Page:U.S. Department of the Interior Annual Report 1873.djvu/69

Rh 1,730 to 1,770; the survivors of the war of 1812 from 17,100 to 1826; the widows of soldiers of the war of 1812 from 3,027 to 5,053, while the roll of Army widows and dependent relatives has decreased from 113,518 to 112,088, and the Navy invalids from 1,449 to 1,430. An annual diminution of the widows and dependent-relatives' roll may hereafter he expected by reason of the termination of minors' pensions (of which there were on the 30th of June last 34,850) on account of the children reaching the age of sixteen years.

A very careful and interesting analysis of this roll has been made since the close of the fiscal year, from which it is found that of the 112,088 pensioners upon it, 21 862 were widows without minor children; 29,696 were widows with children to the number of 54,451 under sixteen years of age; 34,850 were minors' pensions, with 57,807 children receiving the benefits therefrom; 21,852 were dependent mothers; 2,025 were dependent fathers, and 56 were pensions to brothers and sisters of deceased soldiers.

A tabular statement will be found in the appendix giving the results of this examination.

During the fiscal year the gains and losses to the rolls in numbers and in annual amount of pension were us follows: