Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1902-10-03
PENSIONERS NEAR TO MILLION
Veterans and Dependents Receive $751;
634,263 During the Past
Year.

The annual report of the com
missioner of pensions, Eugene f.
Ware, made public. shows that the
number of names on the pension rolls
still is under the million mark de-
spite the net gain of 5,732 pension
ers since 1898.
The total enrolment July 1 last
was 999.440 against 997,4OO last year.
The total comprises 73S,S09 soldiers
and 26O,637 widows and dependents.
The aggregate includes 1905 pension
ers outside the United. States.
The number of death notices of old
soldiers not now in the service re-
ceived by the bureau during the year
was 5Q,12S,. but. only 27.043 of them
were pensioners.
The report says that the death rate
among the pensioners for the coming
year will be about 10000 and the loss
es to the rolls from other causes will
be about 5000.
The total amount paid for pensions
during the fiscal year was S137, 504, PCS
and the yearly cost of operating and
maintaining the bureau and the
agencies outside of the payment of
pensions proper aggregates $3,59O,529.
The pension system since the be-
ginning of the government has cost
SO, 992, 10000 exclusive of the estab-
lishment of the soldiers homes.
The following accounts have been
paid to soldiers, their widows, minor
children and dependent relatives on
account of military and naval SER
vice during the wars in which the
United States has been engaged:
War with Spain .........S S,275,1Sf
Revolutionary war les
tlmated ................. 7O,OOO,OOO
War of 1912, Ton account
of service, with regard
to DISABILITY ......... 45,025,237
Indian wars, 1S32-1s42 ION
account of service, with
out regard to disability 5,S14,2O7
War with Mexico Ton ac-
count of service, without
regard to disability. -. 31,,s61 1873
War of the rebellion. -. 2,774,S7s, 267
Actual total disburse-
ments in pensions -. 2,900,S54, 1902
The amount paid as pensions on ac-
count of disabilities and deaths as re-
suits 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 tAe war of the rebellion.
1t is estimated that $16,000,0O0 was
paid in pensions for disabilities and
deaths due to military and naval SER
vice in the wars of 1912 and with
Mexico and during the time of peace
prior to 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 the war of the rebellion,
and their widows, children and de-
pendent relatives amount to $2,72S,-
S7S,276. This is outside of cost of
maintaining bureau, agencies and sol
diers' homes.
The average value of each pension
| is now a little over 1852. The number
of applications for pensions filed was
1ss,626; rejected, 1862, and granted
117,26S. During 1902 the bureau han
died 47,160 more pension applications
than il received. showing progress in
catching mp with the accumulation of
work. The number of cases now
undergoing examination in the bu-
reau and in the process of adjudica-
ton, known as the pending files, fol-
lows:
Under the general laws. ....... 137, 1o1