Comparative statement of the earnings and expenses of the Atlantic and Pacific Railroad

Company.

TEXAS AND PACIFIC RAILWAY COMPANY.

This company, although repeatedly requested by me during the last summer, has failed to make the annual report required by section 13 of the act of March 3, 1871, for the year ending June 30, 1886.

It has, however, filed its report for the New Orleans Pacific Railway Company, which was consolidated with it June 20, 1881. This last mentioned company, being now a part of the Texas and Pacific, extends from New Orleans to Shreveport, La., a distance, including two short branches at Baton Rouge and Westwego, of 336 miles.

No inspection was made of this road.

The New Orleans and Pacific Railroad Company has received from the United States 67,967.70 acres of land, but the report states that no sales have been consummated.

SOUTHERN PACIFIC RAILROAD COMPANY.

This road was inspected by the engineer in August. The road from El Paso to Yuma has been kept in very good condition. Upon the line west from Yuma there were in the latter part of August very serious wash-outs, extending as far as Walters, making in all nearly 40 miles of broken track. Repairs were vigorously prosecuted, so that through trains were delayed only a few days, and no damage was suffered by any of the trains. The remainder of the road to Goshen, the northern terminus, was found in excellent condition. The changes of line in Soledad and Caliente Cañons, which were rendered necessary by the extraordinary floods in January last, have been completed, and that portion seems now entirely removed from danger by similar damage. A new Howe truss bridge has been built over the Colorado River at Yuma. Thirty-five miles of steel rails and 140,000 new ties have been placed in the track, 15 miles of track have been ballasted with coarse sand and gravel, nearly 3 miles of side track built, several new buildings have been constructed at the smaller stations, water-pipe lines extended, and a considerable enlargement of the passenger house at Los Angeles, to provide more rooms for the hotel and offices of that division. The rolling stock is in very good condition and is apparently sufficient for the ordinary business of the line.

The northern division, from San Francisco to Soledad and San Arno, a distance of 183 miles, was also inspected. The track, buildings, and equipment of this division are kept in very good condition, and the business seems carefully managed. The extension of the road from Soledad towards the main line near Newhall has been so far advanced that regular trains will no doubt be running as far as San Miguel by November of the present year. This will be an addition of 65 miles, making the distance from San Francisco to San Miguel 208 miles.

The great improvements which have been made at Monterey render that one of the most attractive resorts of the country, and have been the means of bringing an excellent and steadily increasing passenger business to this road.

The company now operates in this division 220 miles, which will be increased considerably during the next year.

This company has received by patent from the Government 1,228,456.46 acres of land, of which 961,950.38 acres have been sold, leaving in the hands of the company 266,506.08 acres. The amount received from land sales is $3,467,681.55, and there are now outstanding on time sales $2,472,541.53.

Financial condition of the Southern Pacific Railroad Company, June 30, 1886.

Comparative statement of the earnings and expenses of the Southern Pacific Railroad Com

pany, June 30, 1886.

To the Hon. THE SECRETARY OF THE INTERIOR:

SIR: I have the honor to submit herewith the annual statement showing the operations of this Bureau for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1886.

Table No. 1 shows as follows:

There were at the close of the year 365,783 pensioners, classified as follows: 265,854 Army invalids; 80,162 Army widows, minor children, and dependent relatives; 2,953 Navy invalids; 1,878 Navy widows, minor children, and dependent relatives; 1,539 survivors of the war of

1812, and 13,397 widows of those who served in that war, showing a diminution in survivors during the year of 1,406, and of widows of 3,815.

There were added to the rolls during the year the names of 40,857 new pensioners, and the names of 2,229 whose pensions had been previously dropped were restored to the rolls; making an aggregate of 43,086 pensioners added during the year.

During the same period the names of 22,089 pensioners were dropped from the rolls for various causes, leaving a net increase to the rolls of 20,658 names.

The average annual value of each pension at the close of the year is shown to be $122.23, a gain of average annual value over last year of $11.88. The aggregate annual value of all pensions is $44,708,027.44: an increase of like value for the year of $6,617,041.51.

The amount paid for pensions during the year was $63,797,831.61; a decrease in amount over the previous year of $1,135,456.51; a difference due to the difference in amounts of "arrearages" paid.

The difference between the amount paid and the annual values is due to first payments, including "accrued" and "arrears."

