Chapter 548.
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CHAP. 548.— An act making appropriations for the payment of invalid and pensiorsof the United States, for the fiscal year ending June thirtieth, eighteen hundred and ninety-two, and for other purposes.March 3, 1891. *Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled*,Pensions appropriations. That the following sums be, and the same are hereby, appropriated, out of any money in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, for the payment of pensions for the fiscal year ending June thirtieth, eighteen hundred and ninety-two, and for other purposes, namely:
For Army and Navy pensions, as follows: For invalids, widows, minorInvalid, etc., pensions. children, and dependent relatives; survivors and widows of 1082FIFTY-FIRST CONGRESS. Sess. II. Ch. 548. 1891. the war of eighteen hundred and twelve and with Mexico, one hundred and thirty-three million one hundred and seventy-three thousand and eighty-*Provisos*.five dollars; *Provided*, That the appropriation Navy pensions.aforesaid for Navy pensions shall be paid from the income of the Navy pension fund, so far as the same, maybe sufficient for that Accounts.purpose: *And provided further*, That the amount expended under each of the above items shall be accounted for separately. *And provided further*, That Pensions not allowed to persons in Army or Naval service.hereafter no pension shall be allowed or paid to any officer, non commissioned officer, or private in the Army, Navy, or Marine Corps of the United States, either on the active or retired list. *Provided also*, That hereafter no agent or attorney Fee for increase, etc., claims.shall demand, receive, or be allowed any compensation under existing law exceeding two dollars in any claim for increase of pension on account of the increase of the disability for which the pension has been allowed, or for services rendered in securing the passage of any special act of Congress granting a pension or an increase of pension in any case that has been presented at the Pension Office or is allowable under the general pension laws: *And provided further*, That any agent, Penalty for taking illegal fee.attorney, or other person instrumental in prosecuting any claim for increase of pension on account of the increase of disability for which pension was allowed, or who has rendered services in procuring the passage of any special act of Congress granting a pension or an increase of pension in any case that has been presented at the Pension Office or is allowable under the general pension laws, who shall directly or indirectly contract for, demand, receive, or retain any compensation for such services, except as hereinbefore provided, shall be deemed guilty of a misdemeanor, and upon conviction thereof shall, for each and every such offense, be fined not exceeding five hundred dollars or imprisoned, not exceeding two years or both, in the discretion of the court:
Pending contracts.*Provided, however*, That the foregoing provisions in relation to fees of agents or attorneys shall not apply to any case now pending where there is an existing lawful contract express or implied. For fees and expenses of examining surgeons for services renderedExamining surgeons fees. within the fiscal year eighteen hundred and ninety-two, one million five hundred thousand dollars. And each member of each examining board shall, as now authorized by law. receive the sum of two dollars for the examination of each applicant whenever five or a less number shall be examined on any one day, and one dollar for the *Proviso*.examination of each additional applicant on such day: *Provided*, Examinations.That if twenty or more applicants appear on one day no fewer than twenty shall, if practicable, be examined on said day, and that if fewer examinations be then made, twenty or more having appeared then there shall be paid for the first examinations made on the next examination day the fee of one dollar only until twenty examinations shall have been made.
For salaries of eighteen agents for the payment of pensions, atAgents salaries. four thousand dollars each, seventy-two thousand dollars. For clerk hire, four hundred thousand dollars; *Provided*, That theClerk hire. *Proviso*. Apportionment. amount of clerk hire for each agency shall be apportioned as nearly as practicable in proportion to the number of pensioners paid at each agency, and the salaries paid shall be subject to the approval of the Secretary of the Interior. For fuel, seven hundred and fifty dollars.Fuel.
For lights, seven hundred and fifty dollars.Lights. For stationery and other necessary expenses,Stationery. to be approved by the Secretary of the Interior, thirty-five thousand dollars. For rents, eighteen thousand two hundred dollars.Rent. Sec. 2. That the Secretary of the Interior is hereby authorizedAgencies to be arranged in three groups. and directed to arrange the various agencies for the payment of pensions in three groups as he may think proper, and may from time to time change any agency from one group to another as he may deem convenient for the transaction of the public business.
The first FIFTY-FIRST CONGRESS. Sess. II. Chs. 548, 549. 1891.1083 group shall make their quarterly payments of pensions on JanuaryQuarterly payments to groups. fourth, April fourth, July fourth, and October fourth of each year; the second group shall make their quarterly payments of pensions on February fourth, May fourth. August fourth, and November fourth of each year; and the third group shall make their quarterly payments of pensions on March fourth, June fourth, September fourth, and December fourth of each year.
The Secretary of the Interior is hereby fully authorized to cause payments of pensions to be made for tlw fractional parts of quarters created by such change, so as to properly adjust all payments as herein provided. Section forty-seven hundred and sixty-fourR. S., sec. 4764, p. 926, amended. of the Revised Statutes is hereby so amended as to conform to the changes in the time of payments provided herein, and is made applicable thereto. The sum of fifteen thousand dollars is hereby’ appropriated toExpenses of change. meet the expenses involved in carrying into effect the changes herein provided for.
Sec. 3. That the same power to administer oaths and take affidavits,Investigating officers may administer oaths, etc. which by virtue of section forty-seven hundred and forty-four of the Revised Statutes is conferred upon clerks detailed by the Commissioner of Pensions from his office to investigate suspectedR. S., sec. 4744, p. 523. attempts at fraud on the Government through and by virtue of the pension laws, and to aid in prosecuting any’ person so offending, shall be, and is hereby, extended to all special examiners or additional special examiners employed under authority of Congress to aid in the same purpose.
Approved, March 3, 1891.