Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1908-02-06
Work Done by the Office
at Augusta, Me.
Would be Serious Mistake to
Abolish Agency.
Business Much Better Handle
Rere Than at Washington.

for Maine to a representative of the
! journal yesterday, ito abolish the
| agencies and have the work done at
| Washington as contemplated. TIL"
| present system is the SureSt, safest
| and most convenient and it is not in
! the interest Of better conditions to
make a change
| General Connor was first appointed
/ pensi u agent for this district in 1852
! By President Arthur and served four
| years. The second appointment was
in 1896 by President Mckinley. he sue
ceeding Capt. Richard w. Black. who
| mad received his appointment at the
! h2nGs Of Ircsiden; cleveland. Shortly
| before Gen. Connor's second appoint
mcnt it was thought that the agency
1T Augusta would be abolished as an
executive order to this effect had been
! is ucd by Pres ident Cleveland but it
WAS cpUhtcrmanded by President Nc
| knley.
Tho augusta agency annually dis
burses between $500 600 and $".09o,000
| in PENSIONS continued General Con-
nor. in fact ali the pensions in the
| State Of Maine are paid from this
agency. with the exception Of the navy
| pensions which com" from the Boston
! office. Any one can see that it would
! be much better for the pensioners to
| gel THEN checks 1t the agency and if
| there is any error it can lie readily de-
| trCtrd. Under the new arrangement,
| il this abolition order becomes Il law,
| if Il man sends his voucher along and il
is found that it is improperly executed,
as often h@ppcnS, it Will be soin. time
before t.lc lpap3rS Will come back from
Washington 50 that the pensioncr will
be Obliged to wait and suffer :; great
| deal of Inconvenience before lie can
get his money. Under the present sys-
TEN Of course the properly executed
vouchers are paid first and then those
that are improperly executed are look
ed after so YOU can see that III the
| case OF an Improperly executed vuuch-
or while the Augusta. agency is in
exist tncn il would be but a short time
before the mistake colId be rcmntlicd
And then again every day in tn year.
and / was going to say. almost every
hour in the day, there are 2ll sorts Of
enquiries made al the Augusta agency
regarding the payment OF pensions.
Some Of the questions can be answered
department at Washington.
II will cite one instance: When the
Portland city hall fire occurred many
Of the valuable documents were de-
stroycd and in the list We're the bonds
oi - guardians, who now draw the
pensions for their wards. These pen
sionS for the March instaIlment cannot
br paid unless these guardians file an
utncr bond In other words. the wards
of III s" >. guardians cannot get their
pensions on account Of that City hall
fire until the guardians get another
bond. with all the proper endorse
ments. That is just one Of the eX-
anpl"S tending to show that the
agency at Augusta, as well as at the
otner places, have a number of mat
tcrS to look over and to see that they
are done in the proper shape" Eleven
re gular clerks are now employed ut the
Augusta agencies, their salaries rang
i;s5 from $500 to Sl,300 per anrum.
During the time Of the payment Of the
pensions OF course additional help is
secured.
Somehow or other the impression has
gone out that the clerks i'll the office
y
rush III the payment of the pensions
is over. Such is not the fact. for dur
ing the other times there is plenty OF |
work to do. The clerks have to make |
their abstracts, get ready for the next
payments. In fact. there is something |
for them to do at all times during the
eight hours day in which they are |
employed. / remember a few years ago
a 20
work in the agency. She was told at |
Washington that She was in great luck |
as Sh" had reached the Augusta |
agency shortly after /, quarterly pay |
ment Of pensions ana would haze moth
ing To 10 but stay in the office eight !
hours. She told mo afterwards thar |
the first day she took book ana som" |
knitting to tn" office. intending that |
way to Kill the time. but She said that |
there was 50 much work on hand that |
sh" did not get 4 chance to 90 the |
knitting or read the book.
II have before me the reply of ST. |
Clair A. Mulholland. United States |
Pension agent ut Philadelphia. to Sen
ator PcnroSc of Pennsylvania regarding |
the contemplated abolition of these
agencies and l concur with Mr.. Mulhoi |
land in every particular. This only |
possible reduction in tic cost Of pay
ing pensions according to tn" plan |
proposed would be accomplished by !
the saving Of the salaries of the Il
pension agents, amounting annually |
Ia 12.Ao0 and of $500 for rent paid by
the New York agency. The first item
to Offset at least partially this saving
would be the necessary appointment Of
number Of high salariea CLERKS
Chiefs Of ii,isicns) who would be
charged with the work and responsible
tiles Ct disbursins approximately |
$1,000 annually.
Persons who would be competent
IL assume such responsibility woull /
not be willing to do SO without COM
monsurate compensation. They would l.
in fact. if not in name. be pension 1
agents. Each United States pension
agent is now bonded in the sum or
So, 900 The largest amount disoursed
by any one pension agent for the past
year was s15.S55.G44.33. The commits
-In~a, If pcrsinnc IL MOI q bonded dis