The Topeka state journal., 1922-12-08
BILL CROWS LESS
Past Year Brings Decrease in
Amount of Pensions.
Cost of s255,2O1,662 a Reduc-
ton of S4,9Os,259.

| Washington, Dec. S.-The American
pension system cost the public $685.
, 2O1,662 during the fiscal year ended
/ last June 80, according to the annual
report of the commissioner of pen
sions sent today to President Harding.
| OF this amount 53.S07,5 ,5SS was paid
out for pensions, the cost of main
\ tenance OF the system being $1,S94,-
| O79.
That the number of pensions in this
country is rapidly diminishing Is
| shown in the statement that $4,90S,-
| 259 less was paid in pensions during
| the past fiscal year than during the
| previous year; that 25,OS2 civil war
| veterans died, as against 24,115 Tor
| 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 547,016 COM
pared with 566.O5S on June 80 the
previous year., OF these 193,SS1 were
Civil war veterans; 272,194 Civil war
ish war, and 9,19S widows of Spanish
war veterans. There were 73 soldiers
drawing pensions for service in the
war with Mexico, and 49 widows of
soldiers of the war of 1872.
Several Changes Made.
Several important notifications of
the practice of the pension bureau
by departmental decisions One dect-
sion held that a person who enlisted
in the regular army subsequent 10
April %, 1898, and was discharged on
or before April IL, 1899. or VINO en-
listed in the navy or marine corps aft
er May 4, 1918, and was discharged
prior to April II, 1899, could be con-
sidered a 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 more liberal SV-s-
tenn of rating claims of Spanish war
soldiers under the act of June, 1920.
The practice org -IaIy 49, n
under act May, 1920, made the S72
rate for "eI- ess Civil war veterans
commence from the date of medical
examination of pensioners by a sur
geon or a board of surgeons of the
pension bur u. More than $4,000
claims for the $72 rate have been al
lowed and 34,537 were drawing that
rate per lo1.th on June 80, 1929.
Mail 2,269,76z Checks.
In the past fiscal year. 130.736 pen
sion claims ere disposed of and p
269,767 checks prepared and sent out
At the close CT the year S2,615 claims
and various T snsion laws were pend
ing
viding for the retirement of civil serv-
nuitants on the roll, of whom 6,667
were retired for age, tie remainder
for disability. lie retirement law.
with several brL-1ening and liberaliZ-
ing acts has be-l il operation for two
yolrs. the ~mmission' declared, and
experience indicates it needs but few
cha1..ses
1t was suggested that employees
eligible for retirement at the age of
20 should have the opti-n of retiring
at SIS; that retG ntion beyond 65 should
be by agreement between employe and
head of lis department; and that no
employe should be retained beyond
the a.. or -, im'lar isioos are
SUI for the q eligible for re-
tirement at 90 and 65 years of age.
The present scale of annuities should
be enlarged to pI I~vide a somewhat
larger annuity for all classes, the
commissioner said, and particularly
for those receiving less than $50 per
month.