APPENDIX 5 FINANCIAL STATEMENT EXPLANATORY NOTE Statements showing appropriations, receipts, expenditures, and other financial data for a series of years constitute the most effective single means of exhibiting the growth and development of a service. Due to the fact that Congress has adopted no uniform plan of appropriations for the several services and that the latter employ no uniform plan in respect to the recording and reporting of their receipts and expenditures, it is impossible to present data of this character according to any standard scheme of presentation. In the case of some services the administrative reports contain tables showing financial conditions and operations of the service in considerable detail; in others financial data are almost wholly lacking. Careful study has in all cases been made of such data as are available, and the effort has been made to present the results in such a form as will exhibit the financial operations of the services in the most effective way that circumstances permit. The Bureau of Pensions receives direct annual appropriations from Congress for salaries and expenses of administration and for Army and Navy pension payments none of which are continuous. The Navy pensions are paid from the income of the Navy pension fund in so far as the same is sufficient for that purpose. This, however, is small in proportion to the direct grants by Congress made annually for Navy pensions. An explanation of the Navy pension fund is given on page 22. The civil service retirement and disability fund is a continuing fund made up of monthly deductions of 24 per cent from the basic salaries of persons who came within the provisions of the civil service retirement law. The expenses of administration of this law are met by direct appropriations by Congress to the Bureau of Pensions and Civil Service Commission. This appropriation for the Bureau of Pensions for 1920 is continuing. In the table which follows, a number of items which appear separately in the appropriation acts are grouped together under the head of "Salaries" for the years preceding 1916. Likewise, a number of items appearing separately in the appropriation acts previous to 1918, have been grouped under the general head of "Miscellaneous expenses." Statistics of total appropriations and disbursements covering a long series of years are shown on page 96. BUREAU OF PENSIONS APPROPRIATIONS and ExpenDITURES: FISCAL YEARS 1912 TO 1922, INCLUSIVE • Expenditures are on a cash basis. In 1912, 1919, 1920, amounts are included in "army pensions" which were transferred from appropriation for "navy pensions." e Includes $8,000,000 for investments in 1921 and $9,283,138.54 in 1922. d This is also available for "navy pensions.' See page 24. |