Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1903-09-10
Annual Report of Commits
sioner Ware.
ACIVILLIST SUGGESTED
THE GOVERNMENTS CARE FOR
IT'S SUPPORTERS.
Pertinent Comments Made on Existing
Conditions and Remedy Sug-
gested for Some of Them.

pensions for the fiscal year ending June 81,
1893. has just been forwarded to the Sec
rotary of the Interior, and Is one. of the
most original and comprehensive docu-
ments of the class that has ever been is
sued from the pension bureau. In his
report Commissioner Ware has endeavored
to give an idea of the vast business of his
office and of the work that has been done
by it since its inception. He brings out
the history of the pension business through
the work of the past year and It's relation
to the years that have gone before ana
makes some pertinent remarks regarding
the Improvement of the service. He comes
out boldly and strongly for a civil pension
list for superannuated clerks and declares
it to be his belief that pensions should be
denied persons who have been convicted In
court of an Infamous crime. Mr.. Ware
also makes some suggestions relative to the
Improvement of the present pension laws
and gives a long statement of the first
pensions granted by the government. The
report covers 100 printed pages with Its
appendices. and IS written in short. con-
else sentences that catch the attention or
the reader and hold his interest, unlike
a majority of the annual reports submitted
by the chiefs of bureaus in the govern
ment service.
The number of employees of the pension
bureau as fixed by law Is 1.734 The actual
number In employment on June 80, 1908.
only Liza OF the clerks allowed to
the pension bureau thirty-fve have been
detailed for temporary duty in other Of
fees. Thus thirty-five of the clerks in the
pension bureau, drawing nearly $3.50
year In salaries, do not constitute part OF
the effective force of the bureau. AS only
the most efficient are detailed away, the
bureau loses that much of it's capacity.
Among the employees in the bureau there
are seventy-seven who have been at work
constantly during the last five years and
have never taken a day off on sick leave.
There are eightythree others in the bureau
who have taken less than five days sick
leave in the last five years.
The number Of pensioners on the rolls
July 1. 1903. was: War. revolutionary
Widows. q: daughters. 3. War of 1872
Survivors, i; widows, LIS. Indian wars
Survivors. 1855; widows. 3.169. Mexican
Ice after March 4. 1861: General laws
Army invalids 264. 139: army widows &c.
500; navy invalids. 4142; navy widows,
2.221; army nurses. 624. Act June q, 1890
2i9; navy invalids, 5000; navy widows. |
6.992. War with Spain: General laws |
Army invalids, S,79S; army widows. BASS; |
navy invalids, 400; navy widows, ia Total, |
996 545.
There has been a gain. during the fiscal
year ended June 30, 1903. of the number on
the pension roll follows: Gain by act
of the bureau. A $50; gain by special act |
of Congress, 231. Total A 4S7.
There has been lost from the rolls the
following number of pensioners during the
same time for causes as follows: BY death,
4o9o1; by remarriage, 1852; by legal linn
ttation (minors) 1892; by failure to claim,
2T"N1 for o.Nsr cso-e-, 1,14e- Total, At ,'5SS. |
The number of deaths among the soldier |
pensioners for the year was % 123. Among |
these. 27,s42 of the deaths were volunteers
of the civil war
The death rate among the pensioners for |
the coming year is estimated to be about
a. 900 and the losses to the roll from other
causes will be about 5000.
Cost of Pension System.
The cost of the pension system is COM
posed of several items:
First. The annual value of the roll
Second Total first payments, or accrued |
amounts paid when pension begins or GER
tificate is issued
Third. Cost of maintenance of the pen
sion system. its bureau and agencies.
Fourth. Loss to the roll by dropping Of |
payment, by death of pensioner and the
ike
The term annual value of rolf means |
the amount required annually to pay the |
regular pension certificates then outstand- |
ing. The cost for the past fiscal year was: |
Annual value of roll S133 o29 .090; total first |
payments sg,359,9o5 cost of maintenance, !
2. 1913. 216; loss to the roll Sc SO, S76; paid |
for pensions, total. s137, 1858.
In the following is shown the yearly cost |
and the agencies, outside of payment of |
pensions proper: Bureau-Number of en- |
ployes. 1.136; salaries s2,114. 1880 paid |
Surgeons. T26311.24; other expenses s422
6s3 10; total cost. $s.263. 537 As Agencies
Number of employees 431; salaries ST.
S23-Oo; clerk hire. $41T,13l 81; contingent. |
SIS. 6sl 80; total cost. $527,641 81. Grand |
total-Employes 2.16T; cost, SO, T91, 1915.
In the following Is shown the number of |
pensions, and the monthly rate thereof, as |
condensed:
was 996.5+5. rated as follows Sc and I'M |
der. 1854; from s. to S. inclusive, 344- |
GO; from IS to $40, inclusive. S3.696: from |
$40 to s12 inclusive, 296.oS4; from s12 to s14. |
inclusive, o. a26. from S14 to SIS inclusive, |
3, I32; from SO to $40, inclusive 1884, from |
SIG to SIT. inclusive. 43. 1884, from SIT to SIS |
inclusive, 1856; from SIS to $50. inclusive,
1916; from so to s24. inclusive. 26,216 |
from S24 to 50. Inclusive. 3114; from S25
TO $40, inclusive. 14.472; from $50 to 1876. in
elusive, $40; from 500 to s45. inclusive, 1885,
from $45 to so, inclusive 254; from $50
TO $72. inclusive, 3,7s7; from So to 500. in
elusive. II; at ,125 /: at s16s %, 3: at
s2s l-3. /: at s416 %. 2. The average
value of pension is 1898 40. over half
of the pensions are $40 or under:
Following this. Commissioner Ware gives
table which shows the exact cost of
pensions to the government, including the
pensions and the cost of maintaining the
bureau for the past thirty-eight years.
showing that during that time the govern
ment has paid $2.942. IFS, 145. 80 in pensions
and 1854 .934. Il has been expended in
maintaining the business of paying the
pensions.
Total Amount Paid in Pensions.
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: Revo-
lutionary war (estimated), S70,0OO.O0O; war
OF 1912 Ton account of service. without re-
gard to disability, $45 1S5. 1877 %; Indian
wars ton account of service. without regard
10 disability, 81, 23i, 41455; war with Mexico
ION account Of service. without regard to
disability. S33, iS3. 3O9.91; war of the rebel
lion. S2.sIS, 30. 4O0.1T; with Spain.
s.. 479. 26S.31 Actual total disbursements in
pensions, s.. 03S, 623, 800 10.
The amounts paid as pensions on account
of disabilities and deaths results of mill
tary and naval service during the wars Of
1872 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 estimated that
Slt,OO.oOO was paid in pensions for dis
abilities and deaths due to military and
naval service in the wars of 1912 and with
Mexico and during the time of peace prior
q he nf ha