Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1900-11-17
CLERKS, INSURANCE,
Successful Operation of Department.
al Aid Association in ver t
ment Offices.

ga few years ago" said the secretary
of a departmental aid association, re-
ports the Washington Star, zone of the
abuses of departmental life was the al
most constant passing around of the
hat for collections to aid the widow and
family of a clerk who had died in serv-
ice.
Every often the deceased had been
for many years in the service of the
government and at his death it would
be found that he left scarcely enough
to bury him, and sometimes not that.
And this would be true of clerks in the.
higher grades. 1t made a clerk appear
mean to refuse to contribute with the
others, though he may have had but
a speaking acquaintance with the de-
ceased. To those on the outside it
would not seem that these contribu-
tons would be made sufficiently often
to amount to a drain, but they were,
and l have known of three clerks dying
within a month in one large division. l
recall the chief clerk of a bureau dying
suddenly, and his widow did not have
enough money to pay for his laying
out. The word was passed around in
the bureau that the chief expected the
clerks to contribute literally, and most
of them handed in from So to SIS, but
there was a strong undercurrent of
kicking.
"In all of the departmentsthe solicit
ing of money for any purpose is strict
ly forbidden now. All have their own
benevolent associations, which are en-
couraged by the chiefs. These asso-
Citations have bylaws, constitutions
and officers. Their object is to furnish
to the clerks who are members al in
surance which will be Immediately
available on death. In fact, the money
is turned over to the heirs on the same
day that the association is notified of
the death of the member, and this
ready money is often all that the
widow or the heirs have in the world.
1.-The Pension Bureau association
publishes a complete pamphlet report
annually; others render a report to the
board Of directors only. The annual
receipts from the assessments of the
Pension Bureau association are about
$500, and $3.50 is paid on death to the
beneficiary. Last year it lost about
25 members, and. $4,000 has been dis
bursed since it's formation in 1891. The
assessment is rs cents, and the men,
bership is 1 ,06O. Clerks do not lose their
membership in these associations if
they retire from their respective de-
partments, voluntarily or involuntar-
lily, as long as they pay their assess
ments. The assessments range from
rs cents to 81.
"In the post Office department the as
sessment is so cents, and the amount
paid varies from 5000 to $275, according
to the number of members.
"The treasury department has two
aid associations, one of which pays
$3.50 on the death of a member and the
assessment is ST..
The interior departments associa-
ton numbers about 900, and it was or
ganized in 1895. About 100 members
have since died, each receiving at death
$500, while over $4,000 has been dis
bursed.
THE beneficial association of the
war department has recently been re-
organized, having been in existence IA
years. 1T has a membership of 430, the
assessment is ST., the amount paid at
death $3.50, and about $500 has already
been disbursed."