New-York tribune., 1879-11-22
THE PENSION LIST GROWING.
COMMISSIONER BESILEY's RtPOgr-A DEFICIENCY
OF OVER $5,O00,O00 MADE By RECENT ACTS OF
CONGRESS.
lGESERAL PRESS DIsPATCH.l

OF OVER 80, ,OO0, 900 MADE By RECENT ACTS OF
CONGRESS.
lGESERAL PRESS DIsPATCHl
WASHINGTON, Nov. 21.-An abstract is given be-
low of the annual report of the Hon. }. A. Bentley,
Commissioner OF Pensions. to the Secretary of the
Interior:
On tic 30th of June last there were 2f2 755 persons
II the United States receiving pensions from the Gov
Tie pension list Is larger than at any
previous time The highest point heretofore reached
was In 1873 but the number reported exceeds the
list that year by 4s4 The present list is composed
as follows:
Army invalid pensioners. 125.l5s.
Army widows. children aud dependent relatives,
Navy invalids .si4.
Navy widows, etc. 1,772.
Surviving soldiers OF the War OF 1912, IL ,62l
Widows OF deceased soldiers OF the War Ut lsl2 lib
Daring the year 81 SAG new names were added to the
list 90s names which had previously been dropped
from the rolls mainly from failure Tor three years to
claim their PENSIONS were restored. and l3.l97 names
were various dropped. Theaggregae amount
OF years pension TO all pensioners Is S25 4937i2 15
but the actual annual payment exceeds that sum by
several millions OF dollars This arises from the fact that
nearly all newly admitted Army and Navy pensioners
several accrued pensions are due at the time OF
admission, which is paid at the first payment. During
the year the first payments TO pensioners ounted
TO So 763755, OF which S437j1i7 was paid TO Army
and Navy nvalids. widows, etc, ana Sl,3ss,Gll to
SURVIVORS and widows OF the War OF 1872
The first payment to pensioners of the War OF 1912
will rapidly fail or while material increase may be
expected the Army and Navy for several years
OWING the removal of the limitation upon the COM
OF pensions by the acts OF January 20 and
March g. 1879 The abovenamed acts were passed after
the estimates for the pensions for the fiscal ending
June 80. 1850, were submitted They were not taken
into account when the appropriation was made, aud
there will be deficiency In the pension appropriation
for the current year, divided nearly now be
estimated. IA follows: Army pensions. s.. 600.
Navy pensions. $4,000.
There were the 30th OF June l36.6IJ unsettled
claims exclusive OF claims arrears. an increase
last year OF 16.25s. To these must be added aboCt
10000 old claims which were revived by the Arrears
act of January 25 1879. called up from the rejected
files since that date for further consideration
1t estimated that at the close OF the year therc viii
NOT be less than 100000 unsettled cases before the
Office. In addition TO this the Arrears act has made
claimants more anxious about their cases, and they
Overwhelm the Onice with repeated demands Tor the
settlement OF their claims In consequence the work OF
the office has increased much tnat IL has fallen
greatly in sand there il much complaint at the
ays.wth view Of partially. II not entirely, meeting the
appro pratlon OF $50 OO0Ois recommended for the
ployncnt of an additional clerical force.
Tne change of the system for settling pension claims
which has heretofore Deen recommended is earnestly
commended 10 the early attention Of Congress. 10
and the appointment of a surgeon and law
yer to visit each cOunlyseat tsicc each year TO
sion Applications ana claims Commissioner Bentley
ats An ASPECT ol ,he ex patts slsten "hicn mas NOT
fer to Its trultfalness Of crime against the
laws the form of peures sorgcrics and fase persona
tions. An examination into the papers IN the Of
800 pensioners whose names have been dropped i.0m
the rolls within the last three years and four months
because the had been obtained by fraud shows
the following Two hundred and twenty-n invads
established their by producing l,5sl adayits and
certificates OF which LIB were false. or the latter 2Jl
were made by officers, ll9 by comrades. and 763 by
other persons. Two hundred and seventy pensions
OF widows minor chlldren and dependent relatives were
established aud allowed upon . sl6 certificates and aft
navs, of which ,sJl false or the latter ninety
i've made by officers. sixtyuae by comrades. and
16s7 by other persons lt Is also ascertaned that at
least nneIytwo fuTgerics committed IN the 300
cases There had been paid TO tesa pensioners before
the discovery OF their frauds, S5i1,225'