The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1890-10-07
UNCLE SANS DEBT TO BOYS IN BLUE.
How the Pension Department Has
Been Administered.
Gen. Raum Says His New System
Expedltes Business.
The Workings Of the Disability Law
Passed Last Summer.

WASHINGTON, October 6.-Pension Com
shows at the end of the last fiscal year 337,-
944 pensioners upon the rolls, of which 32,-
9i5 were pensioners Of the war Of 1912 and
the Mexican war There were G., ,6S7 original
claims allowed during the year, 14,716 more
than were allowed during the fiscal year Of
1889. The amount Of first payment In these
cases amounted to S32, AIS, oil, being S11,-
036, ,492 more than the first payments on ori-
ginal claims allowed during the fiscal year
Of 1889. At the close Of fiscal year, there re-
mained in the hands of pension agents $780,
2S3.S7 Of the pension fund not disbursed for
want Of time. which has been returned to
the treasury. The 20,6SS pensioners unpaid
at the close OF the fiscal year were entitled
to receive 81, ,357, ,347, and have since been
paid from the appropriation for pensions for
the fiscal year 1891.
OF the system of completed files" organ
lied by him, the Commissioner says: This
system had the effect OF enabling many
thousand claimants whose claims were pend
ing from five to twenty years, to bring the
claim to the attention Of the bureau for adj
Judlcati0n and allowance, and the complaint
OF delay was reduced to minimum. This
system throws the responsibility upon the
claimant and his attorney Of having the
claim adjudicated, and has proved more sat
isfactory than the old system Of leaving the
selection Of claims for adjudication to the
discretion of file clerks. AS the result of
these changes in the business methods Of
the Office, more work has been accomplished
In given time than ever performed before.
This Is shown by the following statement:
Total number OF certificates issued
Tor the year OF 1890 ..-.............. S15l ,ObS
"Total number of certificates issued for
the year OF 1S89...................... 145,293
II respectfully invite your attention to the
great difference In amount between the rate
OF $50 month granted by the act Of March
3. 1883, to pensioners so disabled as to be In
capacited for performing any manual labor,
and the rate Of S72 month granted by the
act OF March 4. 1890, to pensioners who re-
quire the regular aid and the attendance Of
incapacitated from performing manual labor
who periodically require the aid and
attendance OF other persons, are una
Bile to establish the fact Of the requirement Of
constant aid and attendance. 1t occurs to
me 1t would be a just provision to create a
higher rate than $50 a month for cases of
this description. respectfully recommend
that rate OF $50 a month be created for
them. There have been received In the
pension office 460, ,282 claims to September 30,
1890, under the disability pension act Of
100000 claims are in this Office which can be
properly allowed under the provisions and
regulations approved September 26, 1890.
The act Of June q, 1890, Is the first disabili-
ty pension law in the history of the world
which grants soldiers and sailors pensions
for disabilities not proved to have been in
CURED In the service and In the line OF duty"