REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF PENSIONS. WASHINGTON, D. C., August 1, 1916. The operations of the Bureau of Pensions for the fiscal year ended June 30, 1916, are fully shown in the detailed statements and tabulations herewith. Number of deaths: Civil War soldiers 1915.... 1916. Widows, minor children, and dependents 1915. 1916... The largest number of Civil War soldiers on the roll was in 1898..... The largest number of Civil War widows on the roll was in 1912.. War with Mexico June 30, 1916: Survivors.... Widows. War with Spain: Total number of claims allowed by the Pension Bureau....... Number of pensions granted by special acts.. Number on rolls June 30, 1916.. Number on rolls under special acts.. Changes of post-office addresses of pensioners: 1915.... 1916.. Employees at the beginning of the fiscal year: 1915... 1916.. Volumes in military library: 1915.. 1916... Total pieces of mail handled in 1916: Incoming. Outgoing.. Inclosures. 33, 255 34, 252 17,915 19, 957 745, 822 304, 373 115 513 3,785 39, 091 1,508 28, 472 1, 164 120, 974 120, 796 1,275 1, 182 1,300 1, 455 891, 659 3,527, 032 1, 001, 131 Cases under act Mar. 3, 1899 (division of pension between husband and wife), 1916.... Cases under act Aug. 8, 1882 (to wife where husband is insane or imprisoned), 1916.. Apart from the special acts of Congress granting pensions, the pension roll was not materially affected by any legislation during the year. An act was approved April 27, 1916, to establish a medal of honor roll and to give to each person on such roll an additional pension of $10 per month for life. There have been received in the Pension Office 121 such certificates, and it is estimated that the total number will not exceed 200; if so, the added cost for pensions will not be more than $24,000 annually. No pensions have been paid on this account because Congress in later legislation authorized a committee to make inquiry into certificates issued and to be issued, and the Pension Bureau was requested by the War Department not to pay such pensions until that committee shall have made its report. Extra effort has been made to dispose of claims long pending. The total of such claims on hand last year was 31,112, while this year there were 24,156, showing 6,956 less. Likewise there were of accrued and reimbursement cases, 12,607, and this year there were on hand at the end of the year 10,881. REDUCTION OF THE Force. The legislative, executive, and judicial appropriation act for the fiscal year 1917 made provision for 67 fewer clerks than were on our rolls June 30, 1916. In order to meet the changed condition, the services of nine clerks were necessarily terminated by dropping. Seven clerks resigned, and five effected transfers to other departments and bureaus. The appropriation act for 1916 included a provision which limited appointments in the Pension Bureau to 25 per cent of the vacancies occurring during that fiscal year. During the fiscal year 1916, vacancies occurred in the Pension Bureau to the number of 70. Fifteen appointments were made as follows: Transfers of clerks who had been temporarily transferred to other offices in the department with the understanding that they would be taken back, and who were nearly all stenographers and typewriters whose services were greatly needed in the Pension Bureau.... Reinstatement of a clerk at $1,200 who resigned with the same understanding. Appointments made in the secretary's office. Sergeant of the watch... Watchmen... Superintendent of the building at $1,400. Messenger boy at $400..... Total.. 7 1 1 1 3 1 1 15 No appointments were made in the classified service after February, 1916. EMPLOYEES IN EACH DIVISION. The number of employees of each division in the Pension Office This includes payment for copies furnished as prescribed by law, refundments to pension appropriations, and a number of other sources, the whole amount received being reported by the Finance Division as follows: For addresses, certified copies, etc. (act Aug. 24, 1912).. Miscellaneous... $10, 720. 47 5, 543. 64 242.42 Total...... 16, 506.53 BOUNTY-LAND WARRANTS. During the fiscal year no original land warrants were issued, but 2 duplicate land warrants were issued, each for 160 acres; 16 applications were rejected for want of sufficient evidence to show that the parties were entitled thereto, and 5 applications are now pending awaiting necessary proof. REIMBURSEMENT AND ACCRUED. There were 1,368 claims for reimbursement for expenses of last sickness and burial of deceased pensioners pending at the beginning of the fiscal year; 7,319 claims were received and 360 cases were reopened during the fiscal year; 7,798 claims were disposed of, leaving 1,249 pending at the close of the fiscal year. Of claims for accrued there were on hand at the beginning of the fiscal year 11,239; there were received 19,422; and there were disposed of 21,029, leaving on hand at the beginning of the fiscal year 9,632. METAL BOXES. A previous report showed the great value of metal boxes which we had substituted for leather straps for holding the files. Our experience has proven that in many ways they are more excellent than at first anticipated. There have been installed a total of 9,200 of them. Not only are they superior to the leather straps for this purpose, but they are cheaper. DIVISION OF PENSION. Since the passage of the act of March 3, 1899, providing for the division of pension of resident pensioners of the United States who have deserted their wives and children, or who are inmates of soldiers' and sailors' homes, 16,189 claims have been filed thereunder, of which 9,090 have been allowed and 6,921 rejected. One hundred and seventy-eight cases were pending June 30, 1916. Of the claims filed under the act of August 8, 1882, of wives and children of pensioners undergoing imprisonment, or insane without a guardian, 17 were admitted and 38 rejected. Of the claims under the act of February 2, 1909, by the dependents of pensioners confined in St. Elizabeths Hospital, 11 were admitted and 6 rejected. FLAT FILING WAR OF 1812 CASES. The work of "flat filing" the papers in pension and bounty-land cases based upon service in the War of 1812 has been carried forward as rapidly as was consistent with the requirements of current work of the bureau. All pension cases of the 1812 series have been drawn from the files, leaving a few thousand cases of the "Old War" and Navy series (claims for disability in service prior to March 4, 1861) arising out of service in the War of 1812 yet to be identified in the bundles of cases in the files. The papers in 10,128 cases have been arranged in logical order, briefed, inclosed in envelopes having on the face a full index to the contents, and placed in alphabetical order in the file cases. In addition, some 2,000 cases have been prepared for filing in the envelopes and 4,000 more are in various stages of preparation. Where the records show that a claim for bounty land was filed by a soldier or his widow who filed also a pension claim, the papers in the two cases are placed together. Some 32,000 such consolidations have been made, probably about one-third of the whole number. CRIMINAL AND CIVIL CASES. At the commencement of the fiscal year there were pending 73 cases in which it was believed there was cause for prosecution for offenses against the pension laws. During the year 57 cases were presented to the Department of Justice for prosecution. Indictments were found in 40 of such cases, and 28 cases were brought to trial, in all of which convictions were obtained. |