Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1922-12-08

Washington, Dec. THE American
Pension system cost the public s255.
201,662 during the fiscal year ended
last June 80, according to the annual
report Of the commissioner of Pen
sions sent today to President Hard
Ing. OF this amount $253,S07,5S3 was
paid out for pensions, the cost of
! maintenance Of the system being
$1,394,079.
That the number OF PENSIONS in
this country is rapidly diminishing is
| shown in the statement that S4,90S,259
| less was paid in pensions during the
! past fiscal year than during the pre-
vious year; that 25,0S2 Civil War
veterans died, as against PATS for
| the previous year, and that 21,259
widows died as against 19,451 the
year previous.
The number Of pensioners on the
rolls June 80. 1922 was 547,O16 COM
pared with 566,053 on June 80 the
previous year. OF these, 193.SS1 were
Civil War veterans; 272194 Civil
War widows; 1886 veteran ms of the
Spanish War; and 9,19S widows Of
Spanish War veterans. There were
IS soldiers drawing pensions for SER
vice in the war with Mexico. and 40
widows of soldiers of the War Of 1872
Several important notifications of
the practice of the Pension Bureau
were brought about during the year
by departmental decisions. One de-
cision held that person who enlisted
in the Regular Army subsequent to
April %, 1898, and was discharged
on or before April IL, 1899, or who
enlisted in the Navy or Marine Corps
after May 4, 1898, and was DISCHARGED
prior to April IL, 1899, could be con-
s!dered 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 liberal system
OF rating claims of Spanish War
soldiers under the act Of June 1920.
The practice originally laid down
under act Of May, 1922, made the S72
rate for helpless Civil War veterans
commence from the date Of medical
examination of pensioners by u sur
geon Or board Of surgeons of the
Pension Bureau. More than $4,000
claims for the $72 rate have been
allowed and 34,537 were drawing that
rate per month on June 80, 1922.
In the past fiscal year, 13O,73G pen
sion claims were disposed of and
2'z69'167 checks prepared and sent
cut. AT the close of the year 82,G15
claims under various pension laws
We're pending.
Under the act Of May 1920 proyid-
Ing for the retirement of civil service
employees, there were 1876 annuitants
on the roll. Of whom 6,667 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
eligible for retirement at the age of
~ should have the option Of retiring
at IS; that retention beyond IS should
be by agreement between employee
and head Of his department; and that
no employe should be retained beyond
the age of 20. Similar provisions
were suggested for those eligible for
retirement at 62 and 65 years of age.
The present scale Of annuities should
be enlarged to provide = somewhat
larger annuity for all classes, the
commissioner said, and particularly
FOR those receiving less than $40 per
month.