Evening star., 1922-12-07
@,a7,583 PAID
TOU.S.PENS|ONERS
Annual Report Shows Main.
tenance Cost of System,
$1,394,079.
By the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press.
Tho American pension system cost
the public $255.201 ,662 during the rs
cal year ended last June 80. accord
ing to the annual report of the COM
missioner Of pensions sent today to
President Harding. OF this amount
$253,S07.5S3 was paid out for pen
sions. the cost of maintenance Of the
system being $1.394.07
That the number of pensions in this
country is rapidly diminishing IS
shown in the statement that $4.90S.-
ESQ less was paid in pensions during
the past fiscal year than during the
previous year, that 25.0S2 civil war
veterans died. as against 24.775 for
the previous year. and that 2l,259
widows died. as against 1s.451 the
year previous.
The number OF pensioners on the
rolls June 30. 1922. was 547, 7,016. COM
pared with 566.o53 on June 30 the
civil war veterans: 272,194 civil war
widows; 1886 veterans of the Span
fish war, and 9.i9S widows Of Spanish
war veterans. There were 73 soldiers
drawing pensions for service in the
war with Mexico. and 40 widows Of
soldiers of the war of 1872.
Spanish War Ruling.
several important 1noulHcatioHs OF
the practice of the pension bureau
Were brought about during the year
by departmental decisions. One de-
sision held that a person who enlisted
in the Regular Army subsequent to
April 90. 1888. and was discharged on
or before April II, 1899. or who en-
listed in the Navy or Marine Corps
after May 4. 1898. and was discharged
prior to April II. 1899. could be con-
sidered volunteer" This holding
favorably affected hundreds of claims
filed by widows and minors Of SOL
diers of the Spanish war.
Instructions approved in August
last year provided a most liberal sys-
tenn OF rating claims of Spanish war
soldiers under the act of June. 1920.
under act Of May. 1920. made the s12
rate for helpless civil war veterans
commence from the date of medical
examination OF pensioners by sur
Seon or board of surgeons of the
pension bureau. More than $4,000
claims for the s.2 rate have been al
lowed and S4.53: were drawing that
rate per month on June 80. 1922.
13O,136 Claims Handled.
In the past fiscal year. 130.736 pen
sion claims were disposed of and
2.269.767 checks prepared and sent out
At the close Of the year S2,615 claims
under various pension laws were
Under the act Of May. 1920. provid-
ing for the retirement of civil service
employees. there were 1876 annutants
on the roll. of whom s.667 were re-
tired for age. the remainder for dis
ability. The retirement law. with
several broadening and liberalizing
acts. has been in operation for two
years. the commissioner declared. and
experience indicates it needs but few
changes.
1t was suggested that employees ell
Eible for retirement at the age of
seventy should have the option of
retiring at sixty-fiv that retention
beyond sixty-five should be by agree
ment between employe and head OF
his department: that no employe
should be retained beyond the age of
seventy. Similar provisions were sug-
Eested for those eligible for retire
Inent at sixty-two and sixty-five years
of age. The present scale of annuities
should be enlarged to provide a some
what larger annuity for all classes, the
commissioner said, and particularly
for those receiving less than $40 per
MO