The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-11-06
NO FAILING OFF, EITHER IN NUM-
BIER OR IN TOTAL PAYs
MENTS.
Mr.. EVANS FIRST REPORT.
FOR THE FISCAL
YEAR ONE HUNDRED AND
FORTY MILLIONS.
ACCOUNT STILL OPEN.
Rewarded for Services in the
War for Liberty

WASHINGTON, Nov. 5.-The first
annual report Of Commissioner Of Pen
sions H. Clay Evans, to the secretary
of the interior. was made public to-
day. A summary follows:
There was added to the rolls during
the year the names Of 50,101 new pen
sioners, and there were restored to the
rolls 1871 pensioners who had been
previously dropped, total Of 54,O12.
During the same period the losses to
the roll were 81, $50 by death, 1,074 by
remarriages of widows and mothers,
1886 by legal limitation (minors), 1853
for failures to claim pension for three
years, and 1850 for other causes, an
aggregate of Al, 122.
The whole number of pensioners on
the rolls June 80. 1897, was 976,014.
The net gain over the previous year
was 5,336. 1t will thus be seen that
the pension roll has not yet begun to
show any diminution, though it has
been anticipated by predecessors in Of
flee 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, asa pensions GER
tificates were issued, of which number
so, 101 were original allowances, and
the balance were reissues, increases,
reservations, ETC. OF this number, A.
GIL certificates of various classes were
held in this bureau until July /. 1897;
and are accordingly not credited to
the past fiscal year. During the same
period rs 234 claims of various classes
were disallowed This number, how
ever, does not include claims winch
were made for higher rates of pen
sions. The amount disbursed for pen
sionS by the pension agents during the
year was $1S9, 1893, PAP, and the amount
diSbursed by treasury settlement was
$50 ATS, q total of $139, 949, III. This eX-
ceeds the amount d:sbursed during the
fiscal year 1896, by the sum of Sl5S4,-
4SO. If the 1851 certificates which, as
before stated, were held in this bureau
until July /, 1886, had been mailed to
the pension agents during the fiscal
year, they would have required first
payments amounting to $2,19l ,694, be-
sides the additional annual value
which would also have been a charge
upon the appropriation. Thls amount,
added to that actually disbursed,
makes an aggregate of $141,990 1886.
The appropriation for the payment of
pensions for the fiscal year 1897, was
only S140000,00 900.
The average annual value of each
pension at the close of the year was
$13317 The average annual value or
each pension under the general law
was S162 "a; each under InS ACT VI June
q, 1890, was $109.25. The aggregate
annual value OF all pensions at the
close of the year was 1929, 1856 428. This,
of course, excludes the cases that were
held up. There were forty-four origi-
nal and seven duplicate bounty land
claims admitted, and 145 original
claims of this character rejected.
Referring to the consolidation of
agencies. Commissioner Evans recon-
men6s that the executive order of July
II last, suspending the operation Of
the order of Feb. G, 1897, the latter of
which provided for the consolidation,
be continued indefinitely, and adds:
81 am still of the opinion that the re-
duction and consolidation of the pen
sion agencies at this time is not only
unnecessary, but inexpedient, that the
disruption of business in the agencies,
the business for the interior depart
ment and the general inconvenience of
the service would more than Offset
the anticipated saving to the govern
ment. Attention is called to the sig
nificant saving in rentals of agencies,
a policy still being continued"
In conclusion the report recommends
the publication of complete list OF
pensions and of the passage of law
TO the end that no pension be granted
to the widow of any soldier that shall
marry hereafter.