The National tribune., 1893-10-05
TIE PENSION BUREAU.
Report Of the Commissioner for the
Fiscal Year of 1893.
OFFICE OF THE COMMISSIONERS.
= DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR,
BUREAU OF PENSIONS,
WAsHINGTON, D. G., Sept. 10, 1888.

BUREAU OF PENSIONS,
WASHINGTON, d. C., Sept. Is 1898. J
srR: The number of pensioners on the roll
yune 30 1892, was S76 06S. During the year sine
that date I2i $50 new pensioners were pu
upon the rolls; 1904 who had previously beer
dropped were restored. and 80, $50 were dropped
for death and other causes. The net increase
of pensioners during the year was 1894, and
on June 80 1898 the number of pensioners OF
the rolls was 966,012.
INCREASE AND DECREASE.
The increase aud decrease among the variou:
classes of pensioners was as follows:
IncreuSe-Nurses, 2S4; invalid army pen
sioners under the act of June q, 1890. Si,350i
army widows and dependents under same act
33.I42; invalid navy pensioners under the
same act 9 27S5; navy widows and dependents
under the same act, 1,197; widows of soldiers
of the Mexican war, 81; soldiers of Indian
wars. 2544: widows of soldiers of Indian wars
1888.
Decrease-Invald army pensioners for dis
abilities of service origin, including persons
pensioned by special acts, 29090; widows and
dependents of such pensioners l,O41; navy
pensioners of same class. 264; widows and de-
pendents of such navy pensioners II; sur
vivors of the war of 1912, 20; widows of SOL
diers of the war of 1912, 1926; soldiers of the
war with Mexico, LOGS.
During the same year 24.715 claims for in
crease of pension, and 1880 claims for addi-
tiOnal pension under the act OF June q, 1890,
were allowed, and 1l5,221 claims for pension
and for increase were rejected. On July z,
1893. there were undisposed of and awaiting
action, or in different stages of preparation
and advancement, original claims for pension
and claims for increase, ETC., to the number OF
7lI.I50
Eleven boun:y-land warrants were issued
during the year; and 29S claims for land war
rants were rejected, and I13 such claims were
pending at the close of the year.
MONEYS PAID FOR PENSIONS.
The amount of money paid for pensions dur
ing the year was $l56. 740, 467.14. The salaries
of the Pension Agents, with their clerk hire,
rents, fuel, lights, and contingent expenses,
amounted TO $526642. The payments have
been made with CELEBRITY and dispatch. and
without loss to the Government. Examining
Surgeons have been paid SS6S. 337 within the
year, and, with S105 recovered during the year
on account of erroneous payments, there was
an available balance of S36l, 81 63 of the appr0-
priation for the fiscal year 1893. The balances
of all the appropriations for pensions, and the
other expenses incident thereto, at the close Of
the year was s., ,437, ,371.40.
During the same year there has been paid
fees OF Examining Surgeons for 1891, $751;
515.S3, and fer 1892, 1876 694 SO. and for clerk
hire in United States Pension Agencies in 1892,
years respectively.
The accompanying tables, most of which
were prepared by the Chief of the Finance
Division, are full and shew the work of the
Bureau and its expenditures for the past year,
and the present condition of the pension-roll.
APPROPRIATIONS.
The appropriations already made for the year
ending June 30, 1894, will in my Judgment be
ample, except that an additional appropriation
of $500, 900 should be made for the per diem and
expenses of Special Examiners. The work of
the Special Examination Division has increased,
and it is most important. as will be shown fur
ther on in this report. 1t is probable that an
additional appropriation will be necessary to
provide for the payment of the fees and ex-
penses of Examining Surgeons for the current
year. These Boards, selected with care and in
tended to be composed OF the most competent
aud reputable surgeons, make personal exami-
nations of applications for pensions, and their
reports of the results of such examinations con-
stitute the most important evidence in the ad-
judicstion OF claims, and especially in respect
80 ratings where pensions are allowed.
The estimates for the year ending June 30,
1885. have already been submitted. If these
were based wholly on the experience of former
years and the capacity of the force of the Bu-
resu TO handle cases through the formal stages
of examination TO allowance. the result would
be a much larger estimate. But 1895 is 30 years
after the close OF the civil war. The pension
roll, in view of its size, mpared with the num-
Der of men enrolled in that war, will, in my
opinion, by that time have reached its highest
limit and begin to decrease. The falling-of in
the presentation OF new claims appears from
the fact shown by the last report of my pre-
deeessor page IL, that there were OH Oct. IL,
1892 76S06l claims pending in the Bureau,
while. as before stated, on July z, 1893. not
quite nine months later, the number of claims
pending had been reduced to I'll, l50 1t is ap-
parent, therefore, that the filing of new claims
and claims for increase has ceased to exceed
the number Of cases disposed of by the work
of the Bureau, and that rapid diminution in
the number Of new claims may be expected.
The estimates for the year 1895 are as follows: