Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1873-11-13
Tie PENSIONERS.


General Baker, Commissioner of
Pensions, submitted his annual report TO
the Secretary of the Interior, Wednes-
day 1t is a volumineas document, CIV
ing q full account of the business of all
the various divisions of the bureau, and
including a succfnct description of the
policy and progress of the pension sys-
tenn of this country. The Commission
| er, after setting forth the extraordinary
liberslity of the present pension laws,
says: {
In addition to the expenditure of the
payment of pensions by reason of the
| increase of rates, the including of so
large proportion of pensioners among
those entitled to the higher rates, and
the extension of the benefit Of the pen
| sion laws to so many classes of pension
+. ers, have been SO great as to warrant
consideration in connection with any
proposition for further increase.
There was 16, 405 new pensioners added
to the pension rolls during the Gscal year
| ending June 80, 1878, and 10, 2f;;3 names
were dropped on account of death, re-
eovery from disability, remarriage of
widows and mothers, expiration Of mi
nors' pensions, and failure TO claim PEN
sions for three years. =.
The net gain to the number of PEN
sioners- was 6, 1872, making grand total
of pensioners of all classes of 23S, All,
classified as followss Army invalids,
80, 804 army widows and dependent re-
latives, 112,06S !; survivors of war of
1919, IS, 266; widows of soldiers of war
of 1912. 5,053.; navy inyalids, / ,430 !;
navy widows and dependent relatives,
1,770. ,.s '..'f
Besides the Increase to the annual
amount of pensions caused by the addi-.
ton of new, pensioners, the rates of
pension have been increased in 81, T61
cases, most of them under the act of
June s, 1872, whereby the pension of
those extremely disabled pensioners then
receiving SIS, $50, and $25 per month.
were increased to $1S, 1874 and S31. e5 per
month respectively. The total increase
of the rate of former pensioners amount
ed to 1858, 925. The amount of the
pensionro was also otherwise increased,
including 5000, 432 by admission of 81
42S survivors and widows of the war of
1912, and the net increase in the annual
amount, after deducting some 1868, 600
decrease in pensions to army widows
and dependent relatives, was $447, 81,
making the total annual amount of pen
sions June 30, 1878, 500, 259, 2S4
The total disbursements were, how
ever, some $4,000 greater than this
amount, the difference being for salaries
and commissions paid to the agents, fees
to examining surgeons, combinations for
artificial limbs, and expenses of the
agencies. Nearly 81, 800, 900 of the total
amount of $50, 4S0, 900 appropriated by
Congress for pensions for the fiscal year
was unexpended and covered back into
the Treasury.
The work of carrying into effect the
law of February ID, 1871, granting pen
sions to survivors and widows of the
war, of 1912, has been substantially
brought to close, only few claims
still pending, and not more than 1876 per
month being now received; 81, 10S pen
sions have been granted to survivors, and
$3.50 to widows under the law. The
average pension paid to army invalids is
$96.45 per annum; average to army
widows and dependents, 1924. Sc per
annum. ~ s.
The average navy pensions are, re-