Baxter Springs news. [volume] (Baxter Springs, Kan.) 1882-1919, 1890-10-11
PENSION REPORT.


end Of the last fiscal year 5S7,9 4pcnsloners
horne upon the rolls, classified ~ follows:
Army Invalid pensioners, $3.50; army
widows, minor children anu dependent rel
| atlvea, lOi, ij6; navy invalid pensioners,
525I; navy widows, minor children ana de-
pendent relatives 2.i6O; survivors OF the
war OF 1912, 4is: widows OF soldiers OF the
war Of 1912. S.6IO; survivors of the Mexican
war. 1913; widows OF soldiers OF the Next
can war, 6,;6L Total. 527,9iL
There we're 65.65 original claims allowed
during the year. being HTl8 moro than were
allowed during the fiscal 1889 and 1855 more
than were allowed during the fiscal year
1885, The first payment In these &C. iS7 orig
lnal cases amounted to $32 larson, being sn,-
0i6, 1872 mt re than the first payments on the
original claims allowed during the hSoal
year In 1853, and $40. l7s.22S more than the
first payments on the original claims al
lowed during the fiscal year 1885, The
average value of tho first payments on
| the original claims Tor 1890 was $iSS.Il
The average annual value OF en-, pension
at the close Of tIe fiscal year was sl33N. AT
the close OF the flSca yer there were 1905
pensioners " paid who were entitled to re.
ceive Si,S57,3I1 which has since boon PAID
from the appropriations for pensions Tor the
fiscal year 1891.
or the system OF completed files" organ
| completed files or trial docket Is OF great
importance In securing the prompt adjudI-
cation OF complete cases upon the motion
OF the claimant or his attorney. Prior to
the establishment Of this sy.tem the COM
plant was almo't un versa that thousands
Of claims were pending In the office, the con-
sid ration Of which had been neglected for
years, and that the claimants were power
less 10 secure their consi ieration. A soldier
had right to file m application for PEN
sion ami to present all the evidence neces'
sary to prove his claim, but he had no power
to bring that claim before an a Indicating
division by an action on his part,
the withdraw wing of his claim from
the files for that purpose being
In the discretion of a lie CLERK. Under the
systems Of the completed files the claimant
has a right upon proper ccrtihcation that
his claim Is complete to have II immediately
placed upon the completed files and taken
up In It's order for adjud cation Ola Inns
n acei upon the completed fl es are taken
UP within week for action, and II found
complete are Immediately allowed. II
proofs are lacking call Is Immediately
made upon the claimant to supply the de-
fcIency, and upon the receipt OF
the required evidence the claim Is
again taken up for consideration.
n.The completed files system IL an entirely
just method OF procedure. 1t gives the
claimant the right, upon complating his
! ems =, to give notice ana have II adjudicated.
To June 80, 1889, I'll claims were placed upon
! the competed files upon requests mace
| upon behalf Of claimants. This system has
| had the effect of enabling many thousand
claimants whose claims have been pending
! from five to twenty years to bring their
claims to the attention OF tho bureau for ad'
! Indication and allowance, and the delay has
been reduced to u minimum. This system
has proved to be more satisfactory than the
old system of leaving the selection OF claims
| for Adjudication to the discretion OF the ME
clerks. AZ result Of these changes in the
business methods OF the Office, more work
has been accomplished In given time than
was ever performed before. On October 81,
| 1888, when took charge OF tho Office, the
work OF adjudicating claims and Issuing
! certificates had during the period from
July ], 1859, fallen fur behind the same
pgIiod for the previous fiscal year,
while from October 20, ls11, TO June 80,
1870, tn, 70 was an ntrodsa 10 the ad1udlca-
tion Of claims and the Issuing c. certIncates
greatly in excess OF the ina period az the
preceding fiscal year. This Is shown by the
following statement CT work done: Total
number of certificates issued year endcd
June 80 1890 Isl e53; total number or certtl.
/
increase In le9J over 1889, 6. 1865; total Of orig.
inal certificates issued year ended June 30,
| 1899, $685.; total of original certificates Is.
sued year ended June 30, 1889, 81, s9i; Increase
In 1881 Lver 1889, 1I,7il. This great amount
OF work was accomplished by distributing
the clerks who composed the board OF re-
view among other divisions and calling In
forty special examiners from the field, thus
| adding eighty persons to the force en- gagged
| In, ha 0b Ind IF ma A
larry by concentrating the work of the
Office for five days In the week upon the
| adjudication OF claims as provided for In
order No. las, creating the system OF COM
pleted files.
Il respectfully invite your attention TO the
great difference In amount between the ratio
of $50 per month granted by the act OF March
3, 1-S3, TO pensioners who are so disabled as
to be incapacltated for performing any man
ual labor and the rate of TI p month
granted by the act of March 4, 1897, to pen
sioners who require the regular aid
and attendance of another person.
There are many claimants who are
entirely incapacitated for perform
ing manual labor, and who period cal
~ require the aid and attendance OF other
persons, but who are unable to establish
the fact OF the requirement OF constant aid
and attendance. IT occurs to me that 1t
WOulu Db " just pTONlblOu W
rate than $50 per month for cases OF this de-
scrlrtion. and 1 respectfully recommend
that a rate OF $50 per month be created for
them.
There have been received In the Pension
Office lisa claims to September 80, 1890, un-
der the Disability Pension act Of June "a,
1890. IL will be readily understood that the
care of such an enormous number OF claims
proved Ia so short time necessarily taxed
the resources Of the office to its fullest
extent. The work Of the mail
division ran up to moro than S2,-
900 pieces Of mall per day to be
opened, classified and properly dis
posed of. At this writing October ~ the
division Is handling 1000 claims day.
have arranged the work OF the Office so that
claims under she old laws shall be adiudl-
Gated az rapidly as they are completed
cluims under the new law. II upon the as
sembllng Of Congress In December it IL
as. a. Il Ina