The semi-weekly tribune. [volume] (Great Falls, Mont.) 1890-1891, 1890-10-08
COM MISSIONER AUM REPORTS.
Completed Files Receive Much Attention
but Nothing ia Said of the Wild
cat Refrigerator COmpany.

AsS
but Nothing is Said of the Wild
cat Refrigerator Company.
WASHINGTON, Oct. 6.-The annual re-
port of Commissioner Green B. Raum of
the pension bureau shows that there were
at the end of the last fiscal year 1894
pensioners borne upon the rolls and
classified as follows: Army invalid pen
s%ioners, 392, 800; army widows, minor
children and dependent relatives, 1O4,456;
navy invalid pensioners, 6,274; navy wild
ows, minor children and dependent rela-
tives, 2,460; survivors of the war of 1912,
Alb; widows OF soldiers of the war of
1912, $500; survivors of Mexican war,
17,15e; widows of soldiers of Mexican
war, 6,674; total, 527,744. There were
67,637 original claims allowed during the
year, being 14,716 more original claims
than were allowed during the fiscal year
of 1889 and 6,385 more than were allowed
during the fiscal year of 1888. The
amount of the first payment in these &c.
637 original cases amounted to $32,478,-
O41, being 81, O37, 492 more than the first
payments on original claims allowed
during the fiscal year of 1889 and &c.,
179,225 more than the first payments on
original claims allowed during the
fiscal year or 1888. The average
value of the first payments on
these original claims for 1890 was $780,
u. An average annual value of each
pension at the close of the fiscal year Of
$133 "a. At the close of the fiscal year
there remained in the hands of the pen
sion agents the sum Of $5sO,2s3 Of pen
sion fund, which had not been disbursed
for the want of time, and which has been
returned to the treasury; and there were
2O,63s pensioners unpaid at the close OF
the fiscal year, who were entitled to re-
ceive $4,357, 347, which has since been
paid from appropriations for pensions Jor
the fiscal year 1891. OF the system of
completed files" organized by him, the
commissioner says: 1.-THE completed
files" or trial docket l regard as of great
importance in securing prompt adjudica-
ton Of completed cases upon motion IF
claimant or his attorney. Prior to the
establishment of this system, complaint
was almost universal that thousands of
claims were pending in the office,
consideration of which has been neglect
ed for wears, and that claimants
were powerless to secure their consider
alton, A soldier had the right to file ap-
| plication for a pension and to present all
the evidence necessary to prove his claim
but be had no power to bring that claim
before the adjudicating division by action
on his part, the drawing of his claim
from the files for that purpose being in
the discretion of the file clerk.
Under the system of completed files"
the claimant has the right upon proper
ce%rtjfcation that his claim is complete,
to have it Immediately placed upon the
completed files and taken up in its order
for adjudication. Claims placed upon
"completed files" are taken up within q
week for action and If found complete
are Immediately allowed. If proofs are
lacking, call is Immediately made upon
| the claimant to supply the deficiency and
upon receipt of the required evidence the
claim is again taken up. A soldier
who is entitled to a pension and promptly
furnishes required evidence to establish
his claim should have his case disposed
of without delay. He should have the
right to notify the office that he Is ready
for trial and not be compelled to await
the action of the file clerk In drawing his
claim; for however diligent the file clerks
may be it is impossible for them, when
there are a million claims pending as il
now the case, to have such knowledge OF
their condition as to enable them daily to
select cases which should have proceed
ence in adjudication because Of their pri..
GRITTY of completion. The completed
file" system Is an orderly method Of pro-
cedure. 1t gives the claimant right, up,
on completing his case, to give notice and
nave il a~djudicated. To June 80, 99,76l
claims were plated upon completed files
upon requests made upon behalf OF claim
ants.
This system has had the effect OF en-
abIing many thousand claimants whose
claims have been pending from five ia
20 years to bring their claims to the at
tention of the bureau for adjudication
and allowance, and complaint Of delay
has been reduced to a minimum.
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