Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1891-11-07
WASHINGTON
First Comptroller Mathews Makes
Some Suggestions
IN HIS ANNUAL REPORT.
Lieut.. Neal Tells the Story of the Dis
patch's Last Trip.
COMMISSIONER RAUM
issues a Circular to Attorneys Prac.icing
Bafore Ruraau of peusiona.

Issues a Circular to Attorneys Prac.icing
Before Bureau of Pensions.
WASHINGTON, Oct 29.-First Comp
troller Matthews in his annual report
states that 29,593 accounts, involving
IS, 259, 294, 594 were examined in his Office
during the past year. Attention is also
directed to the fact that many govern
ment officials hold two or more offices,
and receive salary for each lie says
...It Is not question for the treasury
department to determine how many
offices one person may hold, or how
many salaries he may receive; that
question is entirely with congress, but
it is important that the compensation tc
be paid and the number of offices per-
son may hold should be clear and well
defined to the end that illegal payments
shall not be made
Comptroller Matthews in discussing
placed by congress upon the time they
may be filed and says until congress
acts in the matter he will not receive
claims past due twenty years. He
recommends that the appropriation
known as deposits by individuals
for surveying public lands be covered
into the treasury, as the large balance
is a constant menace and standing in
vitation for the presentation of fraudu-
lent claims The collection of balances
due the government comes in also for
attention and Comptroller Matthews
I asks that this class of accounts be stated
yearly
Lieut. Cowles. commander of the Dis
patch, was the first witness before the
Dispatch court of inquiry yesterday
morning. He said that when he sailed
from New York he had no knowledge
of any change in the lights around AS
sateague and Winter Quarters shoals.
Lieut. Neal, executive officer Of the
Dispatch, told the story of the last trip
of the Dispatch down the coast. When
the necessary distance for picking up
Winter Quarters shoal light had been
run, red light was reported to the
witness by the lookout in the rigging
A few minutes later he saw it himself.
1t was red. The euartermasier verified
it. There was no other conclusion pos
sible than that the light was Winter
| Quarters shoals. At about this time
the witness was relieved by Lieut. Mil
ligan and turned in. He was awakened
by the grounding Of the ship. The
closeness of the red light confused him,
but he was still convinced that it was
the Winter Quarters light Letters from
navigators of coasting steamers were
submitted to show that the light was
the least reliable on the coast.
The commissioner of pensions has is
sued the following circular to attorneys
practicing before the bureau of PEN
sions 'Afiidavits and other important
papers filed by many leading attorneys
throughout the country are not properly
briefed by them, and as result it is i'm
possible for the bureau TO properly file
records of the bureau for the purpose OF
| identification. This oversight on the
part Of practitioners delays the adjudi.
cation of the claims to which such
papers relate, and desire to call the
attention of the attorneys to this fact In
order that they may see that all papers
forwarded by them are SO indorsed that
no delay will ensue in their reaching the
proper cases. Many meritorious claims
are delayed by the failure of evidence
to reach them, owing to lack of sufii
cent data to identify the claims"