The morning times., 1896-05-16

nous in their opposition. He said a
chief objection to the bill was the size of
the proposed annuity. 1t is possible for
Il man upon retirement To receive ST 500
year, whereas the average salary OF a
government clerk rs but ! zoo per anDum.
He had not seen a young or even middle
aged man who favored the bin. although
some of them had served for fifteen years
The objection TO the biz. said Mr. De
| Putren, is that the clerks regard them
selves as free men. VINO think the gov
! ernment has no right 10 interfere with
| the disposition of their salaries after the y
| have been earned
A large number OF the clerks in the
| Pension Office are in good financial cir
| cumstances. Some of them derive more
! revenue from the property they own and
the money they have invested than from
| their salaries as clerks. He could sug-
| gest no amendment by which the bill could
| be more equitable. The bill, he believed,
| would not be effective in removing dead
| timber from the government service.
| a. j. Edison. of the POStoffice Depart
| mcnt, spoke briefly against the bill.
| w. f. Carr of the Sixth Auditors Office,
| Treasury Department, said the hill was
| remarkable for the immense dispropOrtion
| of benefits and contributions. Those in
| the service now would be fortunately
| situated, but those to come hereafter could
| under no circumstances receive equitable
treatment. Long experience III the life
| Insurance business had taught him that
| any scheme OF this character must be
/ based on the usual computations that regu-
| late such investments
Mr.. CARR'S STATEMENT
! Mr.. Carr read statement showing that
| OF the 1913 clerks in the classified SER
vice in 1893 but 29S of them had seen
! thirty years service. At the same tirEe
| there were 1,416 clerks who We're sixty
| years of age; 2sS OF seventy or more;
! loo of sevent y-five or more.
This would Indicate that the average
! age OF entering the service to be thirty
| years. He thought that i'll but very few
instances were clerks rendered inefficient
| By reason of their great age.
| Mr.. Carr said the bill sought to accom-
! plish by indrectiou what could as well
| be done directly. IL is an easy matterto o
determine the efficiency OF an employe.
! He suggested that the bill provide for a
| relief fund only and when d clerk Is de-
| Clared to be inefficient by his superior
| officer, he be turned over to a retiring
board who shall determine his financial
condition, and if deserving, he shall re-
ceive the benefits of the relief fund.
| The beneficiary feature of the pending
| bill Mr.. Carr said, barred a. the OutSetmo
| than half of the clerks in the classified
| service, as it is an established fact that
! eleven-t wentieths of those thirty years
| old live to be sixty. He submitted
| table to show that it wurl1be impTactiCable
| to make the proposed bill operative. ReSig-
| nations Of those reaching fifty-threc years
| OF age are almost unknown. When there
were 1873 classified clerks in 1898
there are now more than $1,000, but the
| average of salaries is much less, probably
not now exceeding 81 COO
DEFICIT WOULD GROW.
| Mr.. Carr computed that in 1900 there
would be 1000 clerks eligible for retire
| ment when the Contribut ions to the
| annuity fund would then exceed S11 ,00U,-
| 600. or equal to $4,000 200 per year.
| The number of beneficiaries stands to
| increase for twenty-five to twenty-five
| years, when the number of dea tbs of bene-
| fiCiarieS shall equal the number OF those
arriving at the age of retirement. He
| believes there would be a steadily growing
deficit until this period OF elimination was
| reached. when the receipts would balance
| the expenditures.
| The average clerk would pay in $50 a
year, or In four years he might retire after
| paying in 81 20 and receive an annuity OF
$3.50 per year. Even in thirty years the
clerk would have paid in but $500. and then
be entitle to $3.50 per year for the re-
mainder of his life.
sThis." said Mr. Carr, ais the chea pest
offer to sell annuities that ever came TO
my knowledge. 1t offers the best returns
for the least investment with which ] am
acquainted.
| f. C. Palmer spoke briefly in opposition
and exhibited a diagram to illustrate the
| sliding scale of salaries received by clerks.
| Another hearing will be given for the
benefit of those who favor the bill.