The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1897-02-08
"A NEW SPASM OF ECONOMY
NUMBER or PENSION AGENCIES TO
BE DECREASED FROM rs no o.

The Move Will Effect an Annual Saving
OF $15O,OOO without Inconvenienoing
Pensioners-Pensionsi In Many Cases to
be Sent to Veterans Homes Order to Go
Into Effect September 1.
Washington, Feb. 7.-The president
has signed, on the recommendation of
Secretary of the Interior Francis, an
! important order reducing the number
of pension agencies in the United States
from eighteen to nine. The object of
the order is to effect very large saw
| ing to the government without IN
conveniencing the pensioners. The sec
retary demonstrates that by this re-
duction of pension agencies the cost
of disbursing pensions can be reduced
at least $150,O0O per annum.
The change was made possible by an
amendment to the law governing the
ment was approved March 23, 1896. 1t
required that all pensioners should, af-
ter that date, be paid by checks remit
| ted by mail. Reports from the pension
| agencies in reply to inquiries as to the
| operation of the new law are, to the eff
| feet that under it the pensioners are
paid much more promptly. that the
| possibility Of error is minimized and
| that upon the whole it is much more
| satisfactory to the pensioners than the
| former law.
| The agents also advise that the pen
sioners receive their pensions when re-
mitted by mail at their homes. where,
being surrounded by family influences
the pensioner is much more likely to
make a judicious disposition of his
pension money. Under the previous
| law many pensioners collected their
quarterly payments IN person and,
under the influence of bad associations,
were often induced to apply those pay
ments unwisely depriving their fani-
lies of the benefits thereof.
This executive order will go into eff
feet September 1, it's execution having
been postponed until that day in order
that no pensioner should suffer incon-
venience in consequence Of delay In
receiving his pension, and to give
ample time for the removal OF the rolls,
etc, from the agencies discontinued.
| The following are the nine agencies
and the number of pensioners PAID
Ithereat under the new order:
Boston, 94,35O; New York, 1888; Phil
adelphia, ,735; Washington lao, 265;
Columbus 1O4, ,492; Indianapolis, 116,O66;
| or 70Q. ga
Francisco, 23,O9S. Total, s70,67s.
All pensioners Of the United States
residing in foreign countries and now
numbering 3,7S1 will continue to be
paid from the Washington agency, and
the navy pensioners will be paid as
heretofore from Boston, Chicago. New
York, Philadelphia, San Francisco and
| Washington.
The estimated saving to the govern
ment is as follows:
| Clerk hire, $1O5675.37; salaries nine
agents, $4,000 per annum, $4,000; con-
tingent expenses of agencies discon-
tinued, Sf0,192.62; rent for agencies dis
continued, $780, Total, $751; 407.99 At
ter the consolidation the cost for clerk
hire will amount to $3.50, 1870, while
that item for the fiscal year ended
June 30, 1896, amounted to $445, ,41267.
Secretary Francis is of the opinion
that no valid objection can be offered
| to this change and believes that the
saving will be even greater than esti-
mated. Under the new law the agents
report that about twice as many PEN
sioners are paid during the first two
days of each quarterly payment as un-
der the old law This saving will re-
duce the annual expenses of the govern
ment to just that extent The total
cost for pensions and the disbursements
therefor for the fiscal year ended June
80, 1885, was $142, ,606,550.