Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-05-02
CLERKS ANNUITY BILL
What Mr. Tawney, the Author of the
Measure, Says of It.
1t is Not Intended to Benefit the
Clerk, but to Improve the
Public Service.

The Tawney annuity bill, the details Of
which were published in The Star yesterday,
will come up for consideration in the full
committee at an early date. and it is thought
1t will be reported to the House practically
as submitted by the subcommittee.
Talking about the bill this morning, Mr..
Tawney said to a Star reporter: Judging
from the criticisms of a few Of the clerks,
as published in The Star, should say that
the different provisions of the bill, as we'll
as its primary objects, are not fully under
stood by some of the clerks. 1t is not in
tended primarily to benefit the clerk, but
to improve the public service, and to prevent
in the future the pensioning of government
which has adopted civil service has found
1t necessary to pension government EN-
ployes after certain time of service.
In no other way is it possible for the
oNernment to secure the removal OF Su-
perGnnuated clerks. We have had civil
service in this country less than thirteen
years. and judging from Senate report
a, Fifty-third Congress. and from in
formation l have received from the civil
service commission the fact is very evil
dent that We are today maintaining a
quasi civil service pension list by retain
ing in the government service employees
who, by reason of age physical disa-
b;lities, are incapable of rendering eff
ctcnt service in the departments in which
they are employed.
Incapncitated by Age.
This is very evident from the fact that
in the Treasury Department alone there
are today more than 80 clerks who are
over sixty-four years Of age. 1t is true
that the heads of departments have au-
thority to dismiss all employees who are
not up to the average degree of efficiency
but in nearly every case either the physical
nclal condition a ted
clerks is such as to appeal so strongly to
the sympathies of the heads of the depart
merits that they are retained in the de-
partments. 1t is the judgment of a ma
iority of the civil service commission and
the friends of civil service generally
throughout the country that bill of this
Kind will necessarily tend to improve the
pubic service by removing clerks, who
because of age or physical disabilities,
are below the average degree of efficiency.
Opportunity for promotion in the serv-
ice will be more frequent and the en-
ployes will be more likely to remain in
the service knowing that when they are
incapaCitated for the performance of their
duties they will not be left to depend upon
their own resources, but will be provided
for from a fund which they thems elves
have created.
This proposed plan of retirement in
wolves no charge upon the public treasury
whatever. unless it can be said that the
payment OF the interest on the salaries re-
tained is such charge. 1t should be borne
in mind that while this money is retained
ny the government it may be used as other
moneys, ard as the president of the civil
service commission suggested, there can be
no good reason why the government
should not pay interest on the retained
salaries of employees the same as it pays
interest to bondholderS.
Those who have read the bill as origi-
nally. prepared will notice that there has
been complete change in section 81
Subject to Withdrawals.
why did the subcommittee propose a
new section for section 50" Mr.. Tawney
was asked.
After considering the bill carefully he
said, the subcommittee concluded that to
allow all employees to withdraw the amount
contributed to the civil service retirement
fund when leaving the service for any
cause before retirement would SO decrease
the fund as to make larger assessment
necessary. lnasmuch as employees VINO re-
main in service more than five years will
have the benefit of more frequent promo
ton and increase of salary by the removal
of superannuated clerks it was thought
that this advantage would more than off
set the disadvantage, if any, occasioned
by Withholding the amount of the salary
authorized by the bill. Many other ad-
vantages, both for the government and
employees, could be urged for the bill"