Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1910-01-04
Number Of Certificates Issued
During The Year, 2269.
Business Shows Increase Over
That Of 1908.

| btlttlrinen.
nave the honor to report the bust
| ness OF the State pension office for the
| year 1909. There have been 1858 appl1-
| cations filed; seven less than in the
| year 1908. 1863 certificates have been
| ISSUED; lightweight more than We is
| sued in 1908. Physical feebleness and
| lncre aslng years of a great many of
| the applicants have made it necessary
| that higher rating be made in a
| large numccr of cases. While on the.
| other hand, the increased amount of
United States pension received by the
invalid soldier and sailor under the
Age law, so called, and the Act Of
April 10, 1908, making all widows pen
sion Sl2 per month, has made it possi-
bic to reduce some of the ratings from
that OF previous years. | have kept
careful memorandum Of all deaths that
have occurred that have been reported
to the office, and that / have secured
from the columns of the daily papers,
and have from the amounts thus re-.
ceived, issued additional certificates in
cases where it seems to be Very much
needed; from time to time during the
year | have received REQUESTS for an
increased allowance and where the cir
cumSt9nCeS seemed to require and the
condition of the appropriation would
warrant | have issued additional GER
tiIicateS. During the year 100 certifi-
Gates have been issued for an increased
allowance If all certificates issued
We're paid in full, it would call for an
expenditure of more than the entire
appropriation. but, as not all OF them
have been granted for the full year,
the amount actually called for under
these certificates would balance the
appropriation. 1t will be seen tina,
2160 people have received certificates
The Treasures of the several towns
and cities are instructed to notify the
office at once of any deaths that may
occur among their list of pensioners,
but comparatively few. of them do this,
and the larger number of those where
I have record of their deaths I have
found it in the columns of the news
papers. l have no doubt that other
deaths may have occurred of which l
have received no notice in any way. OF
the deaths that have occurred of which
| have any record. twenty-One are in
valids. thirty-one are widows. three
mothers; sixteen of these invalids left
" luoNS WHO nave dDpllet lOE anu Det'li
granted State pension. One widow re-
married. One invalid entered the Sol
diers' Home at Togus. One invalid
left the State and one widow left the
State Certificates of the last four
named have all been revoked one
widow received United States pensions
with some back pay and the certificate
issued to her was reduced in amount.
The Act OF Congress passed Febru-
airy 6, 1907, known as the age Law"
has been Of great assistance to many
of the soldiers of Maine in giving them
q larger amount of United States pen
sion and as they severally reach the
required ages under said law will be of
still larger benefit to them. and yet
these larger amounts in many cases
does not place them in such position
that they do not require further aid
from the State.
The Act of Congress passed April 10,
1908, making a minimum rate of pen
SONS to widows So per month has
been a great benefit to large number
of people. I have tried to be as care
full as possible in the consideration OF
all claims presented and where it has
seemed that assistance was not really
needed I have not hesitated to refuse
it, and where it has seemed that il
was needed | have tried to relieve
their necessities as far as possible,
having in mind all of the time the
number of applicants and the amount
of the appropriation. The cOrreSpon-
dSnCe Of the Office very largely increas-
es from year to year; not only of mat
tarS pertaining to State pensions, but
\ great many inquiries as to United
| states pensions. and a great variety OF
| matters which have more or less con-
| rccton with the soldiers and their de-
| pendence in other ways. We have per-
| sons now on the roll from 1867 towns,
| cities and plantations in this State
| We had the usual number of applica-
| tons from soldiers Of the ArooStoo(;
! war and certificates have been issued
| to each one of the applicants Quite
an amount of correspondence has been
necessary in answering inquiries from
| parties within and without the State
| IS to the application of the law re-
garding the soldiers of the Aroostook
war. There have been a large number
| of letters received inquiring if the act
| applied to the widows of these soldiers
|
| sion and especially at the close of the
| legislature 4 great many inquiries We're
| received asking if the amendment pro-
| posed to the law. which would have
| made them eligible, received passage.
| I have replied to them all that the
| amendment failed to pass and 1t mas
| been quite difficult to convince some of
them that when an act was proposed in
the legislature that it did not become a
law. Many inquiries have also been
| received as to whether the law relative
10 the burial of soldiers widows ap-
piled to the widows of Aroostook war
soldiers to all Of them I have replied
that it does not. I have answered all
of the correspondence of the office as
promptly and as fully as possible
Certificates have been issued during
1.-The wear to six soldiers of the war
with Spain and to eleven widows OF
such soldiers.
As previously noted, there We're 216o
q. people to wnom certificates have been
issued: the~ages of whom are assfel-
lows.
IF g. sag ~ = INVALID. - p