The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1899-12-19

the last congress, to pro-
vide a retirement fund from which em-
ployes in the civil service may be PEN
stoned under certain conditions. The
bill provides that, beginning with the
first day of July, 1900, . per cent. of
the salary of every employe in the
classified civil service of the govern
ment shall be withheld and shall be de-
Quoted from his or her monthly pay,
and shall be deposited in the treasury
of the United States to the credit of
the civil service retirement fund; and
the money 50 deposited shall constitute
a fund which shall be known as the
civil service retirement fund, and which
shall be held in trust by the secretary
of the treasury to be expended for the
retirement of employees in the classified
civil service of the government and for
certain expenses in connection there
with. Beginning July /, 1904, employes
in the classified service may be retire
on IS per cent. of their annual pay, as
follows:
First-Every person who has been en-
ployed in the civil service for period of
| twenty years and who shall have become
physically or mentally disabled for the
performance of his or her ordinary Off
cial duty, may be retired upon his or her
application, or may be compulsorily re-
tired, and when retired shall be entitled
to receive from the said fund the retired
payment herCinbelore provided: Pro-
Vided, That the said period of twenty
years shall be computed from the origl-
nal employment of such person in the
| civil service of the government, whether
| as a classified or unclassiiied emplOye,
| and may include service in one or more
| departments of the government; and pc
! riodS of service at different times, with
| an interval during which such person
was not in the service, may be computed
! together so as to constitute total SER
| vice of twenty years: And provided fur
| thcr, That in cases of mental disability
| an application for retii iement may be
made by the next friend or guardian of
| any person who shall be declared non
| CompOs mCntis.
| Sccond-Every person in the classified
| civil service who shall attain the age of
! co years and shall have been employed
| in the civil service for period of thirty
years may be retired upon his or her APP
| plication, and when retired shall be enti-
| tiled to receive from the said fund the re-
! tired payment hcreinbefore provided:
| Provided, That the said period of thirty
years shall be computed in the same
manner as herein provided for computing
the period of twenty years in the preced-
| ing paragraph.
Third-Every person who shall have at
tanned the age of 20 years, and shall have
been employed thirty-lve years, shall be
compulsorily retired.
1t is not certain that the conditions
are yet ripe for the enactment Of such
a law. One drawback consists in the
| temporary character of much of the
| employment Of labor in the civil SER
vice. due to political influences or fav-
oritism. Clerks not reasonably assur-
ed of steady tenure of place would
hardly care to be mulcted in salary
for the benefit of others. A more
stable civil service conducted upon
cleaner business principles is desirable
before this experiment is made perma-
nent At the same time, the introduce
tion of such a proposition at this time
by an intelligent member of congress
having considerable Endorsement on
this issue, is significant of the fact
that the question Of old age pensions
far advanced in some countries. is
destined to figure largely in the future
discussion of economics in the United
States.
The time may come, it certainly
should come, when for every ton oi
coal mined freight moved, or goods
of any form produced, 4 charge viii
be made on the expense account of tn,
production, payable by the consumer
for the purpose Of providing disabil
ity insurance for faithful employees. I
is a debt Of humanity that each indus
try should care for it's own victims
and the debt can be collected whel
public sentiment shall be better edu
Gated.