OCR Text |
Show SPECIAL PENSION ACTS PASSED BY CONGRESS DURING SIXTIETH CONGRE88 THEY NUMBERED 6,597. Result of Legislation Has Been to Increase In-crease the Payments by About $1,000,000. Washington, March 30. During the sixtieth congress, 6,597 special pension pen-sion acts were passed by congress, ac- cording to a statement just compiled by Senator McCumber, chairman or j the senate committee on pensions. While many of these acts were to ln- crease pensions already received by I veterans, the result of the legislation I lias been to Increase the payments by j about Jl.000,000. During the first session of congress, 2,579 such acts were passed, and m I I tho second session. Just concluded, j I there were special acts In 3,018 cases. ! j Since 1861, there have been granted 1 ! by special acts 26,324 original pons- i , Ions and 17,500 veterans were granted j an increase of pension, all of which ' 1 have an annual face value of about J5,250,00iX As many of these ponslon-i ponslon-i erf, were formerly on the rolls at a lower rate, this figuro does not rep-: rep-: resent the total lncroaso of the pens-i pens-i ion rolls on account or special leglsla- tlon. Since the close of tho Civil war In 1865, there has been paid in pensions the sum of J3,654,465,365; the cost of maintaining pension agencies and the i administration of the pension bureau j has been Jl 12,852,477. In 1902, there were 999.446 pensioners pension-ers on the roll at an expense of J137.- ; I 504,207. Since that time, tho number i of pensioners has decreased to 951.-687, 951.-687, but owing to the passage of tbe McCumber age law and the Sulloway ' widow bill, the npproprlatlous to pay , i pensions Increased to J153.093.062 Tor j the last year. It Is estimated that sixty thousand pensioners died during j the last year. I It is estimated that within ten years, the pension roll will not carry over J75.000.000 or J80.000.000, unless addl- tlonal legislation should bo enacted. i |