The daily critic., 1890-11-22
POLITICAL NE WIS
RAUM MAKES REPLY TO THE
PENSION CHARGES
DEFICIENCY WILL ONLY Be O00CC0
Republicans viii Push a Free Coinage
Bill Next Session.
Will BIlL CONE HERE As SENATOR ?
7.llman's Plan for a Successor to Hamp-
ion-- Harrsons Indiana Friends Ac.
ivs--SessiCn Of The Granite
State Legislature.
DEFICIENCY oyWlLWLYBE SIS o0oCco
Will BJL CONE HERE As sEgAroa2
wHAr RArM SAYS.

THE COMMISSIONER MAKES a REFUrA-
TroN OF CERTAIN STATEMENTS.
NEW YoRK, Nov. 22.-The Tri58ae's
Washington correspondent telegraphs
the following statement made to him
by Commissioner of Pensions Raum
Il have submitted my estimates to the
Secretary of the Treasury, and. Of
course, do not feel at liberty to give
the exact figures. but In order 10 refute
certain statements that have been made
in the newspapers | will say that the
deficiency asked for will be less than
S35, 600 600, and not $40. 600, 600 as has
been charged. As 10 the assertion that
the annual cost Of pensions will ever
reach 5000 000,0 600, I think ] can show
you in a few words that IL Is utterly
without foundation.
The average yearly rate Of a pen.
sion under the old law last year was
fl33 9S. The minimum rate under the
new law Is SO per month, and the maxi
mum is $l2 Now $40 per month Is a
high average; that will make a yearly
average of Sl20. The rate for widows
under the Dependent law Is S96 per
year. Now you can see that these
averages are much less than under the
old law. think the Census Bureau
has discovered that my estimate that
there were now living a million and a
quarter Of ex Union soldiers was about
correct. Some of these men will never
apply for pensions
"Now, suppose that ] 200, 900 Of these
men or the widows of those who may
die should be placed upon the pension
rolls; that would be the maximum
number, woaidn't III Now, suppose
we give them pensions at au average
yearly rate Of $3.50 for survivors and
500 for widows-that is above what Il
would be for survivors, but we will take
that-the yearly pension would then be
only S15G, 100000 for survivors and for
widows, etc, now on the rolls And
this amount would decrease every year
by deaths and from other causes.
Last year we dropped 81 900 names
from the rolls, and after the first year
or two of the operations Of this Depend.
ent Pension act the number annually
dropped will more than equal the mum
ber Of new names equally added. So II
Is impossible that the sum for pensions
should ever reach 5000, ,0O0, 900.
Last year i5l 900 cases were settled.
Now, my estimates for next year, with
the additional clerical force allowed,
are on the basis of the settlement OF
$50, 900 cases, 100000 more than last
year. That dlsposes Of the assertion
that II The clerks were working to their
full limit the deficiency would be $75,-
O0O, 600.
During the month Of October there
were issued ID, 900 certificates for claims
under the old law, while up to last
Saturday night there had been issued
under the new law only 755 certificates
all told. We are now getting a good
sweep Of the claims under the new law
and are getting a large number ready
10 send out for examinations but there
is no neglect Of eases filed under the
old law
''As to the charge that pension Ger
iifcaies issued Ia one fiscal year are
paid out Of appropriations made for
ihe next year, will say that at the
close Of the last fiscal year there was
over half million dollars that went
back into the Treasury from the ap-
propriations made for that year because
II could not be utilized In time.