Show I ins n TIDE I IN PENSIONS New York Tribune It Is announced from Crom Washington that the forthcoming report of oC the Commissioner of ot Pensions Pen Pen- will m ill show a rather sIgnificant shrinkage it In the pen pension lon list That Tha losses loses of ot to to list despite yearly r names has been maintained a at practically a fixed high level le for tor or thelast tho the last elgh elgh years On June 30 of each l of oC these years the total has hus fallen ju Just Jus t I I a little short of oC sometimes b by a a. fes few fc thousands and sometimes by only a few hundreds For Foa n a brief period In 1904 the million mark was actually e exceeded Now the tho business of oC the pension office Is beginning to slacken blacken and the standing arm army of pensioners pensioners pensioners pen pen- has shrunk In one year more than The high level of pension pen Ilen- sion slon expenditures was readied reached and passed more than a decade ago ngo But the lie roil continued to grow veterans at nt lower rates under age disabilities replacing those entitled lo to higher compensation for Cor definite In In- In juries Now however the roll itself Is contracting for on June 30 last laEt It contained only 00 names against 11 names on June Juno 30 30 1905 1906 Commissioner Warner Is said to be convinced that that there will be a rapid shrinkage from Crom now no on and there are aae sound reasons for Cor his belief belleC The great expansion of our pension system dates from rom 1890 In that year ear congress passed the dependent pen pension ion law recognizing the validity of oC claims for Cor Government Go aid based on disabilities not directly contracted In the military service This law al also o pensioned widows widows wid sid and antI minor children of veterans who could not have o asked for support under tinder prior laws Jaws anti and at one stroke more than doubled the arm army of or eligi- eligi bles The rhe pension roll on June 30 1890 contained names By June 30 1891 the total had risen to 1 by June Juno 30 30 1892 to and antI i by June Junc 30 1893 to The greatest annual expenditure for Cor pensions pensions pen pen- was that for 93 1892 93 The next highest was that for fOl 98 1897 In 1903 04 and 1904 06 the tho totals were a little short of or Under the dependent dependent dependent de de- de- de pendent pension law J perhaps c claims i W were l' l filed The rhe Pension n office c could uld n not t do ten ten years years' als work v In tor t two or three thra years cars and a vast at accumulation tion tin of cases resulted From that sur sum sur plus enough pensioners have been re recruited recruited recruited re- re annually to make good natural losses Josses averaging Ing between and But this surplus is now dis dis- appearing Six years ears ago there were between and antI claims on 01 file me awaiting adjudication Now there are only and in lit four our or five lve years ears the Pension office will have cleared Its overburdened docket The rapid exhaustion of ot the eligible list has ms led the commissioner to plan a 3 reduction of or his working force orce which will he le effected by appointing no successors successors suc sue to bureau s who die tIle or resign resle-n. Administration expenses will therefore he le reduced at t the same time lime that annual disbursements to pensioners pension pension- ers s arc are decreasing It Is not to be expected that the these e reductions will vill be lie swift or violent Under the Ware arc age age order of or 1904 1904 as enlarged and Interpreted b by congress con con- gress what gresSo-what what Is In lit effect a mod modest st service ser cr vice Ic pension system has been established and antl veterans more than lImn G 62 years ears old can obtain relief relict without submitting to the delays and red tane of or a disability examination This simplification slat sim I I of or the process ma may encourage encourage encourage age age applications though so Carthe far Car the effect of or the tho theare are Ware has been lIeen hard hardly noticeable It Is estimated that there are or under tinder present laws who have havo not asked for Cor Government aid ald and this contingent will vill probably make some further work for the pension ers The Sp Spanish nish war roster will also furnish many applicants for pensions during the next two decades But Dut It Is clear that our OUI pension 1 burden has begun begun be lIe- gun to I anti and that we can soon reduce our annual pension charge charge- now about quarter one of or tire the national revenue revenue revenue-by by from t tl to 20 20 0 |