REPORT OF THE COMMISSIONER OF PENSIONS. DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR, Pension-Office, Washington, D. C., November 15, 1872. SIR: I have the honor to submit the following report of the transactions of this Bureau for the year ending June 30, 1872: EXHIBIT OF PENSION-ROLLS. The pension-rolls exhibit a greater increase for the past year than any since the year ending June 30, 1867. There have been added thereto, by the allowance of new claims, 6,317 Army invalid pensioners; 7,120 Army widow and dependent relative pensioners; 151 Navy invalid pensioners; 124 Navy widow and dependent relative pensioners; 17,021 survivors of the war of 1812; and 3,105 widows of soldiers of the war of 1812, pensioned under the act of February 14, 1871, making a gross addition to the rolls of 33,838 new pensioners. The losses to the rolls have been as follows: By death, re-enlistment, recovery from disability of invalid pensioners, or failure to claim payment of pension for three years, 2,281; by death, or remarriage of widows and dependent relatives, expiration of minors' pensions, or failure to claim payment of pension for three years, 6,097; by death of survivors of the war of 1812, 604; by death of widows of soldiers of said war, pensioned under act of February 14, 1871, 122; making a total loss of 9,104. The gross additions, 33,838, less the total loss, 9,104, give a net gain of 24,734 pensioners to the rolls during the year. These added to the number on the rolls June 30, 1871, 207,495, make the total number of pensioners of all classes June 30, 1872, 232,229, classified as follows: In addition, there have been increased the pensions of 5,116 Army invalids to the amount of $261,165.50 per annum. Sixty-eight Navy invalids to the amount of $3,915 per annum. Two hundred and ninety Army widows and minors to the amount of $15,853.35, and six Navy widows to the amount of $654 per annum. A total of 5,480 pensions increased, and a total increase to the annual amount of the pension-roll of $21.587.85 per annum. The annual amount of Army invalid pensions has been increased from 88,266,969.10, June 30, 1871, to $8,611,854.91; the annual amount of Navy invalid pensions from $125,233.25 to $136,545.50; of Army widows and dependent relatives from $14,212,551.19 to $14,530,778.39; of Navy widows and dependent relatives from $257,682 to $269,208; of Survivors of the war of 1812 from $67,792 to $1,641,600; of widows of soldiers of same, from $4,224 to $290,592; thus increasing the total annual amount of all pensions, June 30, 1871, ($22,804,994.29,) by the amount of $2,675,583.71, making the total annual amount of all pensions upon the roll, June 30, 1872, $25,480,578. The total amount, however, of the expenditures for all pension purposes for the fiscal year, as elsewhere shown, was $30,169,341, the difference between these sums being mostly the aggregate of arrearages upon pensions granted during the year, and including the salaries and commissions paid to agents, fees to ex-surgeons, and for artificial limbs, and expenses of the agencies. INCREASED LOSS. The roll of Army invalid pensions has increased from 91,290 June 30, 1871, to 95,405, June 30, 1872; of Army widows and dependent relatives from 112,428 to 113,518; of Navy invalid pensions from 1,377 to 1.449; of Navy widows and dependent relatives from 1,673 to 1,730; of survivors of the war of 1812, from 683 to 17,100; and the widows of the soldiers of the war of 1812 from 44 to 3,027. Total June 30, 1871.. Net increase..... 207, 46 282.220 21,784 There have been dropped from the invalid rolls, from a variety of causes, a total of 2,281 pensioners. From the widows and dependent relatives' roll by death, 805; by remarriage, 1,462; by children reaching the age of sixteen years, by failure to claim pension for three years, and other causes not reported, 4,230. Total, 6,097. From the roll of survivors of the war of 1812 by death, 604; widows of soldiers of the war of 1812 by death, 122. Total, 726. Grand total dropped from all causes, 9,104. TABULAR STATEMENT OF THE GAINS, LOSSES, AND EXPENDITURES. Below is a tabular statement of these gains and losses during the past year, together with net gain of expenditures. Gains and losses during the fiscal year ended June 30, 1872. The following comparative statement will exhibit the number of all pensioners, together with the annual and total amount of expenditures for the years 1871 and 1872: The amount appropriated for the payment of Army pensions other than those of War of 1-12, for the year ended June 30, 1872, was $28,550,000. The amount disbursed is as follows: To invalids ...... To