The evening times., 1897-10-30
MERIT THE 0h[YSTANDARO
Reductions in the Record and
Pension Division.
The CHIEFS ANNUAL REPORT
whenever Discharges Were Made
necessary the Efficiency Record
of the Clerks Has Been the Deter
mining Factor-Percentage of Vet
Grams in Different Grades.

The report Jf the chief OF the Record and
the Secretary Of War. The report says
that it has been frequently urged upon
| the department. that persons employed by
the States should be permit ted IT, have
! access 20 tine records and to extract from
them such information a. may he desired
and the extension 0f this pri.iIege TO his
toriars. biOgraphers, and other persons EN-
gagged in literasy pursuits, or 5iIetr agents,
and ere.I TO claimants and attorneys for
persons having claims against the Gov
ernIhent, has been persistently demanded
There seems to be an impression abroad
especially among att Jrney a nd cl alma gents.
that the official records are public property,
10 " hich general and indiscriminate access
should be permitted, and it has been found
difficult OT impossible ia many instances 10
Convince Interested persons that they have
not the right TO inspect the records at viii
and t. make such extracts and transcripts
"a ina V suit their interests or caprice.
TO all such applications. those % State
officials well as those OF persons Of no
official station, the department has beeG
Compelled to apply the weIl-esta biiche,l rule
that access TO the records must be denied tU
all persons not officially connected with
the department and legally under its
oontIOI.
Upon the recommendation OF the chief
OF the office A reduction of 25 was rHafis.
in the clerical force in the appropriation
for tine present year, making total re
daction Of 375 clerks since the OTgani
zatioh Of the Record and Pension Office
representing o permanent annual saving
OF S425,CO0 in salaries alone.
In oil OF the reductions that have been
made In the clerical force Of the office
the selections for discharge We're based
strictly upon the efficiency records OF
the clerks. liberal allowance being made
in the ratings on account of honorable
military or naval service. No ex-t-nion
soldier OF sailor has ever heen reduc-d
in grade or discharged in this office
except FOR serious misconduct on his part,
or because he was 10 Inefficient that he
could not he retained without great detri-
.icnt to the pubic service. or, in case OF a
reduction Of the clerical force. without
uniustly ,nscharging much more efficient
and deserving clerk.
In 1899 80 per cent of the total force
OF the office was composed of veterans;
but on July / 1897, afte all the reductions
referred To above had been made SO per
cent or considerably more than Une-third
Of the total force Of the office, was com
posed Ofvcter;tns, being higberperCentage
than that / n alltheothcr bureaus an,iuffices
of the department combined. OF the higher
grade rkships, at 81 500 and 81 500.
allow ed to the office by existing law, 81
per cent OF the former and % per cent Of
the latter are filled with veterans. In the
lover Trades, at 81 100, 81 200 and ST.
onO, the percentages or veterans are, re-
spes lively. IA, 20 and 54. II il natural
that the percentage of vet Grams should be
smaller in the lower grades than in the
higher because of tho large numb II of
young men y ho have come intOthe office in
reccht years under civil-Ssrvice laws and
througl. certifIcatiOn by the Civil Service
Com mission.