The Washington times. (Washington [D.C.]) 1901-1902, 1901-08-19
A VAST sum FOR PENSIONS.
Many Interesting Facts in the Com
missiOner's Annual Report.
Comparison Between the Inst and
Former Fiscal Years - Expendi-
lures Reach High Water Mark''-
Classification of Names on Rolls.

Classification of Names on Rolls.
The annual report of the Commissioner
of Pensions, covering the operations of
the bureau for the fiscal year ended June
80. 1901, has been transmitted to the Sec
rotary of the Interior II exhibits many
interesting facts relative to the pension
rolls. and by means of it the work of the
last fiscal year can be compared with
that of former years.
According % the report there were
49,. 529 pensioners on the roles at the be-
ginning of the fiscal year. The number
of claims allowed during the year for
original pensions was a 225. The number
of names added by renewals and restora-
tons was 1861, making a total of l,oil,33l
The aggregate losses from the rolls dur
ing the year were 1856, of which 3S,l53
were by death, S53 by remarriage, 1,5S2 by
minors reaching the age of ski teen, 1,5SS
by failure to claim, and l,460 from other
causes. Deducting these losses and the
total on the rolls at the end of the fiscal
year was 9g7. 1875, or a net gain of 4,2O6
over last year.
The report shows in the following the
number of pensioners on the rolls at the
end of each fiscal year since 1890: June
80. 1890. 1874; June 80, 1891, 616, 100; June
20, 1892. S76.06S: June 30. 1898. 966.0l2 June
80. 1891, 9S9.5i4: June 30. 1875, 970,524; June
80 1896. 97O67S: June 80. 1897. 9i6,Ol4; June
80, 1895. 993. IA; June 30. 1899, 99l,5l9: June
80, 1900 993. 529: June 80, 1901. 1914
THE roll for the year just closed says
the Commissioner. lis high-water mark
in the history of the Pension Bureau, the
next highest having been reached in the
year 1885,
h. ar
were in the following classes: War of
the Rebellion, 1874; war with Spain, g.
$40; total, 1888. The losses to the roll were
as follows: War of the Revolution, 2;
war of 1872. 2l5. war with Mexico, S26:
Indian wars QSS2-ls42), 5i4; total, 1.5Sl.
Net gain for year. i,205.
The gains to the roll since 1898 were as
follows: Widows, war of rebellion. 1881;
war with Spain. 1904; total. 1898. The
losses to the roll since 1898 were as fol-
lows: War of Revolution, 3; war of 1872
~: Indian wars dS}2-1S42), 1,52l; Mexican
war, 2f7S; invalids, war of rebellion, TO-
G3: total. Ii 1911 Net gain to rolls in four
years. 4,02l.
The number of pensions granted to wild
ows under the act of June q, 1890, during
the year, was 1850, or nearly 1850 in ex-
cess of those granted the previous year,
the result of the act of May 9, 1900 ex-
tending the provisions of the act OF June
q. 1890.
The report c:assifies the pensioners on
the rolls as follows; On account of old
wars prior to 1851 survivors s.655. widows
1S,124; on account of general laws. disa
bility Of service. origin mostly the civil
war, inyalids 297 675, widows s3.S02; on ac-
count Of the act of June. 1890. disability
not due to service in the civil war. inva-
lids 43S.ili, widows 1l5, III, army nurses
$50; on account of war with Spain, inva-
lids 1855. widows 2.0:9, making a total of
$685. servivors, 1G9, 9Si invalids, and 1905
widows.
Speaking of the expenses of the bureau
the report shows that the appropriation
for the payment of pensions during the
fiscal year 1901 was Sl44 100000 The
amount expended for pensions was s1ss.-
53i, 1884. leaving a balance unexpended
June 30. 1901, of Is, i6s, 5l6.l6.
The total amount paid to pensioners as
first payments upon the allowance of
their claims during 1901 was 1854, 1851. or
Sl05, 23S. II mora than the first payments
during the year 1900.
This amount" says the report, rep
resents the arrears" of pension due on
the original allowance of the claim. and.
as an illustration, in e75 claims allowed
during the year the first payment
amounted TO 0lGGg9.20, or an average
of nearly $500 in each case. on July l.
1901, there We're in the hands of the diff
ferent pension agents 1910 certificates
involving first payments amounting to
SS7s. 1925. These certificates were issued
so near the close of the fiscal year that
the pension agents were unable to obtain
vouchers from the pensioners in time to
bring the payment within the last fiscal
wear. and their payment will therefore be
charged to the appropriation Tor the cur
rent year.
The fees paid to attorneys during the
year amounted to $59l, 2i5.22, being an IN
crease of S73 Sos. 80 over the previous year.
This increase was occasioned by the
allowance of Spanish war claims, IN near
ly all of which the attorneys had hled
fee agreements for a s2o fee, and these
amounts We're in every case deducted
from the first payments made on the
certificate The Commissioner is per
mitted no discretion in liking the amount
of the fee to be paid the attorney for his
services in this class of cases, the mat
ter being regulated by statute
The amount appropriated Tor medical
examinations of applicants for pension
or Increase was $4,000 OF this amount
over s66l coo had been expended for the
three-uuarters of the fiscal year. leaving
large deficiency IN TINS Draneh Oh the
service at the close of the year.
The large number of orders for medi-
cal examinations issued during the year
is occasioned by the demands Tor IN
crease of pension. At least 100000 OF the
medical examinations held were unpro-
ductiye of favorable results TO claimants,
but as no limit can be imposed upon the
filing of these applications no unit can
be established to the ordefs ioi fleu'S'i
examinations. ... ~.
'.The amount paid to pensioners under
the general law during the year was So'.-
1 Of I -
the amount paid last year. The steady
decrease in the number Of general "a"
pensioners causes a corresponding De
crease in the amount of payments. ana II
is believed that during the fiscal year of
1902 the payments under the general law
will be exceeded by those to pensioners
under the act of June q, 1890.
THE Spanish war pensioners received
81 ~ Dor 10 an increase over last year OF
Sgt2. 800 u. and the pensioners under the
act of June 2, 1890 as amended by the
act of May >. 1859, received go 80. ielilo'
being an increase over last year OF Sl,ZD',-
While the payments to the old war
pensioners during the year was only
s. g>y pig 80 the records of previous pay
ments show that the survivors of the
war OF 1872 and their widows have re
ceived in the last thirty years the goodly
sum of $li, 81 .6i7 49, those of the Mexican
war the sum. of So, POI, 1861 and those of
the Indian wars the sum Of $5.i02, O5i.55.
THE total disbursements for pensions
JuJv 4 1890 TO June 30, 1865. $50. AS, f4.2i:
from July i, 1865. TO June 80. 1901, 1885,
80, 5s9 %; total. s.. 763. $50 053. IS.
'''rhe number of applications for oriSi-
nal pension filed during the year was
s. 37S, fled by 1850 claimants, some OF
them having availed themselves OF the
privilege of filing applications under diff
ferent laws. The number OF new apph-
Giants during the fiscal year 1901 was
therefore but .635 in excess of the number
of new pensioners placed upon the rolls
during the same period.
THE number of pensioners residing IN
foreign countries on June 30, 1891. was