widows and dependent relatives, including the cost of disbursement of Army pensions Total....... $10, 145, 145 49 17, 266, 156 62 27, 411, 302 11 The amount appropriated for pensions to survivors of the war of 1812 was $4, 500, 000 The amount paid is as follows: To survivors... To widows of soldiers Total.. The amount appropriated for Navy pensioners was $500,000. The amount disbursed to invalid pensioners, including the cost of dis bursement of Navy pensions, was... To widows... Total...... Total Army appropriations Total disbursements... Unexpended... Total Navy appropriations. Unexpended $1,987, 415 84 335,993 63 2,323, 409 47 $149,442 85 295, 186 57 444,629 42 $33, 050, 000 00 29,724, 711 58 3,325,288 42 $500,000 00 444, 629 42 55,370 58 Total of all appropriations Total of all expenditures.. Total unexpended.................. $33,550,000 00 30,169,341 00 3,380,659 00 Of the unexpended balance of the Army appropriation, there was in the hands of the pension-agents June 30, 1872, $984,582.36. (See Table D, appendix.) Of the unexpended balance of the Navy appropriation, there was in the hands of the pension-agents June 30, 1872, $25,669.57. (See Table H, appendix.) These sums have, under the act of July 12, 1870, been covered into the Treasury. The appropriations for the present fiscal year are: For Army pensions.. For Navy pensions $30,000,000 00 480,000 Po Heretofore, appropriations have been for each class of pensions, as "invalids," "widows," &c., specifically. Appropriations for one class could not, under the law, be used to meet a deficiency in another. Such distinction being unnecessary, and under the act of July 12, 1870, liable to embarrass the annual settlement of the accounts, the appropriations for the present year were, at the suggestion of this Office, made under two heads only, to wit: "For Army pensions" and "For Navy pensions." NUMBER OF CLAIMS FOR PENSION ARISING FROM THE WAR OF THE REBELLION, FILED IN THE PENSION-OFFICE UP TO JUNE 30, 1872, WITH THE NUMBER ALLOWED, REJECTED, AND UNADJUDICATED AT THAT DATE. An exhibit is given below of the number of claims for pension presented to this Office since June 30, 1861, for wounds or injuries received, disease contracted in or death resulting from service in the war of the rebellion, together with the number of each class of claims allowed during each fiscal year. The number of claims filed during each year will be of interest in showing the increase in the several classes yearly, till a maximum was reached, with the irregular diminution since, which, while not sufficiently gradual or regular to form a basis for a reliable estimate of the number yet to be presented, will indicate the extent and duration of the work in this Office in adjudicating those claims, and the yearly demands upon the Treasury. It will be observed that the exhibit begins contempora neous with the war of the rebellion. Year ended June No. of applications No. of claims al- No. of applications No. of claims 30. filed. lowed. lowed. filed. Invalids. Widows. Invalids. Widows. Invalids. Widows. Invalids. Widows. Total number of Army widow and dependent relatives' pension claims filed .. 204, 200 Number allowed Number rejected 158,651 Number allowed Number rejected Number now pending... Grand Summary. Number now pending... Total number of Navy widow and dependent relatives' pension claims filed.. 718 2,820 1,976 219 2, 195 625 The maximum of invalid claims filed was reached in 1366, immediately apon the close of the war. During the next year but 44 per cent., and the year succeeding but 20 per cent., of the number filed in 1866, were presented. Had this ratio of decrease continued, the claims would have been speedily exhausted; but in 1869 the percentage increased to 30 of the maximum year, and further increased to 36 per cent. in 1870. In 1871 and 1872 the number filed were equal to 24 per cent. of the maximum year. The claims presented during and immediately after the close of the war were chiefly for wounds or injuries received or disease which disabled the soldier from returning to his accustomed vocation in civil life; while those made in later years are largely on account of disease which developed to a disabling extent some time after his return from the Army, and are of somewhat doubtful origin. Of 2,688,523 soldiers serving in the war, it will be seen that but 176,000, or but little over 6 per cent., have yet made claim for impaired health or disability resulting from their period of service. With so large a number yet possibly to be heard from, it is but reasonable to suppose that claims varying from 50 to 100 per cent. of the number pre |