Daily Kennebec journal., 1908-12-31
PENSION REPORT
Fewer Applications Filed
Than Last Year.
Notice Received Of Death Of
65 Pensioners.
correspondence Of the Office In.
ereases Largely Each Year.

! eOS Largely 6dCn 1edIs
The annual report of Pension 'Clerl, ia.
win c. Milliken of Portland Which has
just been presented to the Governor and
council, is as follows: ~ 50 t'1st = D"
| There have been 1865 applica tipns ,ile.,
2lSl certificates have been issued. Not so
many applications filed or certificates is
sued as last year, increasing years ana
1eepleness of many of the applicants have
| seemed to make it imperative that Il
hlsher rating be made in many cases I
| nave tried to be as careful as possible
and made careful examination of All
cases where larger rating was asie1
Tor. There have been large number of
original applications filed and many OF
these cases have seemed to demand the
highest possible rating. These certificates
II paid in full, would call for an cN-
penditure of $S7 ,266 The deaths which
nave occurred and changes made for
| other causes, the amount actuaIl, ex-
pended with other allowances and cx-
penses of the Office paid from the aprro-
priation, by votes of your honorable
body, would balance the amount appro-
priated by the Legislature.
| There have been sixty-five deaths Of
which I have received notice either from
municipal officers of the towns. or that
l have ascertained from scanning the col
umns of the papers. I have no doubt
that other deaths may have occurred OF
| which I have received no notice in an,
way. The larger number Of these noted
| nave been found In the newspapers OF
the deaths. which have occurred, thirty
l vxyi10
fathers, one son and one daughter, twen-
ty-three were invalids, eighteen of whom
left widows who have applied for and
been granted state pensions; one widow
remarked, one daughter remarked and
left the state, the pension of one Invalid
has been cancelled, he having rec lived
large increase in United States pension
the certificates of two widows have oean
| revokeu on account of receiving United
States pension, which also included quite
a large amount of back pay, the certi
ficates of three widows have been re-
| duced in amounts when United States
pension was received, seven invalids have
entered the Soldiers Home at TogIs ana
| their certificates have been revoked.
The service pension act passed by Con-
gress, February 6, 1907, has relieved the
|
soldiers in Maine. and as these men sew
orally reach the required age under said
law will result in still larger benefit to
| them. The act passed by Congress April
10. 1905 making the minimum rate OF pen
| sions to widows $12 per month ras re-
ieved,a great deal of actual suffering ana
| want among these most Wo 'Ihv appii-
| cants. Where persons by reason of age
| 70 u
under the service pension law no state
pension has been granted unless it was
shown that the applicants pending the
granting of such pension would suffer,
there have bene quite number Of cases
where state pension has be, granted to
| such persons to continue until the re-
cept of increase in United States per-
sions. There has been large amount oc
correspondence with applicants and town
| officials to explain the position OF the
| state in this matter. I know of no case
where state pension has been Withheld"
where it was believed that suffering
| would result in not granting the same. l
have persons now on the roll from 36G
| towns. cities and plantations i'll this
state. We have had the same number of
applications for pensions for Soldia-s OF
the Aroostook war as in the year 1907
certificates have been issued to each one
Of the applicants I have had large
number of inquiries from parfe IS within
the state and a great many letters from
| parties out side the state in connection
with Aroostook war matters. these have
been received from widows of AroostooE
war soldiers town officials and others,
inuuiring as to whether widows Of these
men were entitled to state pension
have answered all these inquiries that
there was no provision of law for pension
ing such widows. Many inquiries have
been received as to whether the law
relative to the burial of soldiers widows
apply to the widows of Aroostook war
soldiers, to all of whom / have replied
that it did not.
The correspondence of the office i'll
creases very largely every year; injuries
of all kinds are made, not only perfa'"''S
to state pension matters, but to United
State pension matters: advice has been
asked and requests for Information nave
been many I have endeavored % an
swer all these inquiries as intelligen'lv as
possible giving such advice as ] was &C.
ma ble of and furnishing all information
/ nossible. AS stated last year in my re-
| port, several of the middle and western
states have had or now have pending pe-
fore their Legislatures pension bills oi
various kinds The fame of Maine mus:
have spread through all the West that
we have here a state Pension Law !
have had requests from almost every one
of the middle and western states for CO.
pies of the law and full explanation as
to it's operation. I have sent TO tie sac
of PENNSYLVANIA alone. upon reqlcS's III
state officials, members of the LEGISLATURE
and Grand Army men over one hunofe''
| comics of the law: many have also heen
sent to New Jersey.
The item which appeared in the Wash
ington paper. to which 1 referred in my
report last year. is still bearing ir"'''