Show PENSION AGENCIES DECREASED NUMBER HA BEEN CUT FROM i EIGHTEEN TO NINE President Signs a Bill Which Materially Ma-terially Reduces the Expenses of the Pension Department New Law Takes Effect on September 1 1897 I Washington Feb 7The president has signed on the recommendation of Secretary of the Interior Francis an important order reducing the number of pension agencies in the United agences States from IS to 9 The object of the I order is to effect a very large saving Ito I-to the government without inconveniencing inconveni-encing the pensioners The secretary demonstrates that by this reduction of the pension agencies the cost of disbursing dis-bursing pensions can be reduced by at least 150000 per annum Under the consolidation the pensioners pension-ers heretofore paid at Des Moines and Topeka are to be naid from St Louis I where a new agency is established A new agency is established at St Louis because of the better mail facilities fa-cilities there than at Des Moines or Topeka and for the further reasons that there isa government building at St Louis which can be occupied without with-out cost to the government The following are the nine agencies and the number of pensioners paid thereat under the hew order orer Boston 94357 New York 9833 Philadelphia 106733 Washington 140267 Columbus 104492 Indianapolis 116006 Chicago 125123 St Louis 161709 San Francisco 23098 Total 974678 The change is made possible by the law requiring pensioners to be paid by checks remitted by mal I goes into effect Sept 1 next |