New Mexico state record. (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1914-19??, 1920-05-14
WAR CALLS FOR
HUGE PAYMENTS
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
s423, DOC, ooo-Warning BY Cannon.
BY JAMES p. ~HORNADAY.


BY JAMES p. HORNADAY.
Washington.-The passage the othe
day by the house of representative
OK the annual pension appropriation
bill, he bill that makes provision 70
the payment of pensions c~hargeabl'
TO the Mexican war, the Civil wa
and the Spanish-American war, serve
to call attention to the money cost o
war. That pension bill carried ap
preparations amounting to S2l4,02O,
900. Legislation broadening the scop,
of the existing pension law which ha'
already passed the house will, If con
CURED IN by the nat and approved
by the president, increase the above
sum by S77. 100000 making Il total OF
S291 10000 %chargeable to the wars
prior TO the recent world war.
Congress has not yet been able tc
gain any very definite idea as to what
the world var will cost in the way of
benefits as the years go on Just now
1t is concerned with the appropria'
lions that must be made for the next
fiscal year. The bureau of war risk
insurance estimates the amount neces-
sary to pay compensation for death
and disability for the fiscal year be-
ginning July l at Sl9s,000,OOO; the
federal board for vocational educa-
ton estimates its expenditures for the
next fiscal year at S125,OO0,OOO, and
the public health service estimates
that 1t will be called on TO expend up
wards OF SlOO,OOO,OOO. These esti-
mates aggregate S423,0OO 900 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
does no take into account bonus legis-
latlon. If bonus Legislation of the kind
that has been proposed is enacted 1t
will call for an expenditure of up
wards of $1,000, 100000. That legisla-
'i'b, u iiu'iN VIII, VI 'puist Nv e
garded as special It will call for n
payment only and the none 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 II for
war. He reminded his fellow congress
men hat In the year 1918, according
TO the surgeon general of the army,
there were 2,422.36 admissions to the
hospitals for disease, 49,, 7S9 admls-
for ordinary injuries and 277.-
800 admissions for battle injuries.
Here, he pointed out, were nearly
100000 admissions to the army hos
pitfalls in the year 1918, and while
were no doubt Implications. no
one could accurately estimate how
many of these men with hospital
may be found totally or partial
y disabled and the cause traced 10
heir war service.
The venerable representative ex-
the opinion that within ten
years congress would have to appro-
pirate a billion dollars a year TO dis
,harge its financial obligations 10 the
survivors, of all our wars. ut Is a big
said Mr.. Cannon. but one
'epted. ! call attention to the sItua-
ion so that no one In the country
reed deceive himself as to the obliga-
ions we will have TO meet In the
uture."
Parcel Post to Foreign Countries.
The international parcel post has de
into n most important and for
nidable function of the worlds sreat-
st transportation medlum-the pos
oil service. The United states mail
arrles more separately-handled units
f commodity than any other single
transportation system. The domestic
,arcel post alone has long since passed
he billion mark In yearly shipments.
rhile the letters and periodicals, each
eparately handled through half n doz-
n run into those staggering
CURES vaguely called billions upon
illions."
In 1913, when Postmaster General
.~urleson took hold of the postal serv-
e. one could send parcel post pack
yes to but "A countries in the entire
-orld, and the creates: weight limit
IL pounds. Today the American
,reign parcel post service has been I
TO $50 nations and colonies ;
NJ 20 Is of these countries. including |
mr. biggest customers In Latin Amer I
a and the Orient. you a send par
lis up to 80 pounds. and to one of 9
iem-Panama-up TO 20 pounds. In 6
,12. there we're dispatched from the I
nited States 2.27O.215 pounds Of ex-
lrt parcel post. During the next ifs g
II year our increase over 1912 was c
IS than GO0.OO0 pounds. and the in 2
ease in 1914 over 1913 was only a Y
tile more than JO0lO0O pounds. c
Extended Throughout the World. a
Immediately upon the conclusion Of &
e armistice. when shipping became o