The first entry, before issue, embraces the certificate number to be given the case, the claimant's name, service, and agency at which to be paid. The record is completed after mailing the certificate, etc., by entering dates of issue and mailingrates, commencement, ending, disabilities, deductions, amount due, etc. The cases are then forwarded to the Record Division of the Bureau.

The figures in the first column with a star prefixed represent the transfers from Knoxville to Washington under executive order. They required the issue of no papers by this division, but simply an indorsement of the transfers on the cases.

SUMMARY.

The total number of separate papers prepared by the division during the year

These figures do not represent the additional work involved in keeping up the complete record of all issues; the separate records of issues by States and counties; of disabilities, classified under some 200 heads; the recording special act and office "special" cases; the indorsing of jackets with a brief of every action taken and letter written, and the great mass of miscellaneous labor constantly required, and which can not be reported in figures.

The splendid work accomplished by this division during the fiscal year just closed; the cheerful willingness and energy displayed by all its force to make such a result possible as is here exhibited, merit the highest commendation I am able to bestow, and will, I am sure, recommend these patient, tireless workers to your kind consideration.

The largely-increased number of claims admitted over those reported for the preceding year can only be attributed to the business-like methods that characterize the workings of the Bureau, and the well understood requirement that each employé shall render a full equivalent of satisfactory service for the compensation he or she receives. The great results here shown have been produced quietly, without friction, each division accomplishing its allotted share harmoniously and with almost automatic regularity.

Respectfully submitted.

Hon. JOHN C. BLACK,

J. E. SMITH,

Chief Certificate Division.

Commissioner of Pensions.

REPORT OF THE STATIONERY AND ACCOUNTS DIVISION.

WASHINGTON, D. C., July 25, 1883.

SIR: In compliance with your instructions I have the honor to make the following report of the work of this division for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1888:

The employés of this division number eight, in addition to the chief, six of whom are engaged in auditing accounts and attending to the correspondence, and two in charge of the stationery and printing and the distribution of the same.

Owing to the nature of the work of the division, it is impracticable to give an intelligent idea of the amount of work performed by each individual employé. I can only state in general terms that those engaged in the book-keeping work have the auditing of the accounts of all the special and detailed examiners in the field, who number on an average about three hundred; keep an account of all the appropriations for the Bureau of Pensions; of Army and Navy pensions, and for the fees of examining surgeons, together with that of clerk hire, rent, fuel, light, and contingent expenses of the various pension agencies throughout the country. The major portion of the accounting work of the division, however, is in auditing the accounts of the pension examining surgeons of this and foreign countries, who numbered during the past year three thousand two hundred and fifty-six (3,256), a separate account being kept with each and every one of them.

Up to this date there have been reported to this division for audit 180,894 medical examinations, which were made during the past fiscal year, the fees for which amounted to $844,699.44, or 17,808 more than the total number of examinations made during the fiscal year of 1887, at an increased cost of $75,341.54. Quarterly accounts have been approved for 506 examinations, costing $1,165.20 for 1886 and prior years; 52,640 examinations, costing $242,111.83, for the fiscal year of 1887, and 139,722 examinations for the past fiscal year, costing $652,132.48.

During the past fiscal year 2,672 certificates were returned to the surgeons for correction, of which 67 are still outstanding, or 3,890 less than were returned the year previous, out of a considerably smaller number of examinations. This shows a gratifying improvement in the work of the examining surgeons throughout the country. Some idea of the extent of the work of auditing the accounts of examining surgeons can be gained by the explanation that each daily report and voucher has to be carefully scrutinized, the amount of the fees calculated-if the accounts have been properly rendered according to law-and then entered upon the day-book, ledger, and register of approved vouchers, in such a way as to show at any time the total number of examinations reported and their cost to date, the status of each individual account, and the number and cost of those which have been accepted and approved for payment, together with the number and the value of the fees of those which have been rejected or returned to the surgeons for correction. The aggregate number of these entries amount to over one hundred and fifty thousand, all of which are checked upon the books before mentioned, in order to keep the accounts completely balanced. The improvement in the method of keeping these accounts since the organization of this division, two years ago, is shown in there being a permanent record of all of them in the Burean, which did not exist prior to that time, and also by the fact that nearly all the quarterly accounts are now adjusted within a few weeks after the close

of each quarter, while under the system prevailing formerly it required from six months to a year.

