Weekly Chillicothe crisis. (Chillicothe, Livingston Co., Mo.) 1878-19??, 1881-12-15

suggestions in refeTencetO the agricultural
development of the country. The steady
Increase of our population, and the cOnse-
Quent addition to the number of those en-
gaging in the pursuit of husbandry, are
giving to this department growing dig
nifty and imorptance. The commissioners
suggestion touching its capacity for great
er usefulness deserves attention, as it
more and more commcndS itself TO the in
tereSt which L was created to promote.
COMMISSIONER OF PENSIONS.
II appears from the report of the commits
s0ner of pensions that, since 1860 7Sg,063
original pension claims have been filed;
lj00i9 of these have been allowed and in
scribed on the pension roll; 72,53J have
been rejected and abandoned, being l3plus
per cent. OF the whole number of claims
settled there are now pending for settle
mcnt 2GJ57j original pension claims,
2l7GiO of which We're filed prior TO July l,
| lSSO. These, when allowed, will involve
| Inc payment of arrears from the date of
| discharge in the case Of an invalid, and
| from date Of death determination of prior
| right. In all other cases from all the data
obtainabe il is estimated that 10 per cent
of 'he number of claims now pending will
be rejected or abandoned This would
| show the probable rejection of 2i,OiO cases
and the probable admission of 10000
claims, all of which involve the payment
of arrears Of pensions. With the present
force employed, the number of adjudica
lions remaining the same, and no new
business intervening, this number of
claims, 1930O0, could be acted upon in |
period of six years, and taking January !, !
1884, rs near period from which TO esti- |
mate in each case an average amount Of !
arrears, il is found that every case allowed |
MnnII inp ltn t,nt
it the sum Of S1,350. Multiplying this |
amount by the whole number of probable
admissions gives S2j0,OOO000 as the sum rt
qulrcd for the first payments. This rep |
rcscntS the sum which must be paid before
July ], 1852, and are now pending and tn
titled TO the benefits of the arrears act.
From this amount, S250,000OO0, there must
be deducted from Sl00OO0OO to $4,000 900
for eases where the claimant dying, there
is no person who under the law would be
entitled to succeed to the pension, leaving
S230OOlOOO rs the probable amount 10 be
paid I'm these estimates no account has
been taken of the $500 cases filed since
June 30, 1850. and now pending, which
must receive attention In current busin 50,
but which do not involve the payment of
any arrears beyond the date of filing the
claim. OF this number il is estimated that
81 per cent will be allowed.
As has been stated, with tn present ,
force of the pension bureau, six hundred
and stycnty-iive clerks, it is estimated that
II VIII take six years to dispose Of the
claims now pending. II is stated by the
commissioner OF pensions that by an adj
ditiOn of 80 clerks, increasing the adiu-
dicated force rather than the mechanical,
double the amount of work could he ac-
cOnplished so that these cases could be
acted upon, within three years.
Aside from the considerations of Justice
which may be urged for speedy settle
ment of the claims now on the files OF the
pension office, it is no less important on
the score Of economy inasmuch rs fully
Onc-third of the clerical force of the Office
is now wholly occupied in giving attention
to correspondence with the thousands of
claimants whose claims have been on file
for the last eighteen years. The fact that
q sum 50 enormous Is to be expended by
the government to meet demands for arrears
of pensions is an admOntiOn to congress
and the executive to give continuous con-
SdrrallOn to any similar project in the fu-
turc, the great temptation to the presenta-
ton of fictitious claims, afforded by the
fact that the average sum obtained upon
each application is $3.50, leads TO suggest
the prOpricty of making some special ap.
preparation for The prevention of frauds. |
advise appropriations for such internal im-
proyomcntS as tue wisdom of congress may
deem to be of public Importance.
RIVER IMPROVEMENT.
the necessity of improving the nayiga-
ton of the Mississippi river iustiiies spe-
cial allUsiOn to that subject. suggest the
adoption Of some measure for removal of
the distractions which now impede the
navigation of that great channel of com.