The National tribune., 1894-10-18
PENSION REPORT.
Nearly q Million on the Rolls-Pre
Status of Long-Sssa1ding Claims.

Nearly q Million on the Rolls-Present
Status of Long Ss.uding Claims.
The report of the Con,missioner of Pensions
for the fiscal year ended June 80, 1894, has
been issued. 1t states that the number of PEN
sioners on the rolls june 30. 1893, was 966, O12.
and that during the year SO, 0S5 new pensioners
were added to the rolls and 1898. previously
dropped. were restored while 1881 have been
dropped for death and other causes and on
June 80, 1894, the number of pensioners upon
the rolls was 969, 544. The number of pension
certificates issued during the year was s0.213,
and 1872 1873 claims of alb classes were rejected.
On July /, 1894, there eTere undisposed of
and in different stages of preparation and adj
vancement claims for pension and for increase
to the amount of 619O27, of which 2S72O9
claims-originals, widows, and dependents
are on behalf of persons not already on the
rolls. These claims, save some recently filed.
have been examined more than once, and, &C
cording to the present Interpretation of the
pension laws, found lacking in essential evil
dence.
the fact is referred to that under the earlier
laws the allowances decreased from so, III in
1876 to 9,977 10 years later. The arrears act
brought in large number of new claims, in
creaSng the allowances and the disability act
of June 81, 1890, caused 1863, 797 claims to DO
fled the next year. As most of these claims
were meritorious and simple as to proof under
that law and under Order 164, which went be-
yond the law and rated disabilities as if of
service origin, the work was easy, and an ex-
pert Examiner coulu glance over the papers
and allow so or more day. Most of the force
of Special Examiners were called in and put
at this work. Difficult cases. and such as were
lacking i'll proof or suspicious in respect to
merit, or requiring special examination, were
passed over, and now constitute large part OF
the cases coming up for adjudication.
New claims of all kinds have fallen off from
1863 799 in 1891 to 40, 14S in 1894, largely due
to the fact that original claims for pensions
under existing laws are substantially all in.
and the bulk of new claims are for increase, or
for widows and dependents.
The old cases on which most of the work is
expended are, as stated, difficult cases, in which
proof is defective or lacking, requiring careful
consideration and repeated examinations as
any new piece of evidence is filed, or as often
as the condition and status of the case is fur
nished to the claimant or his attorney, or to a
member OF Congress.
The answers to Congressional calls alone
exceeded 81, 600 within the year. in each case
requiring nearly as careful an examination as
would have been necessary to adjudcate the
case if the evidence were complete. With the
class of work on hand the utmost diligence on
the part of the Office force could not produce
large output of certificates
The amount paid for pensions during the
year was Sl39, sOi 461 o. leaving a balance in
the Treasury of SOS, 205 1895 of the appropria-
ton.
Frauds, attributable to inscriptions claim
agents. were uncovered, and there were 1914
convictions in the United States Courts within
the year for pension frauds, perjuries, and
forgeries