Evening star., 1933-06-06
.|NEQU|TY ALLEGED
|NPENS|ON ORDER
Service Widows Would Get
Third as Much as Forest
Camp Widows.
Continued From First page.)

tOOlIdiuuco ETOm ElISI E0Be.J
additional child up to maximum pen
sion Of $56 month.
These comparisons are being cited
by friends Of service widows and or
phans in protest against what they as
sert are grossly unfair effects of the
economy orders in connection with
service pensions. Critics Of the pen
sion slashes do not begrudge the Con-
seTvation Corps men or other civilian
employees Of the Government the pen
sion protection Afforded their de-
pendents by the q. s. Employee Com
pensation Commission, but they vigor-
oslsly petition for equitable and fair
awards to survivors Of soldiers, sailors
and Marines who died In defense of
their country.
The act creating the Civilian Con-
last, authorized extension of Federal
compensation benefits to all the men
given employment In the forestation
camps. The compensation law pro-
vides that where o deceased employe
was receiving wages and subsistence
totaling less than $s7.50 q month, his
widow shall receive pension equal to
the same aggregate salary her husband
was receiving at time Of death due
to injury In line Of duty. Men in the
camps are receiving q salary Of $50
month In cash, and maintenance Of SIS
q month In food and shelter. There
fore, it was pointed out at the En-
ployes' Compensation Commission, their
widows would receive total Of $45
month until death or remarriage. II
there is no widow but child under
ID, the child would receive the pen
sion.
Mrs. Rogers Cites Inequities.
Mrs. Edith Nourse Rogers, Repre-
sentative from Massachusetts,, called
attention to, some Of the pension in
equities In q debate on the floor Of the
House recently. She commented, also,
on the fact that Regular Army en-
listed men on duty at the forest camps
are being paid only $l7 month, in
contrast to the $40 given the civilians
under them.
another thing nnanifestly unfair"
she said, "is that our disabled war vet
erans have been cut under the severe
regulations to almost nothing, or have
had their entire compensation taken
away without even having hearing,
whereas these reforestation boys, II they
are injured or sick, win be given dol
lar day plus their maintenance, which
Is 54 cents day, while III, and II they
become permanently Ill or disabled and
have to leave the service they still come
under the provisions Of the employees
compensation act and will be given
monthly pension, which In some cases
viii be greater than the pension pay
ment which Is given for the same dis
ability to regular soldiers Of our peace
time service. In some instances they
win receive higher rate OF compen-
and Spanish War veterans who have
battle scars and who have been reduced
under the drastic cuts Of the Presidents
administrative regulations"
Mrs. Rogers, characterized these de-
veiopments rs ''robhing Peter to pay
Paul" Asked II she favored lowering
the pay Of the boys In the reforesta-
ton carps or raising the pay Of the
soldiers, she replied she preferred to
have the pay Of soldiers increased by
restoring the former rate. 49,
r. = Hsrdships Emphasized.
The Army and Navy journal has
taken leading part IN the movement
10 CUkISCt luJQStACS0 III PCA4okO1 AaW ~.
ministration. John Callan O'Lough1in,
publisher Of the service organ. has en-
phasized that rigid application Of the
regulations win work extreme hardships
on many aged widows Of officers and
soldiers who won fame In the military
service. These patriotic women often
shared IN the dangers and ucissitudes
Of foreign assignments given their hus-
bands and many Of them had little
opportunity to put away savings for
the future. Numbers who did manage
to save. lost most Of their money In
the economic disturbances Of the past
three years.
widows Of veterans Of the Spanish
American. Philippine and Boxer CAM
paigns will receive no pension whatever
II they have q private income Of 81 900
or more year. These with incomes
less than that will receive SIS month.
"One thousand dollars year Is not
sufficient income for an elderly woman
to support herself adequately In any
city" the journals publisher declared
in the last issue. Besides, it may be
questioned why the Federal Government
should penalize those people who by
careful living have been able to build
up some estate"