Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-04-12
Proposed Change In the Pen
sion Office Regulations.
NEW PLAN TO SAVE MONEY
Commissioner Davenport to Ask Leg
islation by Congress.
ECONOMY OF TIME AND LABOR
System Of Forwarding Vouchers
With Quarterly Checks to PEN
sioners to Be Abandoned.

n sweeping change in procedure under
the pension law-the doing away with
vouchers in the quarterly pension pay
Misunderstanding In the consequent saw
ing of about 100000 annually 10y the
governments benehciaries. who will
avoid notary and other fees, is advo-
Gated BY Commissioner Of Pensions
Davenport. and a bill providing for the
change will in all probability be intro
duced in Congress soon. The great
bulk of detail work in the pension Of
fees of the Countrywide examination Of
the vouchers-will be abolished, and
Uncle Sam will save hundreds of
thousands of dollars annually, now eX-
pended for clerk hire for work which
/, is claimed is not necessary and may
DO avoided
Increased Efficiency Assured.
Commissioner Davenport has studied
the problem for years, and is convinced
that the proposed change is one which
will greatly increase the efficiency of the
pension service. When the pension checks
are sent out from the various pension
agencies. quarterly voucher is forwarded
with each. This must be filled out and
returned to the office before the check for
out. Clerks examine it closely and many
times. it is declared. it is sent back to the
pensioner because it is not correctly made
out and the law not complied with.
This neceSSitateS an enormous amount
OF detail to both the government en-
ployes and the pensioners.
The vouchers have to be sworn to be-
fore a notary public. and in all parts OF
the country men and women acting un-
der such authority reap this quarterly
revenue from the pensioners. In prepar-
ing the papers it is declared to be Orten
the case that a charge Of at least 81 Is
made, but the general average for the
over 100000 pensioners, it is said. is not
over % cents. Thus, 1t is pointed out,
the pensioners are assessed each quarter
about quarter of million dollars.
Saving in Labor.
Commissioner Davenport proposes that
when the pension checks are sent out
hereafter the voucher will not travel as
a side partner, and as a result a great
volume of work heretofore required will
be done away with. The check will be
made out to the penSioner and after the
name will come the address. There shall
he two witnesses to the Endorsement,
which, it Is declared, will accomplish
what the voucher has done heretofore.
The upper left-hand corner of the en-
veIope in which the checks are inclosed
will have the injunction To mail carriers
that the letter must not be delivered to
any one but the person addressed. and
that in case of the death of the pensiOner
the envelope must he returned immediate
y TO the pension agency sending out the
envelope. This direction to the postal en-
ployes will be made mandatory by the act
of Congress by which it is proposed to
change the system now in vogue.
Many leading business men of the coun-
Try approve of the proposed change. it is
said. Especially has this been true in
the offices of the great railroad COM
paneS. where the great amount of use
less detail which the pension force Is
going through yearly has been clearly
SEEN
Welcomed by Veterans.
The old soldiers and the pensioners Of
deceased soldiers have in many instances
already welcomed the proposed changes.
because 1t will save them money and a
vast amount of trouble in visiting offices
If notaries and waiting until their vouch-
ers can be made out. Again, when there
Is mistake, they are also put to addi-
uonal troAble and result their checks
are sometimes delayed for days. With
the proposed change in effect they see
that the delays and annOyances possible
each quarter will be thing of the past.