The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1901-01-28


with men and women in the
Il classified civil service of the
United States who have
survived the age of efficiency forms the
subject of an interesting report just
submitted by n committee of the Civil
Service Reform league.
This question is not so pressing now
as 1t will be a generation hence. The
average age of entrance into the civil
service is only 2S. The law establish
ing a classified and regulated civil SER
vice is only seventeen years old. An
inquiry made some years ago showed
that less than . per cent. OF the II .65,
persons employed at that time under
civil service rules in the eight depart
ments at Washington were 20 or more
years old. The percentage today is a
tritle higher than IL was then, but it Is
not alarming. In the state service of
Massachusetts, are 500 positions which
for sixteen years have been under
strict civil service rules, yet the per-
centage of employees over 20 is Is of
per cent. 1t Is therefore apparent that
some years must elapse before the
necessity for a scheme of superannua-
tion will press heavily. Nevertheless
it is receiving thoughtful attention and
among the measures proposed to weed
out the old employees are: a civil ser
vice pension list a retirement fund
to be made up by deductions from sala-
ries: a provision requiring endowment
or deferred annuity insurance for all
seeking admission to the civil service;
provision for the forced retirement of
certain percentage of employees each
year; recurring examinations for pro-
motion, reductions and dsmissals;
daily record of efficiency for the same
purpose fixed terms of office: forced
retirement at "A certain age; and vari-
Gus combinations of these features.
Upon the humane basis that provi-
sion for old age support would better
become Uncle Sam as an employer
than the unconditional kicking out of
WORKOUT employees upon the cold char,
ity of the world the committee unani-
mously recommends as the best remedy
for superannuation a system requiring
life insurance on the deferred annuity
plan by all employees during probation,
as prerequisite to final appointment.
the policies to be non-assignable and
in government control, and to be se-
cured by deposits from the insuring
companies in government CONTROL those
employees still capable and useful at the
fixed age TO be allowed to stay in the
service at regular salary. on condition
that their annuities go to a surplus
fund with which to pay annuities to
those under that fixed age who have
! become incapable from age and through
no fault of their own; and system
of daily records OF efficiency. combined,
perhaps, with recurring inspection by
a government physician, and in some
cases, with examinations, to deter
mine who can stay in over the fixed
age and who below it are to share in
| the surplus annuities. The exact age
| at which the annuities would normally
! be payable, varying perhaps for diff
| ferent kinds of service; the amount Of
annuity to be paid for in the various
which the surplus annuities would be
paid to those superannuated below the
normal age, and all other details nee
essary to carry out the plan should, it
thinks, be fixed by regulations To be
drawn by some special commission
composed perhaps of the civil service
commission and some experienced off.
cials of the departments appointed by
the president.
| The nineteenth century, and especial
ly its latter half having been pre-
eminently the century of the rapid ac-
cumulation of wealth in consequence
OF the diversfication and perfection of
the processes of industry, the twen-
tieth century should and will be pre-
eminently the century in which intelli-
gent benevolence shall provide better
means for distributing this wealth and
particularly for endowing the worker
as we'll as the director of work against
the rainy days of sickness, accidental
disability and old age Toward this
result the government should lead.