The National tribune., 1883-02-15
THE PENSION OFFICE.
What Commissioner Dudley Intends to Do-Al
ENCOURAGING Outlook.

Now that the passage of the annual pension ap-
priation bill is practically assured. it Is OF interest
to know what the prospect is for a speedy adjust
ment of the claims now pending in the Pension
Office.
In the bill which was passed at the end of the last
session the employment of about 200 additional
clerks was authorized for the purpose of clearing
up within three years pending and delayed pension
claims OF these about 800 were given to the Pen
sion Bureau. The bill was passed at such late day
that the additional clerks, whole, were not set
at work until about NovemberI. The introduction
Of these clerks, who had no knowledge of the work
to be DONE temporarily parayzed the whole force.
The new clerks mingled with the old, and the work
of instruction began. To those who had no knowl-
edge of law, education in the work required time.
The adjudication of cases could not at first be in
trusted to them; but they are now becoming effi-
cient. For example, before the new clerks came,
the average number of cases settled by an old ex-
anniner in one of the divisions in month 16
The average number settled now in that division
by d new examiner in one month IL about Ga, and
the average monthly number settled in that divis-
ion, by new and old examiners combined Is a frac-
ton more than IL. The work of educating the new
clerks has retarded the work OF the old clerks The
new clerks have done as well as the Commissioner
could expect under the circumstances. OF $50
whose probation time Is about to expire only 81
Will be rejected.
Speaking of the work on hand the Commissioner
says that he could have made larger payments if ne
had been willing to take up and adjudieate only
the weere the evidence IS plain and which
can easily and quickly be settled. He had under
taken however, to dispose of all pending and de-
layed claims in period of three years, and it was
that he should begin at the bottom and clear away
the material which it is difficult to handle The
cases which could be easily and quickly settled, he
says. have in a great degree risen to the top and
foated off as adudicated cases and il can be in
ferred from his statements and the official tables
that his predecessors have to some extent, taken
the cream and left him the SKINNED milk. The
tables show that while the number of cases adjudi-
Gated in the two years ISL and lS32 is much larger
than the number for any previous years, much
larger number of claims filed many years ago
settled in those years than settled in previous
years. Tho work of clearing up the files from the
cotton makes necessary the consideration of many
knotty cases, but he intends to leave nothing be-
hind as he goes along. Recently he has been re-
jecting many claims as he has been allowing,
and this kind of work is, in his opinion. for the
benefit of the Government, although 1t does not
increase the payments He expects, he says to have
the work in so advanced n condition within year
from this date that claimants will he in default TO
the office rather than that the office shall be IN de-
fault TO them. The work of educating the
clerks and disposng OF Did and difficult c.tses has
reached such point that he expects the payments
will increase and shat in the months Of February,
March, April May. and June the payments will
amount to 50,00O,0OO which will be sufficient to
exhaust the limit of SIS, ,O00OO0 which he fixed
few weeks ago as the probable extent of pension
expenses for this fiscal year.