The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1851-01-19

range were allowed in making selections. The commit
tee do not desire 10 he understood as making
this remark general at exclusive application The
Pension Once for thsy have 10 believe that there
are some very faithful and compslenl men IN that odos
hose salaries. lower than corresponding sssss
tiops ia other bureaus. soI Who's they lake plsaSuN
ia naming the present chief clerk, DIR Evans Thar
many very many faithful and Industrious men II tie
desks in the departments OF THIS governmsn'-msn who
earn ali they get but general rule, u ts NO, possible
for this be the with hoAe who wOfk Dat hou
Der day the Office hours OF these departments. Clerk
ships range from VI 600 10 " 600 per snnums higher
tees in the States Il may be necessary IN this expensive
city, tor who have 10 main.asa families " have
comes ranging with these anouas but then they should
earn ihem--should render corresponding amount Of
service Men in every respect Of equal qualifications
yet in mercantile and other empoymens much less. and
work IRON Twelve 10 sixteen hours per day, The
nee do not propose in this particular instance to adopt
any rule, but they think proper occasion to con
denim The practice which exists.
THE THIRD AUDITORS BUREAU.
A very laborous part Of the connected with the
administration of this law devoves upon this bureau
As remarked under the former head, all the rolls, if in
existence relating 10 services during and PRIOR 10 the
war OF 1912, are deposited in this Office Those per-
tanning the with Great Britain represented 10
be generally preserved, while those OF the ware prior
were with few exceptions, destroyed by hre IN lsA
The committee, early IN Their Investigations addressed
letter to the Third Auditor. making certain inquiries
Which, together with his two replies, are appended See
App 4, 5,6l They also visited his rooms and examined
the rolls for themselves and took the evidence OF Mr
about twenty years. See App No l3.1 They found
The rolls much vouminous than they expected de-
well arranged Tor ready reference Their examination
necessarily. tedious aud slow business but the CON-
mee, after much examination and inquiry, unanimously
conc uded that the best that could be towards fsci
itang the business before them was to give the Third
Auditor the amount Of force he stated 10 be necessary
employ upon them, and leave Them as heretofore in his
charge. Tue subject OF copying or printing them, or
both. was taken under adysement. and abandoned on
the ground that to do either would involve vast expen
di,ue, and itself great delay To either copy OF PRINT
would be the multiplication OF rolls and names 10
teal scarcely credible by who has not made per.
sonal examination OF Them great majority OF which
would be worthless when copied or pnted yet occa
sonaly they referred TO tor solitary name.
In OF the militia and volunteers OF the war OF ls2
the OF the officers alphabetically arranged and
recorded b. States single book To mud the name ola
soldier the first reference to this book for his captain
Finding this, il is then shown by the same book who paid
the company reference is then made to the Iaymasters
rolls of that company These rolls are tied up IN separas
bundles which III each have to be taken from the
pigeon hole, uned and examined. Nor Is il sufficient, to
examine but single roll for single name but the pay
roll Tor each two months must be separately looked TO- IN
order 10 find how long the soldier service. M1
tedious business; still the committee think an expert
clerk ought to examine many more than the number sn
or twenty which the Auditor states IS commonly ne
daily The copying, 1t Is thus seen, OF single
roll Of company would be OF no value unless the rolls
for every payment copied, which would be an q.
most inerininable business. The COMMITTEES also had
contemplation under consideration to remove ihes
rolls, recommended by experienced men, TO the Pen
sion Office 10 let the references and comparisons 70
made there From the however, OF the
Third Auditor and the testimony taken this pon ther
unanimously decided against the removal. II Mr Nnd,
and such clerks familiar with them. were trans.
tered to the pension bureau with the rolls the txam.
nation as this particular business would be, perhaps
facilitated bull the public interests IN o'hef respec1
would IN some degree suffer.
Ii is in testimony before The committee, that independ
enl OF reference 10 these rolls consequent upon this
bount, land law, which only be regarded as tempo
rary The references 10 the ThtId AUDITORS Office IN the
/ n. j.,t,nu tn flo IN
one IRON other bureaus. In other words. that other
departments have occasion 10 examine these rolls IN
the transaction OF their current business, but seldom.
1t 49, therefore, in the opinion OF the COMMITTEES, 90.
viousy improper 10 remove tuen from Its control and
custody .s &
With all the embarrassnents and necessary delays that
must in the comparison OF these rolls, the commit
tee unanimously believe that il the Pension Once will
pursue the course Indicated OF deciding upon cases thai
ready for action in that office which need no efsf.
the Third Auditor and, II necessary continue to
take up such cases. IL is found that officer Is likely
be overaken. that delay need occur his account
He thinks, with The force ne asks that he can examine
six thousand per month He proposes twenty
ceTks-four al u per day, and tue remainder at me
usual per diem compensation OF W 49, except as 10 Mr.
Rind who superntends, for whom he asks salary OF
81. 700, Mr. Rnd is represented very faithful, in.
dustrous, and competent the committee concur
the recommendation OF the Secretary OF the Treasury and
the Third Auditor in raising his salary but not 10 the
they name, but TO the sum named In the bi-3i 500
instead OF $l,70o
FORMS, INSTRUCTIONS, AND REGu LArIoEs.
One branch Of inquiry devoved upon the COMMITTEES
under the resolution whether tie existing Tegula.
lions adopted by the Commissioner OF Pensions in
pursuance of fhe spirit Of the law" This the commit
tee regarded very important part OF their duties
The law itself only desgnates what class OF persons are
entitled 10 IFS benefits. leaving it wholly discretionary
with the executive department administering II TO adopt
such forms and rules Of evidence may be thought best
to determine who those persons II would be very
icu define by law such rules, could aay he DE-
fined OF universal application without operating unjust
y in some particular cases. Many ssses arise surround
ed by circumstances peculiar to themselves 10 which no
general rule could be applicable hence this act all
those OF kindred character before leaves these resu
latons 10 IN proper executive officers Tie discharge
Of these dulles liberal and just spirit is OF great i'm
porance 10 beneciares. Too much caution and exact.
ness in the requirement OF proof may defeat the objects
intended by Congress by the passage OF the law
The committee have examined with sone care the
rules and regulations which the Secretary has caused to
be adopted and pushed TO guide claimants in preparing
applications under this law; and though he really
disposed to make them liberal, still they think he has
sion n commission In the first place. he has wholly
omitted any publication to be made OF what roh
file in the proper bureaus here 20 as to apfne
those whose services could he verified, that ev
dence other than declaration conforming 10 his forms
which he did publish would he necessary. The existence
or existence Of rolls has BEEN and still subject
much inquiry and interest throughout the country fd
bearing the Secre,arys name. twhetber au
thozed or written by him the COMMITTEES have rot ~,
quired } that the rolls would all actually be copied and
clerks office in the several counties OF all m
States. This however, by subsequent publication Of
| the Third Auditor was cOntradicted Soon aftcr inc
pamphlet containing general forms and Instructions wa
sent all the clerks, and TO others, but this psmphe
mad info tshn n