The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1897-11-06
over $4,000 Added During the Fiscal
Year and 41,122 Dropped Through
Death and other Causes.
MANY CLAIMS NOT ALLOWED
S141 ,99O,936 DISBURSED, LEAVING A
DEFICIT OF ALMOST $2,OOO,OOO.
Annual Report of Commissioners Ev-
ity--The Monetary Commission.

WASHINGTON, Nov. 5.--The first annual
report of Commissioner of Pensions III. Clay
Evans to the secretary of the interior was
made public to-day summary follows:
There were added to the rolls during the
year the names of 50,1O1 new pensioners
and there were restored to the volls 1871
pensioners who had been previously
dropped, total of 54,072. During the same
period the losses to the rolls were 81, $50 by
death, 1,074 by remarriage of widows and
mothers, 1,845 by legal limitation (minors),
1858 for failure to claim pension for three
years and $500 for other causes an aggre-
gate of Al 122. The whole number of pen
sioners on the rolls June 80, 1897, was 976, Ola
The net gain over the previous year was
5,936. 1T will thus be seen," the report
says, that the pension roll has not yet be-
gun to show any dimnution, though it has
been anticipated by my predecessors in
Office that such would be the fact
Seven widows of revolutionary soldiers
and nine daughters of revolutionary SOL
diers are still on the rolls.
During the year a. 454 pension certificates
were issued, of which number 50101 were
original allowances and the rest were re-
issues. increases, restorations, renewals
etc. OF this number 14,6n certificates of
various classes were held in this bureau
until July 1, 1897, and are accordingly not
credited to the past fiscal year. During the
same period 1924 claims of various classes
were disallowed. This number, however,
does not include claims which were made
for higher rates of pension.
The amount disbursed for pensions by the
pension agents during the year was $780,
799, ,242.12, and the amount disbursed by
treasury settlement was $780, 475, %, total
of $139, $40, 717.85. This exceeds the amount
disbursed during the fiscal year 1896 by the
sum of 81 5S4, ,4S01S. If the 1851 certificates
which, as before stated, were held in this
bureau until July l. 1891 had been mailed to
the pension agents during the fiscal year
they would have required first payments
amounting to $2,191, ,694 besides the addi-
tional annual value which would also have
been charge upon the appropriation This
amount added to that actually dsbursed,
makes an aggregate of $14l, 800 1886. The ap-
preparation for the payment of pensions for
the fiscal year 1897 was only $l400 100000.
The average annual value of each pension
at the close of the year was $l3317. The
average annual value of each pension under
the general law was $162.04; each under the
act of June n, $780, was $1092 The aggre-
gate annual value of all pensions at the
CLOSE Oh the year was @lZJ, (J0, 4Z6. InlS, or
course, excludes the cases that were held up.
There were forty-four original and seven
duplicate bounty land claims admitted and
145 original claims of this character re-
jected
Referring to the consolidation of agencies,
Commissioner Evans recommends that the
executive order of July IA last, suspending
the operation of the order of Feb. 6, 1897,
the latter of which provided for the con-
solidation, be continued indefinitely, and
adds: Il am still of the opinion that the re-
6uCfiOn
agencies at this time is not only unneces-
sary but inexpedient; that the disruption of
business in the agencies, the business for
the Interior Department and the general in
convenience Of the service would more than
offset the anticipated saving to the govern
ment."
Attention is called to a significant saving
in rentals Of agencies, a policy still being
continued.
In conclusion the report recommends the
publication of complete list of pensioners
and of the passage of a law to the end that
no pension be granted to the widow of any
soldier that shall marry hereafter