The cases to which the inquiries pertain are drawn from the files, and when the congressional inquiries are answered, they are referred to the proper divisions for such further action as may be indicated by the papers on file.

Office of the Chief Clerk. The Chief Clerk's Office has control of the personnel of the bureau and its discipline; handles and has the custody of all papers relating to appointments, promotions, demotions, transfers, reinstatements, and dismissals; and is responsible for the preparation of the payrolls, the central accounting system, the custody, copying, and distribution of the decisions and orders of the Secretary of the Interior and the Commissioner, and the preparation of estimates of appropriations. The Chief Clerk receives from the chiefs of divisions, monthly reports of the condition of the work in their respective divisions, and makes a consolidated report to the Commissioner at the end of each month showing the condition of the business and the status of the clerical force. He performs, in addition, such other duties as are assigned to him by the Commissioner or as are required by law.

The personnel of the Office of the Chief Clerk and its subordinate sections consists of the Chief Clerk, the Assistant Chief Clerk, and sixty-five other employees.

The Chief Clerk's Office has the immediate supervision over the work of the following sub-divisions:

Mail Section, including Sub-sections A, B, and C, Supplies Section, Abandoned and Admitted Files Section, Library, Revolutionary War Section, and details to the Capitol and to the Secretary's office.

The Mail Section handles all incoming and outgoing mail. Subdivision A reviews and routes letters; Sub-division B assorts mail and acknowledges receipt of applications; and Sub-divison C reviews and routes evidence.

The Supplies Section has charge of all equipment and supplies, looks after the printing, binding, and engraving of all blanks, record books, and pension certificates, and issues stationery and supplies to the office and field force.

The abandoned files contain all original claims which have been rejected or in which no evidence has been filed for the period of one year thereafter. These files are being constantly called for

by the several divisons for consideration. Some are revived by the filing of new applications or additional evidence, in which case they are transferred and treated as pending files, and if certificates are subsequently issued they are placed in the admitted files.

The admitted files contain all cases in which pension certificates have been issued, including bounty-land cases, except claims withdrawn because of pending applications for increase, re-rating, re-issue, or restoration. All these cases are filed in numerical order in two series, one for the invalid or survivor and the other for the widow, minor, and dependent cases.

The Librarian prepares a regimental history to accompany all soldiers' claims referred for special field examination to determine whether the applicant and soldier in each case are identical; to establish as far as possible the dates of the various incidents referred to by the claimant; the movement and location of troops at various times; whether certain regiments participated in certain engagements; and to answer, as far as can be determined by research, all inquiries in regard to the various wars.

The Revolutionary War Section has charge of the records of the Revolutionary War and correspondence relating thereto.

Law Division. The Law Division has charge of the consideration of question of law, including marriage, divorce, and guardianship; matters involving criminal features and recovery by civil action; matters arising in the adjudicating of claims under the acts of August 8, 1882, February 20, 1905, and February 2, 1909; questions relating to attorneys, their fees and their discipline; the keeping of a roster of attorneys and advising the bureau of changes therein; determining the validity and sufficiency of all declarations and the law under which they are to be adjudicated; the keeping of a record of the official character and signature of officers authorized to administer oaths for general purposes; furnishing abstracts of evidence and information on proper call made by any other branch of the government; answering miscellaneous correspondence not properly referable to other divisions; transmitting cases to Congress through the department when required, or direct to the several committees of Congress when called for; reporting on prospective or proposed legislation affecting pensions; and supervising the return of copies and the originals of papers filed as proof

in claims. The Law Clerk, who is in charge of this division, is the legal advisor of the Commissioner of Pensions.

The division is presided over by the Law Clerk, who is assisted by a force of forty-four employees.

It has the following sub-divisions or sections, in addition to the office proper of the Law Clerk: Criminal Section, Attorneys and Fee Section, Declarations Section, Act of March 3, 1899 Section, Miscellaneous Section, and Files Section.

The Criminal Section supervises criminal matters, including the procurement of evidence and the prosecution of offenders; has charge of the disbarment and suspension of attorneys and agents; looks after the recovery of money by civil suit; and conducts miscellaneous correspondence not within the province of other divisions; attends to the return of valuable papers; furnishes copies of papers on request when permissible and proper; renders opinions. on miscellaneous topics; and distributes the mail of the division. The Declarations Section has charge of the amendment, classification, and approval of declarations.

