Congressional edition, Volume 5272

By United States Congress

War Department, U. S. A. Annual Reports, 1907 (IN TEN VOLUMES)

CLAIMS.

At the beginning of the fiscal year there were on hand awaiting action 162 miscellaneous claims and accounts, amounting to $38,264.29; there were received during the fiscal year 913 claims and accounts, amounting to $46,556.41. Final action was taken during the fiscal year on 921 claims and accounts, amounting in the aggregate to $50,247.11, leaving on hand at the end of the fiscal year awaiting action 154 miscellaneous claims and accounts, amounting to $34,573.59.

Confederate horse claims.—The act approved February 27, 1902, authorized the Quartermaster-General to investigate, under such rules and regulations as the Secretary of War should approve, the claims of artillery and cavalry officers and private soldiers of the Confederate Army for horses, side arms, and baggage taken from them by Federal troops at and after the surrender at Appomattox, and to issue, subject to the approval of the Secretary of War, vouchers to such persons as were shown to be entitled to payment therefor, the act providing that the expenditures thereunder should not exceed $50,000. Additional appropriations, amounting to $315,000, were subsequently made to pay this class of claims, making total appropriations of $365,000 for this purpose. By the act of Congress, March 3, 1903, March 1, 1904, was fixed as the time limit for filing these claims, which time was extended by the act of April 27, 1904, to April 27, 1906.

There were received in this office to and including the last-mentioned date 2,899 of these claims, of which number 2,245 have been allowed, amounting in the aggregate to $299,076.45; 238 claims have been disallowed, and 1 filed under the act has been transmitted to the Court of Claims in response to a call from that court. The aggregate amount allowed in settlement of the 113 claims approved and authorized paid during the past fiscal year is $15,175.75. There remained at the close of the fiscal year awaiting action 415 claims, in each of which is required definite information and evidence to enable decision to be made as to its justness, under the regulations providing for settlements. There was an available balance of this appropriation on June 30, 1907, of $65,923.55, which it is considered will be sufficient to pay those on hand.