Evening journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1888-1932, 1890-10-07
GREEN 3. RAUM'S REPORT
A Years Business in the PEN
m sion Bureau.
ss7s44 PENSIONERS ON THEROLLs

537,944 PENSIONERS ON THE ROLLS
There Were ee,ss7 Original Claims Al
lowed During the Year, an Increase Of
latte Over 1ssa-rhe Average Annual
Value OF Each Pension Is About @I33. "a.
WASHINGTON, Oct. THE annual re-
port Of Green b. Raum, commissioner Of
pensions, for the fiscal year ended June 30
past and including the first quarter Of the
current fiscal year of the operations Of his
bureau. has been submitted to the secre-
tary of the interior 1t shows that at the
end of tue fiscal year there were 537, 944
pensioners borne upon the rolls. There
were &c, S87 original claims allowed during
the year, being l4,716 more than were al
lowed in 1889. The amount of the first
payment Of these claims aggregated s32,
ATS s41, being 81, 0S6 492 more than in the
previous fiscal year and slo,179,225 more
than the first payments of the fiscal year
1883 The average annual value OF each
pension at the close Of the year was s133 o.
Business Reforms in the Once.
Commissioner Raum says that upon as
Iuming charge of the pension bureau last
October he discovered that a number Of
important changes were necessary TO Sc
eure satisfactory results, which were
brought to the attention of the secretary
II the interior. There were no satisfactory
specified duties provided for the deputy
commissioner or the chief clerk Of the
bureau Several thousand letters were
daily received from claimants and lawyers
making complaints 20 which no reply was
made; the medical division was divided
into sections for consideration Of specific
diseases: the power Of reopening claims
was exercised by heads of divisions and
examiners without submitting them to the
commissioner; claims were drawn from
the files from day to day for adjudication
at the discretion of the file clerk, claim
ants having no power to cause the settle
ment Of their claims when complete; Is per
cent, of the official force was assigned
to duty in the field for the special
examination of cases, when there were
IA, 1856 cases in the special examination di-
vision; a division had been created called
the board Of review, composed Of about
forty persons, for the reorganization of
cases passed upon by the board of review,
and matters relating to the appointment
and promotion Of the official force of the
pension office and of boards Of medical ex-
aminers were under the direction of two
divisions. The report contains all the
orders in regard TO these defects in admin
istration and the manner In which they
were remedied
Completed Files System.
The commissioner devotes considerable
space to discussing and explaining the
present system OF drawing cases from the
files for adjudication, and says that under
the system Of the completed files the claim
ant has a right, upon proper certifcation
that his claim il complete, to have it i'm
mediately placed upon the completed
files and taken up in its order for adjuuica-
ton. Claims placed upon the completed
files are taken up within a week for action,
and If found complete are Immediately all
lowed
II proofs are lacking a call Is immedi-
ately made upon the claimant to supply
the deficiency, and upon the receipt of the
required evidence the claim is again taken
up for consideration The soldier who is
entitled 70 pension and promptly fur
nishes the required evidence to establish
his claim should have his case disposed OF
without delay. He should have the right
to notify the Office that be is ready for
trial, and not be compelled to await the
action Of file clerk IN drawing his claim,
for however diligent the file clerks may
be, it is impossible for them, when there
are million claims pending, as is now
the case, to have such knowledge of their
condition as TO enable them daily to select
the cases which should have precedence in
adjudication because Of their priority Of
completion.
More Rapid Adjudication.
When Commissioner Raum took charge
of the bureau last October, he says. the
work OF adiudicating claims and issuinr
certificates had during the period from
July /, 1889, fallen lar behind the same
period for the previous fiscal year. while
from Oct 20, 1889, TO June 80, 1890. there
was an increase in the adjudication of
claims and the issuing of certificates
greatly in excess Of the same period of the
preceding fiscal year
The Disability Act.
To illustrate the great amount Of bust
ness transacted compared with previous
work Of the bureau, the report furnishes
statement showing that since the disability
act was passed the bureau received in July.
August and September past ,278 40 let
tiers relating to disability claims, and sent
out during the same period ASS, 462 replies.
The commissioner thinks that probably
100000 Of these claims can be allowed. He
speaks Of the disability act as the first ia
the history Of the world which grants pen
sions for disabilities not proven in the line
of duty, and as law which recognizes a
higher obligation on the part Of the people
to disabled veterans than was ever before
formulated
Nothing, he says, shall be left undone by
the bureau 70 give effect to this latest ex-
preston Of the gratitude OF the people to
the soldiers who saved the republic"
Minister Miner Must Explain.
WASHINGTON. Oct I'm addition 70