PENSIONS.

The annual report of the Commissioner of Pensions shows that at the close of the year ending June 30, 1876, there were on the files of his office 42,809 original Army invalid claims; 19,344 invalid increase; 32,713 Army widows' original; 814 widows' increase; 975 original Navy invalids; 62 Navy invalid increase; 524 Navy widows' original, and 2 Navy widows' increase claims.

To that number were added during the year 16,532 original Army in valid; 11,214 Army invalid increase; 5,269 original Navy widows'; 780 Army widows' increase; 271 original Navy invalid; 117 Navy invalid increase; 97 original Navy widows', and 16 Navy widows' increase claims. Seventeen hundred and seventy-one original Army invalid, 132 original Army widows', 4 Army widows' increase, 6 original Navy invalids' and 1 original Navy widow's claims were taken from the rejected files and reopened, making a grand total of 61,112 original Army invalid; 21,558 Army invalid increase; 38,114 original Army widows'; 1,598 Army widows' increase; 1,252 original Navy invalids; 179 Navy invalid increase; 622 original Navy widows', and 18 Navy widows' increase claims, for disposal.

Of claims under the act of February 14, 1871, there were pending at the close of the fiscal year ending June 30, 1876, 341 survivors' and 389 widows' claims; 108 survivors' and 388 widows' claims were filed during the year, and 9 each of survivors' and widows' rejected claims were reopened, making a total of 548 survivors' and 746 widows' claims.

There were examined and allowed during the year 7,134 original Army invalid; 8,922 Army invalid increase; 3,790 original Army wid. ows'; 678 Army widows' increase; 148 original Navy invalid; 76 Navy invalid increase; 71 original Navy widows', and 7 Navy widows' increase claims.

Of claims under the act of February 14, 1871, there were allowed 57 survivors' and 126 widows' claims, making a total of 21,019 pension claims allowed, against 17,451 the year preceding.

There were rejected during the year 13,284 pension claims, as follows: Army invalid, original, 4,609; Army invalid, increase, 7,026; Army widows', original, 1,355; Army widows', increase, 13; Navy invalid, orig inal, 51; Navy invalid, increase, 38; Navy widows', original, 66; survivors of the war of 1812, 43; and widows of soldiers of the war of 1812, 83; leaving on hand unadjudicated on June 30, 1877, 91,981 pension claims of all classes.

The total addition to original claims for pension is 7,110; 'total reduction of increase claims, 4,639.

The yearly value of claims allowed during the year is $1,343,534.84 as follows: Army invalid, $472,453.22; increased pension to invalids, $369,996.12; Army widows, &c., $446,292; increased pension to Army widows, $16,504; Navy invalids, $16,528.50; increased pension to Navy

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 inva lids, 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 amount 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 land; and 451 appli cations 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 re'jection 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

quitted, while 46 cases are in the hands of various United States attorneys undisposed of and awaiting action.

It is estimated that the sum of $28,000,000 will be necessary for the pension service during the ensuing fiscal year.

The plan proposed by the Commissioner for the more prompt and efficient settlement of pension claims is worthy of special consideration. Under the present system pension claims are adjusted on ex-parte testimony, given by witnesses unknown to the office, and whose affidavits are generally prepared by attorneys dependent for their fees upon a successful prosecution of the case. Testimony thus procured is too often colored to suit the facts necessary to be established, and where the proof involves a question of sequel to disabilities incurred in the service, it has been found very unreliable as a basis for correct judg. ment.

The Commissioner proposes to substitute for this unreliable system, with its 1,578 examining surgeons, necessarily differing in medical skill and judgment, a corps of salaried surgeons, distributed throughout the country, each surgeon assisted by a competent clerk, to be assigned to a given district. Their duties will be to make a personal examination of each case referred to them, examine claimants and witnesses, and transmit the result to the office. The Commissioner gives it as his opinion that by this system a more prompt and just settlement of claims would be secured, and by a proper rating of pensioners a large saving of money would be effected.

The magnitude of the interests involved and the importance of securing speedy adjustment of claims now largely in arrears would appear to call for some radical change in the present defective system of examinations. As the plan proposed by the Commissioner of Pensions is urged not only on the ground of administrative economy, but as a measure of justice to deserving pension-claimants, I earnestly commend it to the attention of Congress.

The Commissioner also recommends amendments to certain sections of the Revised Statutes relating to the payment of pensions. As the changes proposed are for the purpose of removing certain hardships which the present laws inflict, I fully agree with the recommendation.

