The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-11-30
SECRETARY MOBILES REPORT.
A Bulky Volume Full of Valuable
Information.

a BULKY volume Full or valuable
Information.
WASHINGTON, Nov. 29.--The annual re-
port Of the Secretary of the Interior has
been made public. 1t is a bulky volume but
contains great deal of valuable informa-
ton. The following are some of the points
treated in the report.
PENSIONS.
The secretary refers to the pension act of
June 27. 1890. and says:
1t is shown that while the benefits of the
pension system have by this act been ex-
tended to larger class. the average amount
Of first payments has decreased and the
average Of annual paysfsnts to each pen
sioner has also decreased. The reason for
this is that under the old law the claims had
been pending for years awaiting compliance
with the requirement of proof more diff
cult each year to procure and when allowed
the first payment covered the whole period
from date OF discharge or from date of
filing the claim, il not filed prior to July l,
1880. Under the act of 1890, the pen sion
commences from date of filing the claim
subsequent to the passage Of that act.
Many thousands of claimants, despairing of
their ability TO conform TO the requirements
of the old law, have elected to receive the
sums accruiug hereunder.
There we're 222, ,52l first payments made
during the. fiscal year, requiring S3S ,652,-
274 81, being less in amount by $69, ,592 than
the 130, SD first payments of the previous
year required. The average value of first
payments in fiscal year of 1890 was $4S5 II,
while the average value Of 1891 of first pay
ments in all claims was $239 33, and first
payments of claims under the act Of June
Tha
of certificates is about 10000 per month,
and 1t is thought that the pension bureau
will be able to carefully adjudicate $50, ,00O
claims during the present year. The work
at this rate will allow all lawful pension
claims within the next thirty months, and
of course all first payments will then have
been disposed of. This alone will cause a
drop Of $4,000, 600 in the appropriation,
and the list will thence on constantly dimin-
ish by natural causes. 1t is predicted that
the pensions will, when the highest point Is
reached, not exceed very greatly the present
sum, and be subject to great decrease i'm,
msdiately after. The estimate for 1893 is
$l44, ,956,000.
The secretary gives a statement of the
course Of claim through the bureau, and
expresses the opinion that the force em-
ployed In the important work of adjudi-
eating these claims perform their duties
to the government. There is probably no
bureau in the whole government where a
claim is more closely scrutinized-it has to
pass three legal experts, three medical ex-
aminers, board of examining surgeons,
the war record, the medical referee and the
commissioner. Many penalties are inflicted
and enforced for any fraud.
PATENT OFFICE.
The work Of the patent Office shows a
slight falling of as compared with the
previous fiscal year, The number of appli-
cations received was 49, GIG, as against 45,-
$40 in 1890. From the fact that the number
of applications awaiting action at the end
of the fiscal year was greater than at the
close of the previous year ii is evident that
the maximum limit of efforts on the part Of
the examining force was reached during the
previous year, and that It could not be sus-
tanned consistently with the high degree of
care in conducting examinations which the
patent system requires when properly ad-
ministered. A surplus of receipts over ex-
penditures amounting to Sl57, ,29l 60 was
turned into the treasury to the credit Of the
patent fund.
ARIZONA.
In Arizona an estimated increase Of 10
600 in population is claimed, making the
present population about 10000 The tax
able property is valued at $28, ,270, ,466 2S
and the average rate of taxation for ali pur-
poses is So 28 on the s100. The total terri
torial, county and municipal debt amounts
to 3,400, ,302 II. Many valuable recon-
mendations made by the acting governor
lMurphy) are approved. The funding Of
this debt at 5 per cent in 50-year bonds,