Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1902-02-13

Some people will yet indulge i'll the
ungrateful conduct of looking a gift
| horse in the mouth. For instance
! certain employees of the Northwestern
railway object to the plan of the COM
pany to pension them for the reason
that the pension is too small. Twenty
employees Of the company will soon be
retired in conformity with the recent
change fixing the service requirement
at twenty years instead Of thirty.
Three of these pensioners are en-
pIoyed by the company in Chicago,
the others are located at various
points along the lines, several being
in Minnesota and in the Dakotas.
The highest monthly allowance to
tired is $27. The average pension will
be SO or $11, which is as much as
many soldiers get who served through
| the civil war and carry wounds even
to this day. The names of those who
will be retired are withheld by Of
fcers of the road because the persons
who are to be thus comfortably
shelved desire as little publicity as
| possible. This for the reason that
| they do not care to be held up as
! back numbers or as persons who are
| incapacitated. Many Of them claim
to be capable of doing as much work
as ever and they will seek employ
ments in other lines, as the rules of
! pension system allow.
| There is considerable talk among
| the employees over tn amounts al
| lowed as pensions, many being Of the
! opinion that the rate should be higher.
! Those who are retired and who need
a pension are usually employees who
| have been on low or medium salaries
! and who are in no position to exist
without working. By the rules the
pensions are computed on the wages
| or salaries paid the beneficiaries dur
| ing their last ten years of service
Those who will receive no more than
| $40 or 81 a month claim this is not
enough to live on On this line the
men claim that the pension plan is
nothing more than a scheme to get rid
! Of the old men.
Officers of the roads which have
! adopted the pension plans say that
/ the men do not look at the question
! in the right light On this point an
| officer OF the road said: Some of the
| disgruntled men allege the pension tC
! be but a means OF getting rid of the
| old men. Well, presume that it is
! If We must get rid Of them would il
not be more humane to give them
some cash monthly allowance so long
! as they live than to cast them adrift
/ without anything? 1t is certainly bet
! ter than nothing. In other lines OF
business when men become ircapaci
| tated through age or otherwise they
are discharged without pensions. In
many cases their place is the poor
| house"
Many peculiar conditions accom-
| pany the pension plan. One of the
| employees Of the passenger department
/ Cf the Northwestern road in Chicago
! George Howard Cornell, has been with
! the road twenty-three years, yet by
/ reason Of his age he must continue
IN service thirty-seven years Longer
! before he will have reached the retir
| ing age. Mr.. Cornell started with
| the company as a messenger boy
when he was 10 years old, twenty
three years ago. He may not be re
tired until he has reached the age OF
40. Another employee Ct the same
| department in Chicago. Franklin
Pierce, is 81 years old. but has beer
connected with the company no longer
than Mr.. Cornell.