The Weiser signal. [volume] (Weiser, Idaho) 1890-1904, 1897-02-11
EXPENSE IS CUT DOWN
NUMBER OF PENSION AGENCIES
CUT IN HALF.
Annual SAVING of Over e15O,OOO IN
One Department, With No De- :
crease In Service.

signed. upon the recommendation OF Sec
retary of the Interior Francis, an Inn
portant order, reducing the number OF
pension agencies In the United States
from 1S to nine. The object Of the order
Is to effect large saving to the govern
ment without inconveniencing the PEN
sioners. The secretary demonstrates that
by this reduction of the pension agencies
the cost OF disbursement of pensions can
be reduced by at least $4,000 per an
mum. The change was made possible by
an amendment to the law governing the
disbursing of pensions. which amend
:. ent was approved March q. 1896. 1t re-
quired that all pensioners should after
that date be paid by checks remitted by
mail.
Reports from the pension agencies in
reply to inquiries as to the operation of
the new law were to the effect that un-
der 1t the pensioners are paid much more
promptly. that the possibility Of error is
minimized and that upon the whole 1t
is much more satisfactory to the pension
ers than the former law The agents also
advise that the pensioners receive their
pensions when remitted by the mail at
their homes, where, being surrounded by
family Influences, the pensioner Is much
more likely to make a judicious disposi-
tion 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 and deprive their families
of the benefits thereof.
In Effect September 4.
This executive order will go into effect
September l next its execution having
been postponed until that date In order
that no pensioner should suffer incon-
venience In consequence Of delay in re-
ceiving his pension, and to give ample
time for the removal of the rolls and rec
ords from the agencies discontinued. The
consolidation was made by uniting exist
| ing agencies and the entire Jurisdiction
| thereof, In order that no expense should
| be incurred by the making Of new rolls.
The agencies at Concord, N. H.. and Au-
| gusta, Maine, are discontinued. and pay
ments hitherto made there are ordered
made from the agency at Boston, Mass.
the pensioners heretofore paid at Buffalo
N. Y, are to be paid from the New York
city agency; those at Pittsburg, from the
Philadelphia agency; those at Louisville
and Knoxville, from Washington; those
Milwaukee. from Chicago; those at Des
Moines and Topeka, from st. Louis, where
a new agency Is established.
A new agency is established at st. Louis
because Of the better mall facilities there
| than at Des Moines or Topeka. and fol
the further reason that there Is a gov
ernment building at St. Louis which car
be occupied without cost to the govern.
ment, and there is also a sub-treasury
there.
A pension agency was removed from
St. Louis to Topeka in 1882 There ar,
more pensioners now In Missouri than II
Kansas or In any state formerly paid by
the Topeka or the Des Moines agency
There are In Missouri 53,S12 pensioners
In Kansas 42,43a, in Iowa 37,79S.
Agencies and Pensioners
Te following are the nine agencies ant
the number Of pensioners paid therea
under the new order:
Boston, 94.457; New York, 9S,S33; Phila
delphia, LOG, 7S5; Washington. 140.26S; Co
lumbus, 104, 1872; Indianapolis, u6O66 Chi
cago, 125, 233; st. Louis, 161, ,709; San Fran
cisco. % ,09S; total. 970,673.
The estimated saving to the govern
ment Is as follows: Clerk hire, S1O5 675
salaries of the nine agents. $4,000 per an
mum. $4,000; contingent expenses of agen
cies discontinued, s1O,182
Under the new law the agents repor
that about twice as many pensioners ar
paid during the first two days of eac
quarterly payment as under the old law
This saving can be effected without an
Inconvenience to the pensioners, and wi
reduce the annual expenses of the gov
ernment to Just that extent, and ma
tend to allay to some degree the oppos
ton that has been manifested hithert
to the great pension disbursements of tn
government.
The total cost for pensions and the dis
bursements thereof for the fiscal yea
ended June 80, 1896. was s142, ,2OS, $685. mad
up as follows: Payments to pensoner
$l3S, ,2151 176; fees to examining surgeons
$2,753 760; maintaining pension bureaus 8
Washington, $2,75a. .760; cost of maintainIn
pension agencies, $565. .027.
1t Is on this last item the new ordt
Is intended to save between s15O,OOO an
100000 per annum.