The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1911-10-16
GREAT SAVING
ON PENSIONS
In Simplified Plan For Payment
Without Vouchers
AS WAS PRESENTED TO-DAY
Commissioner of Pensions ]. L. Daven-
port Hopes to Save One Million Year
to Pensioners and Eventually
$4,000 to Government.
AS WAS PRESENTED TO-DAY

Washington, D. c., Oct. lG.--A saving,
estimated at $l,OOO,O0o annually to the
pensioners of the United States and
eventually about $4,000 a year to the
government, is contemplated by a sim.
pliiied plan for the payment of pensions
without vouchers, which Commissioner
of Pensions j. L. Davenport submitted
to the secretary of the interior in his
annual report made public to-day
During the year 1857 1925, 100 was paid
as pensions, decrease of S349S, l5i
from last year, making the total amount
paid in pensions since the foundation
OF the government $4,230,3s 1850, There
were 55ls5 names dropped from the roll
and 26,200 added, leaving net loss OF
2s,9S5 pensioners. The total number at
the end of the year was S9209s the
smallest since 1892 Methods OF econ.
omy resulted in decrease of the cost
of administration by Sl40,546, the amount
being S2,5lLl27, the lowest since 1882.
Commissioner Davenport's plan, which
was devised at the request OF Congress
and which will require the passage OF 4
law, would greatly simplify the methods
Of paying pensions, resulting in the
mailing of pension checks on the date
upon which the pension falls due, elm
mate the cost TO the pensioners in a
large majority of cases of the execution
of pension vouchers, which varies from
81 to So yearly; decrease to a consider.
able extent the work in drawing and
mailing of pension checks and eliminate
the sending of 100000 letters yearly
through the mails, saving about $4,000
thereby.
The plan contemplates payment direct
by checks mailed to the last address OF
the pensioner Besides the Endorsement
on the back of these checks, the govern
ment would require certiReation by two
witnesses as TO identity. In few in
stances, Commissioner Davenport said
vouchers still would be required.
Commissioner Davenport told of his
efforts to ascertain the truthfulness of
reports in the press and elsewhere that
the pension roll was honeycombed with
fraud He sent field men from pensioner
to pensioner in the Washington agency,
and is now doing the same in the Knox
vile agency, with view to probing
fraud Out of a total of 47,lSl pension
ers seen and questioned, only 20 cases Of
improper pensioning were revealed. The
commissioner said he believed the check
system would put an end to any fraud
that may now exist.
The number of soldiers and sailors
ON the pension roll at the close Of the
fiscal year was 570050; dependents and
widows 32i ,642. and army nurses 400
There were 529,sS4 survivors of the Civil
war, 35,243 having died during the year
1t is believed that only about IS per
cent. OF the estimated 2,2l3,365 indiyid-
uals in the United States service during
the Civil war are now living the death
rate of the survivors being now slightly
in excess of per cent yearly. The av-
crage age of survivors is now about 20
years.
The last pensioner Of the Revolution
airy war, Mrs, Phoebe NJ Palmeter,
daughter of jonathan Wooley, who
served in New Hampshire company,
died at Brookfeld, n Y, April rs, 1911,
aged 30 years.
MTs. DFltdHnlh W. henHoH ol WISH
ington, d. G., a great granddaughter OF
Martha Washington and who died dur
ing the year, drew pension as a widow
longer probably than any other person
in the history Of the pension Office hav-
ing received $50 month almost ca
wears. Mrs. Kennon was the widow OF
the captain of the U. S. S. Princeton,
who was killed Feb. %, 1874, by the
bursting of a cannon on that vessel, in
which occasion two members of Presi-
dent Tyler's cabinet were killed.