.;c~ers have increased greatly IN the
'avt 60 wears. In 1870 there were
192. .686 pensioners, with payments
and expenses totalling S29,952,486.
In 1880 the. figures were 2oo'ooz
and s57.624,256; in 1890; 597,944
and s1o9,62O,232; in 1900, in $685.
392 and s142,3O9,SS7; in 1910,
921,oS9 and s162,2O3,SS7; in 19lo'
s21oS3 and S162,631,729; and IN
1919, 624,427. 1t will be noted that
the number, of pensioners decreased
in 1910 and 1919, but that the pay
ments increased. Pension Legislation
has been enacted at almost every ses
sion congress and this year has been
no exception. The house has passed
two bills since January l, one
ueoualizing the rates of pension" to
Confederate war veterans 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 con-
ours with the house the first will cost
the government 65,OOO,ooO annually
and the second $12,5OO,OOO annual
ly.
Claimants May Total 100000
The pension bill which the commit
tee has reported to the house, carry
ing the appropriations of little
more than $2OO,OOO,0OO, cares for
very few men who participated in the
great war, 115 to be exact, who be-
came entitled to pensions between
April 6 and October 2, 1917, which
was prior to the approval Of the war
risk insurance act. Disbursements BY
that bureau to March 81 last, how
ever, totalled $S3,437,520. The bu-
reau 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 S197,
$3.50. The bureau indeed, estimates
that under the existing law there may
be 100000 claimants for conpensa-I
ton with the total expenditures pro-
portionately larger. The payment OF
he $50 bonus when completed will
total approximately $260,oOO,OOO.
Bonus disbursements by the war de-
rartment to November 80 last aggre-
gated s211, 100000 and it is estimat-
ed that $1,SOO,OO will be required to
complete such payments to naval per-
sonnel. The marine corps has dis
bursed s3,5OO,OOO and will pay out
Sc, 100000 more Members of the
coast guard have received S248,22O
and expenditures in that organization
will total more than 100000 before
they are completed.
Payments Nearly Six Billions
By poring over dusty files, the COM
mittee has learned that from 1870 to