Arizona republican. [volume] (Phoenix, Ariz.) 1890-1930, 1911-10-16
1t is Estimated That Dis
continuance of Voucher
System Would Cut Off
$1,00O,000 Yearly From
Bills of Soldiers.
WOULD HELP THE
GOVERNMENT, TOO
Plan Thought Out by Com
missioner Davenport
Would Mean Simply the
Mailing of Checks on the
Usual Dates.

WASHINGTON. ID. c.. oct. IA
saving estimated at S1.000.OOo annual
~ To the pensioners OF the United
States and eventually about SiS0,o00
a year to the government is contem-
plated 10y Simplifed plan for the
payment of pensions without vouchers,
which Commissioner of Pensions DaV-
enpOrt submitted To- the secretary Of
the interior in his annual report made
public today During the year S157.-
325. .160 was paid as pensions. q de
crease of S3.49>.154 from last year,
making the total amount paid i'm
pensions since the foundation of the
government. S4.2SO.3S1.120. There were
$3.50 names dropped from the roll
and 26.20O added leaving a net loss
of 2S.gSJ The total number at the
nd of the year was S92,09S. the small
est since 1892 Methods of economy
resulted i'm decrease of the cost of
administration 10y Sl40.5f6. the amount
being $2.JI7127, the lowest since
1882
Commissioner Daveuports plan.
which was devised al the request of
congress and which will require the
passage of a law. viii greatly simplify
the methods of paying pensions. re-
sulting i'm making "a pension check
upon the day on which the pension
falls due. eliminate the cost to the
pensioners. i'm large majority of
cases. the execution Of pension vouch-
ers. which varies from 81 to 81 year
ly- decrease to q considerable. extent
the work OF mailing checks and
eliminate the sending Of 100000
letters yearly through the mails, saV-
ing SSG.000 thereby.
The plan contemplates payment di-
rect by check mailed 10 the last ad-
dress of the pensioner. Besides the
endorsement on the back of these
checks. the government viii require
certification by two witnesses as To
identity. I'm "a few instances. Dayen-
port said. vouchers still would be re-
quired
commissioner Davenport told of his
efforts % ascertain the truthiulueSs
of reports i'm the press end elsewhere
that the pension roll was honey
combed with frauds He sent field
men from pensioucr To- pensioner I'M
the Washington agency and is now
doing the same I'm the Knoxville
agency. ont of total of f1.N>l pen
sioners who We're seen and questioned.
only 20 cases of improper peusionins
were revealed
The number OF sailors and soldiers
ON the pension list at tine close Of
the fiscal year was 570.o5o; depend
ents and widows @21642 and amy
nurses. 4o6. There were 529.SS4 sur
vivors of the civil war. %5.29& having
died during the year.
II is believed that only about -
per cent of the 2213.$G5 individuals
in the United States service during
the civil war are now living. the
death rate of the survivors being now
slightly in excess of six per cent year
Iy
The last pensioner of the revolu-
tionarv war Mrs. Phoebe NJ. Talmeter
daughter Of Jonathan Werley who
served i'm a New Hampshire COM
many died at Brookfield. y. Y. April
%. 1911. aged 90 years.
Mrs. Brittania Kenuon. of Washing
ton. n. G. a great grand daughter "i
Martha Washington. and who died
during the year. drew pension as
a widow. longer probably. than any
other person i'm the history of the
pension office. having received -"
month for almost 81 years. Mrs.
Kennon was a widow of captain
or the United States steamship
Princeton. who was killed February
%. 1874 by the bursting of a cannon
on that vessel