The amount paid to 37,887 new pensioners during the year upon first payment was $22,137,054.16; and there remained in the hands of the several pension agents 5,526 of this class unpaid at the close of business on the 30th day of June, on which there was due $2,879,933.42.

Table No. 2 shows the various causes for which the names of 22,089 pensioners were dropped from the rolls, classifying what is termed the "widows' roll" so as to show the number of widows with, and those without, minor children; the number of minor children who were pensioners in their own right, and the number of dependent mothers and fathers. It also shows the whole number of pensioners on the roll, with a like subdivision of the widows' class.

Table No. 3 exhibits the amount of appropriations and balances available for payment of pensions for 1885-86.

Table No. 4 exhibits the amount paid out on account of pensions by each agent, and the causes of disbursement therefor, as shown by their accounts current. It also shows a disbursement during the year of $39,185.96 for payment of "arrears of pensions" in cases where the original pension was granted prior to June 25, 1879, and the date of commencement of pension was subsequent to discharge or death. The act of June 25, 1879, provided for arrears of this class, and the disbursements have been kept separate from those of regular pensions. Of the funds to pay this class there remains a balance of $454,065.67, which is not, as in the case of other appropriations, covered into the Treasury at the close of the year.

Table No. 5 exhibits the amount of rent paid by each pension agent during the fiscal year ending June 30, 1886.

Table No. 6 shows the number of pensioners on the roll at each agency by the several classes, and compares the items in the aggregate with those of the previous years. It shows also the increase at

each agency for the year.

Table No. 7 shows the number of original pension claims of each class filed year by year since 1861; the number allowed, and the number of pensioners on the roll at the close of each year. In this statement it appears that 591,102 claims have been filed during that period on account of disability, and 348,799 claims have been filed on account of death alleged to be due to causes originating in the service, claims

for this latter class having been filed by widows, minor children, and dependent relatives.

There have been allowed of the invalid claims 332,141; of the widows and dependent relatives' claims, 229,435; a total of 561,576.

Since 1871, 78,834 claims for pension on account of service during the war of 1812 (provided for by acts of 1871 and 1878) have been filed. Of this number 34,697 have been filed by the surviving soldiers and sailors, and 44,137 have been filed by the widows of those who served in that war, making a total number of claims under said acts for such service of 78,834. Only 24 original survivors' claims have been filed under this law during the past fiscal year, and only 304 on account of widows for the same period.

It thus appears that in the aggregate 1,018,735 pension claims have been filed since 1861, and in the same period 621,754 claims have been allowed of all classes. The number of pensioners on the roll at the close of each year is stated. The amount paid for pensions since 1861 is $808,624,811.57.

Table No. 8 shows the number of each class of claims on the files of the office at the commencement of the year; the number filed during the year, and the number admitted; the number rejected during the same period, and the number of each class which were pending and on the rejected files at the close of the year. There is also shown in this table the number of bounty land claims received, allowed, rejected, and remaining on the files.

Table No. 9, which follows, is a comparative statement of pension claims of all classes, settled by allowance and rejection, for the years 1881, 1882, 1883, 1884, 1885, and 1886.

CERTIFICATES.

Table No. 10 exhibits the issue of certificates from this office during the fiscal year beginning July 1, 1885, and closing June 30, 1886, and shows, including the issue of 79,989 widows and dependent relatives increase certificates, a grand total for the year of 161,416 certificates.

SPECIAL EXAMINATION DIVISION.

Table No. 11 shows in brief the operations of the Special Examination Division of the office during the year. It sets forth the number of claims acted upon by said division, the amount of savings accredited to this service, and the expenditure on account thereof, except salaries. It will be noticed that while the average number of examiners has been diminished, the aggregate of work done is handsomely increased. The cost has been also considerably diminished. The amount of expenses, exclusive of salaries, is about $48,000 less than the preceding year.

There were examined and disposed of by the division during the year by submission to the Board of Review, &c., 18,786 cases.

CRIMINAL PROSECUTION.

Two hundred and seventy-eight criminal prosecutions have been cer tified to the Department of Justice. There have been 127 convictions during the year for offenses against the pension laws. Two hundred and eighty-four cases were on the 30th of June awaiting action in the Federal courts. The prosecutions are for offenses against almost all the