The consolidation of pension-agencies, in conformity to the President's order of May 7, appears to have been successfully accomplished without inconvenience to the government or the pensioners.

The Commissioner reports prompt payments at nearly all the agencies, and expresses the belief that by a consolidation of the rolls on a uniform plan-and to secure which steps have already been taken-payments even more prompt can be made in the future.

The necessary suspension of the agent at New Orleans on the eve of a payment and the appointment and qualification of his successor caused a delay in payments at that agency. Aside from this, the practical results of the consolidation have been highly gratifying, the saving in

salaries of agents alone, on the basis of former years, being $142,000 per annum.

The question whether the abolition of all the pension agencies and the payment of all the pensions from Washington is practicable, and what measures should be adopted to that end, is now the subject of earnest consideration; but any change in that direction would require additional legislation, as the law contemplates the paying of pensions through agencies, and the number now established could not well be reduced without a radical change of the existing system.

EDUCATION.

The Commissioner reports that during the year twenty-one thousand written or printed communications have been received from its American correspondents; an equal number of letters have been sent, as well as about eleven thousand bound volumes and seventeen hundred pamphlets.

Efforts have been made to gather and classify the educational statistics of the entire country and to perfect the office-lists of institutions of learning, libraries, and scientific and educational associations; of these, nearly nine thousand furnish statistics and documents to the office for its reports and special publications.

Among the works in progress of preparation are historical reviews of collegiate instruction, of normal instruction, of industrial art education, and of graded school systems in the United States.

The demand for information in regard to education in foreign countries was greatly stimulated by the Centennial; and in response thereto the bureau has in course of preparation circulars and special reports relating to foreign national systems, such as the success of the efforts adopted for public instruction in Great Britain under the educational act of 1870; the progress of industrial and technical education in Germany, France, and Belgium, including trade schools, (weaving, cooking, nursing, &c.,) school for agriculture, forestry, commerce, &c.

The amount apportioned for printing and binding for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1877, having been exhausted in the issue of the report on public libraries, no other publication could be attempted. Since July 1, five circulars or reports have been issued, as follows:

1. The International Conference on Education, held at Philadelphia in connection with the International Exhibition.

2. Manual of the Common Native Trees of the Northern United States, (for the use of teachers.)

3. Circular of Information No. 1, 1877. Education in China.

4. Circular of Information No. 2, 1877. Education in Finland, the Netherlands, Denmark, Würtemberg, Portugal, &c.

5. Contributions to the History of Medical Education in the United States, 1776-1876.

The Commissioner states that the removal of the office, as required by law, to the building occupied by the Pension Office has proved greatly injurious to the work, the new quarters furnishing rooms neither suffi cient in number nor appropriate in arrangement.

A great aid to the work of the office is its collection of educational appliances; this already has articles of great value illustrative of educa tional methods in other countries. There are no rooms provided for its arrangement or display, and no means for its care.

The Commissioner calls attention to the constitutional and traditional practice of the national government in aiding education, and believes the moment is opportune for the execution of a well devised system of supplemental aid, and that this aid will render effectual the local efforts of educators now so greatly embarrassed.

A comprehensive review of the statistics of education in our country in 1877 affords some evidence of improvement over the same in 1876. In the public schools, with reduced expenditures for salaries and buildings, there has been an effort to improve the quality of instruction by making it consecutive and by bringing it more into harmony with the developments of the child's nature and the necessities of his future occupations. Natural science has been taught less from text-books and more from specimens and in the field. Industrial drawing, as an element of popular instruction, has made much progress.

In the colleges and professional schools there is an advance of the standard of admission, and in many schools a lengthening of the course. Women are being more generally provided with advantages for superior study, and for preparation for professions if they so desire.

THE CENTENNIAL EXHIBIT.

The withdrawal of the articles exhibited by the several bureaus of the department in the government building at Philadelphia was delayed by executive order, with a view to anticipate Congressional action in reference to the establishment of a national museum. Congress, however, took no action, so that articles by further executive order have been returned to the care of the several offices by which they were exhibited, or have been stored for future exhibition.

It is believed that much has been done by the exhibition of this depart ment, and by the distribution of reports, and by the communication of information in other ways to inform our own citizens and persons resident in foreign countries respecting the patents of inventions, the public lands, the Indian tribes, the geology and geography of the Territories, the education of our country, and its progressive increase in territory, population, industry, and wealth.

From the Centennial Commission the following certificates of award have been already received:

"The Department of the Interior, Washington, D. C.," for "Collection exhibit."