Eagle River review. [volume] (Eagle River, Wis.) 1890-1927, 1920-05-14
WAR CALLS FOR
HUGE PAYMENT IS
BETWEEN TWO AND THREE MIL
LIONS PENSIONS FOR OUR
EARLIER CONFLICTS.
WORLD WAR COST UNKNOWN
Estimates of Insurance; Vocational
Education and Public Health Serv-
ices for the Next Year Aggregate
1923, 600, ooo-Warning BY Cannon:
By JAMES p. HoRNApAY.

BY JAMES p. HORNADAY.
Washington.-Th passage the other
day by the house of representatives
OF the annual pension appropriation
bill, 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 attention to the money cost of
war. That pension bill carried ap-
preparations amounting to $214,02O,-
600. Legislation broadening the scope
of the existing pension law which has
already passed the house will, if con-
Cured in by the. senate and approved
by the president, increase the above
sum by ST., 100000 making a total of
1921 $4,000 chargeable to the wars
prior to the recent world war.
Congress has not yet been able to
gain any very definite idea az to what
the world war will cost in the way of
benefits as the years go on. Just row
it is concerned with the appropria-
tons that must be made for the next
fiscal year. The bureau of war risk
insurance estimates the amount neees-
sary to pay compensation for death
and disability for the fiscal year be-
ginning July at ,$19o,000, 900; the
federal board for vocational educa-
ton estimates its expenditures for the
next fiscal year at $125, 100000, and
the public health service estimates
that it will be called on to expend up
wards of $1OO,OO0,O0O. These esti-
mates aggregate $423,OO0,0O0 as the
amount that will be required to dis
charge the obligations of the govern
meht 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
does not take into account bonus legis-
lation. If bonus legislation of the kind
that has been proposed is enacted it
will call for an expenditure of up
wards of $4,000, 100000. That legisla-
ton, if enacted will, of course, be re-
garded as special; it will 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 government must not fail to give
proper attention to the financial de-
mand that will be made on it for
years to come as a result of the world
war. He reminded his fellow congress
men that in the year 1913, according
to the surgeon general of the army,
there were 2, 422, 1862 admissions to the
hospitals for disease, 1928 admis-
sions for ordinary injuries and 277,-
$50 admissions for battle injuries.
Here, he pointed out, were nearly
100000 admissions to the army nos
pitfalls in 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
4y disabled and the cause traced to
their war service.
The venerable representative ex-
pressed the opinion that within ten
years congress would have to appro-
pirate billion dollars year to dis
charge its financial obligations to the
survivors of all our wars. "It is big
obligation" said Mr.. Cannon, shut one
that the government has already ac-
cepted. I 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 mail
carries more separately-handled units
Of commodity than any other single
transportation system. The domestic
parcel post alone has long since passed
the billion mark in yearly shipments,
while the letters and periodicals, each
separately handled through half doz-
en- processes, run into those staggering
figures vaguely called billions upon
billions"
In 1918, when Postmaster General
Burleson took hold of the postal serv-
ice. one could send parcel post pack
ages to but A countries in the entire
world, and the greatest weight limit
was II pounds. Today the American
foreign parcel post service has been
extended to $50 nations and colonies
and to 15 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
-Panama-up to so pounds. In
1912, there were dispatched from the
United States 2,27O,215 pounds of ex-
port parcel post. During the next fis-
cal year our increase over 1912 was
less than 100000 pounds, and the In
crease In 1914 over 1913 was only a
little more than 100000 pounds.
Extended Throughout the World.
Immediately upon the conclusion OF
the armistice. when shipping became