Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-08-23

By a star Correspondent of The Star and
North American Newspaper Alliance, Inc.
BY Cable to The Star.
PARIS, August 22.-World War PEN
sions will play political role in France
for great many years. The law passed
in April, 1927, creating special cate
CORY of war veterans who saw three
months service in the trenches, and
giving them all q pension after so, Is
fertile in political possibilities. 1t has
already proved the Importance of the
veteran organizations; no government
dare ignore them.
The Tardieu government, to tighten
the budget last year, considered reduc-
ing the ALLEGATION which goes with the
card of the combatant." This, &C
cording to the finance law of Decent
Der, 1926. gave actual trench fighters
and certain other classes OF veterans an
annuity which matched with the lower
degrees of the mutilated, about 500
francs a year beginning with the nj
tieth year.
It YVES thought advisable, also, to re-
duce the figure to prevent establishing
a principle of pensions to all veterans,
which, it was feared, would become
heavy burden on the nation within q
few years, when the number OF vet
Grams over SO would be mounting rap
idly toward a million. But the asso-
Citations of veterans induced Tardieu,
then premier. not to make the reduc-
ton: the political pressure was sum
cient to persuade him to yield.
The argument OF the veterans was
that the pension list would not grow
because of the high mortality rate
among the veterans now receiving PEN
sions. The government could, there
fore. afford, they argued, to consider
all trench fighters as eventual recipients
of pensions.
They produced mortality statistics to
show that the mutilated now receiving
high pensions will all, or practically all,
be gone before the bulk OF the war vet
Grams reach so, and they consider
France owes all OF them pension
from the age of so in return for their
months in the trenches.
Reduction Is Impossible.
The modest ALLEGATION now being re-
ceived under the law Of 1927 VIII not,
Of course, always remain the same. To
reduce the figure Is impossible, as Tar
dieu discovered, and while parliament
has so far shown no disposition to In
crease it. the fermer combatants are
not expecting rapid action. Their In
terest lies in the future. when their
number is smaller and the needs OF the
individual veterans, through age and
disability, viii be greater.
The principal Of service pension Is
net confined to the World War, the vet
eran associations taking in all soldiers
and sailors who carried on perilolls cam
paigns in the colonies. The likelihood,
therefore, Of the minister OF finance
seeing the ministry Of pensions budget
take a sudden drop some year Is remote.
The veteran associations, which are
numerous, have in common an interest
in keeping pensions up.
Elaborate System.
The pension problem in France bore
from the beginning upon the actual
needs of the men who had suffered for
their country. An elaborate system was
worked out whereby the bread winners
OF families, whose earning capacity was
lowered by the war, quickly received n
nancial support from the government
according to their needs. The load on
the Nation was too big to allow much
generosity, but on the whole the men
who have given arms, legs or health Tor
their country have received, under the
general pensions law Of 1919, enough to
help them care for their families ana
aged parents, and raise their children.
The help per parent or per child has
been figured by hundreds, not thoa-
sands Of francs year, except for the
gravely mutilated. but a hundred francs
can go long way in France.
An effort was made TO be expert In
distributing pensions, giving as much
as the nation could afford the first most
difficult years. The lawmakers calcu-
lated that the need would dwindle rap
idly with the death Of elder dependents
and the growth Of children They did
not reckon with the distant future, but
the veterans have.
Privileges Given MultiIated.
The pension problem has not proved
heavier largely because Of the favored
position occupied by mutilated veter-
ans and widows Of veterans. It has
long been custom to give the privilege
OF selling tobacco, matches and offlcial
stamped paper necessary for agree
ments Of al sorts to the widows OF
soldiers or TO mutilated soldiers. The
easy tasks in every community have,
R.a Save $50 to 500