The Attorneys and Fee Section has charge of the recognition of attorneys and the consideration of questions relating to attorneys' fees. In this section is kept a record of attorneys admitted to practice before the bureau, from which verifications are made of the attorneys cited in declarations and fee agreements.

The Act of March 3, 1899, Section adjudicates claims for division of pensions provided for in that act.

The Miscellaneous Section takes care of matters which do not relate to any particular claim on file, such as questions of marriage and divorce, guardianship, legal opinions and miscellaneous inquiries.

The Files Section has charge of the filing of all papers pertaining to the division and the charging in and out of pension cases drawn from the regular files of the bureau for consideration in connection with questions before the Law Division.

Record Division. The Record Division is charged with the duty of recording, jacketing, and numbering claims for pensions and keeping such records; recording in each case that is adjudicated, the name, length of service, and age of the claimant, the monthly rate of payment granted to or received by him, and the county and state of his residence, and furnishing copies of such records in accor

dance with Section 5 of the act of May 11, 1912, as amended by the act of March 4, 1913; filing reports of the removal of charges of desertion forwarded to the bureau by the War Department; collecting the names and post office addresses of survivors of the Army and Navy, and furnishing the same to the other divisions when required; and filing, card indexing, and keeping in custody of the documents relating to and claims arising out of the War of 1812. The personnel consists of a Chief of Division and eighty-one other employees.

The Record Division has five sub-divisions or sections in addition to the office proper of the Chief of Division; each identified by a letter.

Section A jackets, numbers, and acknowledges the receipt of pension claims.

Section B makes card-index records of pension claims based on Army service from March 4, 1861 to October 6, 1917; records claims and certificates; and searches and corrects records of claims.

Section C furnishes post office addresses of pensioners, corrects and files post office address cards of soldiers, copies, and does miscellaneous work.

Section D makes card-index and book records of old War and Navy pension claims and bounty-land warrants; searches, records, and jackets claims; and performs miscellaneous work.

Section E jackets, cards, and acknowledges receipt of pension claims and does miscellaneous work.

Invalid Division. All pension claims of service men for disability as well as for war service recognized as pensionable under any of the pension acts are adjudicated in the Invalid Division. The personnel consists of the Chief of the Division and 204 other employees.

The work of the division is distributed among nine sections, in addition to the office of the Chief of the Division, each section being assigned a certain designated group of cases for adjudication.

Section A adjudicates claims under the general law, Indian War acts, and miscellaneous laws. Sections B, C, E, F, and H adjudicate claims under the act of June 5, 1920; and Section G, claims under the act of May 1, 1920. Section B also adjudicates special pension acts.

Section D does the stenographic and typewriting work of the division.

The Files Section has charge of all pending invalid claims files. Widow Division. The adjudicating of claims of widows, children, and other dependents under all the pension acts; and of accrued and reimbursement claims under the act of March 2, 1895, is done in the Widow Division.

The personnel of this division consists of the Chief of the Division and 134 other employees.

It has the following sub-divisions: Section A, Correspondence Section; Adjudicating Sections B, C, D, E, and F; and Files Section.

Adjudicating Sections B, C, D, and F adjudicate all claims of widows, children, and other dependents except claims for accrued pensions and reimbursements and claims for divisions of pensions. The division of work between these sections is arbitrary. Section E adjudicates claims for accrued and reimbursement claims under the act of March 2, 1895.

Board of Review. The Board of Review is charged with the reviewing of all claims for pensions coming from the adjudicating divisons. It determines all questions of reopening in cases which have been rejected on legal grounds; and handles all matters relating to reduction, recovery by recoupment, dropping, and appeals from the action of the bureau to the Secretary of the Interior and appeals in connection with claims for division of pensions under the act of March 3, 1899. It is the clearing house of the bureau in the disposition of all classes of claims for pensions, the settlement of which, on the law and evidence, involves most careful study and the exercise of discretion and judgment.

The reviewing and rating force is composed of Principal Examiners and clerks, who from long service and varied experience, are expert in the settlement of claims involving the proper construction and application of pension statutes, departmental decisions, and bureau rulings and practice.

The personnel consists of a Chief and fifty-seven other employees.

The Board of Review has four sub-divisions or sections, in addition to the office of the Chief of the Division: Files Section, Review Section, Re-review Section, and Miscellaneous Section.