River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1902-10-02
THE PENSION BUREAU.
Commi ss TONER Ware Makes His An.
nual ReD0rf-He Gives In
teresting Figures


Washington, Sept. 29-The annua.
report of the commissioner of pen.
sions, Eugene f. Ware, shows that the
number of names on the pension rolls
still is under the million mark, despite
net gain of 5,732 pensioners since
1898. The total enrolment July l.
last, was 999. 446, against 997, 735 last
year. The total comprises 73S. sos
soldiers and $780, 37 widows and de.
pendents. The aggregate includes
4,o95 pensioners outside the United
States.
Inc number of death notices of ole
soldiers, not now in service, received
by the bureau during the year was
50,l20, but only 27,043 of them were
pensioners. The report says that the
death rate among the pensioners fo1
the coming year will be about 10000
and the losses to the rolls from other
causes will be about 5000.
The total amount paid for pensions
during the fiscal year was $137, 504,.
26S, and the yearly cost of operating
and maintaining the bureau and the
agencies, outside of the payment OF
pensions proper, aggregates $780,
529. The pension system, says the
report, since the beginning of the gov
eminent has cost Sc, 1892, 500, O19, exclu-
sive of the Establishment of the sol.
diers' homes. The pension disburse-
ments by the United States from July
l, 1890, to June 80, 1865, were SOC, 445,-
444.
The following amounts have been
paid to soldiers, their widows, minor
children, and dependent relatives on
account of military and naval service
during the wars in which the United
States has been engaged
Revolutionary war ESTIMATED. S 10000, O0C
War of 1872 Con account of SER
vice, without regard to disabil-
Indian wars, iiSSii2-iiS42 Con account
disability ............ .......... 5,S14, 2o1
War with Mexico Con account of
service, without regard to dis :, 90. 90,
War Of the rebellion........... 2749 S S 70 Is
War with Spain .................. $40, IS1
Actual total disbursements in
pensions .......... ........... $Z,9VV, oo4,oU
The amounts paid as pensions on
account of disabilities and deaths as
results of military and naval service
during the wars of 1912, and with
Mexico, and in time of peace to the
beginning of the war with Spain, are
included in the payments on account
of the war of the rebellion. 1t is es-
timated that $16,000,000 were paid in
pensions for disabilities and deaths
due to military and naval service in
the wars of 1912, and with Mexico
and during the time of peace prior tC
the war of the rebellion, making the
payments of pensions to soldiers and
sailors of the war of the rebellion
and of the regular military and naval
establishment since the close of said
war of the rebellion, and their
widows, children and dependent rela-
tives, amount to $2,728, 878,276. This
is outside of the cost of maintaining
bureau, agencies and soldiers homes
The average value of each pension
is now little over $132. The number
of applications for pensions filed was
1873, 626; rejected, 118,464, and granted,
117,26S. During 1902 the bureau
handled 47,1O6 more pension applica-
tions than it received, showing pro-
gress in catching up with the accu-
mulated work. The number of cases
now undergoing examination in the
bureau and in the process of adjudi-
cation, known as the pending files, y
follows: Under the general laws,
1877, 101: under the act of June 81,
1890, 142,679; war with Spain, 34,433;
army nurses, 50; service prior to
March 4, 1861, 2,342; accrued, 22,812;
total c3o436