Page:U.S. Department of the Interior Annual Report 1877.djvu/41

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REPORT OF THE SECRETARY OF THE INTERIOR.
XXXIX

invalids, $2,877; Navy widows, &c., $10,260; increased pension to Navy widows, $9.60; survivors of the war of 1812, $5,568, and widows of the soldiers of said war, $12,096.

The value of the reduction to the rolls during the year, by reason of death, remarriage, and termination of pension from other causes, is $1,568,644.10; making a total reduction of $225,109.26 to the rolls.

The number of Army invalid pensioners on the roll increased during the year 5,809; that of Army widows, decreased 4,112; that of Navy invalids, increased 79; that of Navy widows, &c., decreased 27; while the number of survivors of the war of 1812, and of the widows of the soldiers of said war, decreased 1,404 and 378 respectively.

The total number of pensioners on the roll June 30, 1877, was 232,104, as follows: Army invalids, 114,119; Army widows, 97,055; Navy invalids, 1,722; Navy widows, &c., 1,717; survivors of the war of 1812, 12,802; and widows of soldiers of that war, 4,609.

Yearly value of the rolls, $25,371,215.43. The total reduction to the rolls was 33.

During the year the following amounts were paid for pensions: to Army invalids, $12,955,544.15; to Army widows, &c., $13,348,383.57; to Navy invalids, $199,619.40; to Navy widows, &c., $322,926.63; survivors of the war of 1812, $934,657.82; to the widows of the soldiers of said war, $361,548.91, making a total of $28,122,683.48.

The cost of disbursement, including fees of pension agents, fees of examining-surgeons, and compensation of agents, and expenses of agencies, was $524,129.01. There remained in the hands of pension-agents, June 30, 1877, $339,197.04.

Of the appropriation for Army pensions, $453,437.86, and of the appropriation for Navy pensions, $2,052.61 were not drawn from the Treasury.

The amouut of pension due at first payment in claims allowed during the year, was, to Army invalids, $1,279,874.72; Army widows, &c., $1,950,852.86; Navy invalids, $16,786.65, and Navy, widows, &c., $37,422.89, making a total of $3,284,937.12.

During the year 861 applications for bounty-land were received; 85 warrants were issued, aggregating 13,120 acres of laud; and 451 applications were rejected.

The special-service division of the office made 1,926 investigations during the year, resulting in the dropping of the names of 555 pensioners from the roll, in the reduction of the rate of 62 pensioners, and the rejection of 334 pending claims prima facie established. The aggregate saving to the government by reason of these investigations was $379,026.62, at a cost of $40,022.78 for per diem allowance to and actual expenses incurred by the special agents.

A number of attorneys were suspended and debarred from practice by reason of illegal practices; 42 cases were submitted to the proper officers for criminal prosecution; 23 indictments were found against offenders against the pension laws; 12 were convicted and 9 were ac-