The cost of the stationery drawn and issued by this division for the Bureau during the past year amounted to $20,133.22, a separate account being kept with each division, and each individual employé, of the stationery drawn upon requisition. The cost of the stationery the last year or two has been increased somewhat by the fact that a good many articles, which were secured in the past by miscellaneous requisitions and charged to the contingent expenses of the Interior Department, are now obtained upon stationery requisitions and made chargeable to the appropriation for stationery for the Department.

The cost of the printing for the past year was $39,655.02. This expenditure must of necessity keep pace to some extent with the work of the Bureau, as each additional letter, circular, and record book that is used of course increases the cost of the printing of the same; and as the work of the Bureau during the past year has been larger than any previous time in its history, it has been the means of making the cost of the printing and binding larger than of some previous years, though $7,660.22 less than for the fiscal year 1887.

In order to show the amount of labor it requires to keep run of the printing of the great number of blanks and record books, as well as their distribution, and also show the great amount of work performed by the Bureau, I may state that during the past year there were ordered printed for the use of the Bureau 3,206 books of record, 13,033,450 blanks, 1,388 reams of paper, 3,082,000 envelopes, 73,500 pamphlets, and 2,348,000 pension checks. Of these a great number were packed and shipped from the division to the various pension agencies, the examining surgeons, and the special and detailed examiners in the field, all of whom forward their requisitions for supplies to this Bureau.

The books of the division are kept constantly checked with those of the Special Examination and Agents Divisions, so that no discrepancies may arise, as all requisitions for funds drawn against the various appropriations and accounts passed upon by these divisions are recorded in this division, and a statement made every Monday morning to the honorable Secretary of the Interior of the condition of every appropriation for the Bureau of Pensions, for the pension agencies, for army and navy pensions, and for fees of examining surgeons.

The expenses for the Bureau of Pensions for the last fiscal year will be shown in the statement accompanying this report, and there will also be found a tabular statement showing the number and cost of medical examinations made by boards, single, civil, special, expert and foreign surgeons in each State and Territory and foreign country during the past fiscal year.

As you will perceive, the duties of this division, though a small one, are made up of innumerable little details, which require care and exactitude, and I desire to express my appreciation of the services of the present employés who have without exception been not only faithful and correct in their work, but have performed their duties cheerfully and in a way to indicate a real interest in the successful administration of the Bureau. I am also much gratified that my intercourse with the other officers and chiefs, as well as employés, has been at all times so cordial, as from the nature of the work I am oftentimes obliged to refuse requests which they may regard as entirely reasonable.

Hon. JOHN C. BLACK,

Commissioner of Pensions.

C. F. GILLIAM, Chief Stationery and Accounts Division.

Statement of appropriations, Stationery and Accounts Division, Bureau of Pensions.

*This overdraft of $27,086.74 is chargeable to the appropriation for detailed examiners: $225,000.

Number of medical examinations and the amount of fees for the same, as audited in the Stationery and Accounts Division, for the fiscal year 1888.

Total

1, 258 3, 1161, 305 5, 931. 44 697 3, 505 175, 363 827, 6052, 271 4, 542 180, 894 844, 699. 44

REPORT OF THE SPECIAL EXAMINATION DIVISION.

