Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-12-16
Representative Tawney's Bill Intro
duced in the House.
TO LAY OFF TEE AGED employees
Optional and Compulsory Provisions
in the Measure.
ITS OBJECT INED

Representative Tawney Of Minnesota to-
day introduced in the House bill ito
increase the efficiency Of the public service
by optional and compulsory retirement of
superannuated and disabled government en-
ployes,' creating a fund by Withholding
each month from the salary of the en-
ployes 3 per cent of such salary, or so much
as the Secretary of the Treasury deems
necessary, of which fund those who are
retired shall receive a certain percentage
of the average salary which they received
during their service.
The bill applies only to employees in the
classified service.
On the money thus withheld the govern
ment will be required to pay interest at 4
per cent per annum to go to the credit of
the fund. After July 1. 1901, employees who
have reached the age of fifty years or more
and have been in the service twenty years.
and for any cause except vicious habits
are disabled, shall be compulsorily retired,
receiving 30 per cent of the average annual
pay they received while in the service.
All employees who have been in the ser
vice for a period of thirty years may be re-
tired upon their own request and paid an
annuity equal to 60 per centum of their
average annual pay while in the service.
Compulsory Retirement.
Those who have reached the age Of sixty
five years and who have been in the service
for thirty years, shall be compulsorily re-
tired and paid an annuity equal to sixty
five per cent of their average annual pay
while in the service.
Persons voluntarily or otherwise leaving
the service, who withdraw from the retire.
ment fund the amount to which they are
entitled, and thereafter re-enter the service
shall not be entitled to the time they served
prior to leaving the service.
If hoy
but still keep up their payments and enter
the service again, they retain all their
privileges.
From the annuities paid to those who are
retired pricr to July, 1913. the sum of per
cent shall be retained in the fund. This
for the reason that such persons will en-
joy the full benefit of the retirement privi-
lege ana fund without having contributed
to the retirement fund in proportion to
their benefits
In Cnse of Death or Dismissal.
Any employee having contributed to this
fund who shall die before retirement, or
who has been dismissed or who may re-
sign, shall be returned the amount with
held. This provision also allows interest
on the salary withheld to those who are de-
prived of employment by reason of any
legislative enactment, or whose dismissal
is due TO reduction of the force. The
payment of these annuties must be made
by the secretary the treasury
Applications for retirement must be made
to the civil service commission. who will
make the retirements and certify them to
the Secretary of the Treasury.
What Mr.. Tawney Says.
Mr.. Tawney has made some careful cal
culations Of the probable effect of this law
taking into consideration the conditions as
they exist in the departments. He said
to a Star reporter today that 1900 will be
about the annual average number on the
retired list. This would necessitate the
payment of about SS.3OO,000 into the funds
each year to meet the demands The total
annual income of the fund would be s., i39,
800 if per cent of the annual average sal
airy of all employees in the classified service
is withheld. In 1901, when the retirement
provision goes into effect. there will be
1000 persons subject to its provisions in
Guiding those who would be entitled to
voluntary retirement.
The vacancies thus occasioned would ne
cessitate about 10000 promotions in the
classified service