The Portland daily press., 1870-12-02
Paying U. y. Pensions.

| The next-a quarterly-payment will COM
mence at the Agency in this city, located in
| merchants Bank building, Exchange street,
up stairs, on Monday morning next. Dec 9th,
at 9 o'clock.
Under the requirements of the law OF July,
| 1870, pension vouchers have been prepared at
| the agency, with printed instructions for their
execution, and forwarded by mail on the Goth
inst, without expense to pensioners, to the
| post Office address of each pensioner, army and
navy alike, whose name is borne upon the
| rolls of the Portland agency, excepting those
who are in the habit of deposting their pension
certificates in the agency, or live within the
city limits, who usually call at the agency ard
collect their pensions. Vouchers for these are
retained on file in the Office. in readiness
whenever they may call; or if they have
changed residence since last payment will be
forwarded to them on request. These vouch-
ers are to be executed, each one, for the time
they cover, and returned by mail to the agency
for payment; but should pensioners prefer to
go to the agency and collect in person, they
should be careful to take with them the vouch-
er above referred to. and their pension certif-
cafe in order that said voucher may be proper
ly executed at the agency. There are now no
fees in the collection of pensions at the agency,
and none when collection is made by mail, ex-
cept the cost of postage on the return of vouch-
ers through the mail, and the small fee of
magistrates for administration of necessary
oaths in the execution of vouchers. All pay
ments are made by checks, drawn for the full
amount due, and delivered to pensioners in
person, or sent by mail to their post Office adj
dress, payable to their o,on order. Great
care should therefore be observed in giving
correct Post Office addresses-as payment eau
not be forwarded in any other way-nor deliv-
. red to any persons other than the pensioner.
BY this system they have placed in their own
hands reliable, official information of its exact
and full amount due them at each recurring
quarterly payment, which takes place on and
after the 4th days of March, June, September
and December in each year. A special pension
check is used in these payments, easily recog
nized and readily negotiated, and. being usual
ly for small sums, are sought for as a safe
means of making business remittances, or pass
from hand to hand, like bank bills in ordinary
business transactions.
The first payment under the ft regoing reg
o'"'AoAS tooh pidCC vi anu dltcE 0cplcIuUtF fVu
last, and we are informed that the new system
works with less friction than was anticipated;
that in fact it more than justifies the hopes of
its best friends and bids fair to entirely eradi-
cate the evils of the old method of transactng
pension business. Though it is not to be pre-
sumed that the system now Just inaugurated,
will prove to be altogether blameless, it is
nevertheless hoped that it may possess sufi-
Gent vitality to suppress all evils that may de-
velope under it. Already we hear that some
claim agents who have endeavored to estab-
lish plan by which these pension checks
should be returned to them by pensioners
for first negotiations, for fee. not exceeding |
what it used to cost them to make collections I'm
der the old system, have been promptly suspen-
ded by thu Commissioner of Pensions, from
doing any business with the Pension Bureau
at Washington, or with any of its agencies
throughout the country. This action of the
commissioner is at once humane and COM
mendabe, and will be sustained by all right
minded men.
We are advised by tie pension agent that it
highly desirable that all vouchers at each pay
ment, should be sent in within the months
designated for the several payments-viz.
March, June, September and December.
Should this, however, prove to be impractical
BILE in special cases, the amount due is payable
any time within three years from the date at
which payment was DUE But we suggest the
safety of the rule to "alaoays collect money
when DUE; particularly is this applicable to
pensioners, in view of the fact that immediate.
ly preceding the last payment many pensions
were suspended, or names were stricken from
the rolls,in either involving the entire less
OF the sum dues, or vexatious delay until they |
can be reinstated, in some instances covering |
several payments. Had collection in all these |
cases been made promptly as they became due |
considerable loss would undoubtedly have |
been avoided. Pensioners will bear in mind
that the object of the law and present regula-
tions under which payments of pensions are
made, is solely for their benefit intended to
save them both trouble and expense; it is
therefore incumbent on them to become &C
quainted with the workings Of the system and
cheerfully comply with rules which pension
agents have no authority to waive.