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR, BUREAU OF PENSIONS, Washington, D. C., July 16, 1888. SIR: In compliance with your request, I have the honor herewith to submit the following report of the work of the Special Examination Division for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1888:

The division as correctly described in the last annual report "is separated into two branches-an office force and a field force. The field force has five geographical divisions or districts (named Hudson, Potomac, Indiana, Missouri, and Western), each under a supervising examiner, with assistants now located with the office force in this city. Formerly there were twenty-one districts, each with a supervising examiner located in his district. The change has been more than justified by increased

efficiency and much more economical work, shown herein. The duties of the office force may in a word be said to consist in keeping the field force supplied with work. The special work performed by the several sections is in a general way indicated by their names: The auditing section, sixty-day section, criminal section, and the files section. To speak more explicitly, the auditing section receives, records, and audits the daily reports and expense accounts of the examiners in the field, and conducts all correspondence relating thereto. The sixty-days section has in charge a large amount of miscellaneous work, such as submitting evidence in rebuttal to the Medical Division or the Board of Review, recording of cases, with amounts saved by dropping, reduction, or rejection, entering special calls, leaves of absence of all clerks and special examiners of the division, both in the Bureau and in the field, the keeping of voluminous records of all Congressional inquiries sent to the division, the dates when answered, all letters to and from special examiners, and all miscellaneous correspondence, etc. To the criminal section is assigned all cases involving criminal acts, whether of claimants, attorneys, affiants, or other persons in connection with or bearing upon pension claims.

"The files section has charge of all cases passing to and from the Commissioner, the various officials of the Bureau, and the special examiners in the field."

As you are well aware the records of this division show that difficulties occur in the way of prosecutions which are not looked for, yet which effectually hinder convictions that have been relied upon.

In a certain case a party was charged with a violation of the act of Congress approved April 18, 1884. The offense (of falsely personating a Government officer) occurred in one State and the guilty party fled into another State. Application was made by this Bureau through its special examiner to a commissioner in the latter State for a warrant of arrest. The proof of guilt was indubitable. Of course the only question involved was that of holding the prisoner over until he could be properly removed, as provided by statute. It appears, however, that the United States commissioner, misconceiving the scope of his powers, actually entered into a formal trial of the prisoner, heard argument relative thereto, and of his own motion decided that the accused was not guilty and dismissed him, and by so doing, for the time being at least, defeated the ends of justice.

It is to be deplored that some instances have arisen such as tend to show that it is possible even for a United States commissioner to forget his official position as an officer of the United States court and lend his influence to the defense and encouragement of violations of the pension laws.

Even judges so construe the law as to produce an acquittal where the proof seems to point to a conviction. Thus, for instance, in a certain proceeding for a violation of the attorney law, where the accused had accepted money from a claimant in excess of the fee provided by law for the prosecution of pension claims, it was charged by the judge that it was unlawful to contract for, demand, or receive, "except as a present," a greater compensation than that specified in the statute. Now, it happened that this Bureau had evidence to show that the "present" received by said defendant was resorted to as an evasion of the law, and charged it to be in direct contravention of that clause of section 5485, Revised Statutes United States, which prohibits the contract for, demand, receipt, or retention, either "directly or indirectly," of a greater compensation than that named in said section.

The judicial interpretation given the law in that case, therefore, was such as was wholly unexpected by this Bureau, and could only result in the total defeat of the aims of justice in that instance. To illustrate further: A certain woman who was pensioned as the widow of a soldier continued to receive payment as such, notwithstanding the fact that she had remarried, thereby defrauding the Government, and obtaining, by means of perjury, more than $1,000. The perjuries were renewed each time when she executed her vouchers. There were several counts under which she was liable to be charged, all within the statute of limitations, each representing a separate offense. For some reason, not made plain to this Bureau, a single count was relied upon, charging her with fraudulently obtaining $24. Upon this count she was convicted and fined $100.

This Bureau insisting upon a further prosecution of the same defendant on other indictments for distinct offenses of a like nature, it was alleged that the United States attorney in another State to which she had gone declined to expedite proceedings to remove her to the proper trial jurisdiction on the ground that he was familiar with the case, and that she had already been sufficiently punished. And, thereafter, when her case was brought before the grand jury they refused to indict her, acting upon the instruction of the court that "they had the power to refuse to indict if they thought she should not be indicted."

In still another case, wherein a woman was charged with having forged an addition of essential matter to an affidavit in support of a pension claim, while the proof was explicit, and the woman actually confessed the charge, it appears that the grand jury