expenses incurred by them were not estimated upon, and to afford them relief he recommends that the law be so amended as to allow them eighteen instead of fifteen dollars for each one hundred vouchers prepared and paid.
Appended to the report are interesting tables under the following heads: Number of pension claims received, disposed of, and remaining on hand; number of pensions allowed and increased during the year, with their annual value, together with the yearly value of all pensions on the roll, and the amount paid for pensions during the year; number of pensioners dropped from the rolls during the year, and the cause; appropriations for the payment of pensions for the year, and the amount of disbursements; pension agents' name, location, geographical limits, and amount of funds on hand June 30, 1879; operation of Special Service Division for the year; comparative statement by agencies of the number of pensioners on the rolls at the beginning and close of the year; arrears payments made at each agency, and number of invalids, widows, children, dependent fathers and mothers, respectively; monthly receipt and disposal of claims for twenty-eight months succeeding June 30, 1877; pension claims filed and allowed since 1862; number of pensioners on the roll at the termination of each fiscal year since 1861. These statements give a correct exhibit of the work of the Pension Office, past and present, and afford valuable information to those who are interested in the subject.
PATENTS.
The report of the Commissioner of Patents shows a slight decrease of the work of the office for the year ended June 30, 1879. The number of applications for patents was 19,300, being 357 less than the previous year. The number for design patents was 697; for reissue, 639; for registration of trade-marks, 1,465; for registration of labels, 631; caveats filed, 2,674.
The number of patents granted, including reissues and designs, was 12,471, being 1,629 less than the previous year. The number of trademarks was 1,144; labels registered, 403; patents withheld for non-payment of final fee, 828.
The total receipts of the office were $703,146.79, being $31,741.19 less than those of the previous year.
The expenditures for the year were $548,651.47. This includes $5,000 appropriated for the repair of models damaged by the fire, and is not properly chargeable to the current expenses of the office.
The expenditures for the previous year were $665,906.02; $50,000 of this being for the repair of models. Excluding the amount appropriated for the repair of damaged models in both years, the current expenditures of the office were $72,254.55 less than those of the previous year. In referring to this reduction the Commissioner says:
This decrease in the expenditures has been enforced by the reduction of the appropriations, which has been carried so far as seriously to cripple the office and injure the public interests.
