Ottumwa semi-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1899-1903, 1902-01-07
PENSIONS FOR EMPLOYEES.

While the national civil service
| commissioners are celebrating a set of
| regulations that have for their pur
pose the dropping of number of en-
ployes in the different departments
who from age or other reasons, are
not cabable of performing the amount
and character of work required by the
public service, number OF congress
men have been pressing plan to place
an age limit on service in the depart
meats and to retire on pensions all
who have reached the ages prescribed
and to provide them with pensions.
All of the departments have not yet
made their reports, but those that have
been submitted may be taken as a fair
sample of the conditions in other de-
| partments
In the treasury department, for in
| stance, the reports show that there are
431 employees who are 70 years of age
or over. There are 2,07O employees in
the department who are more than 60
and less than 20 years of age There
are 1865 employees in the department.
In the agricultural department there
are 1929 employees, of whom 172 are
more than GO years of age, one being
SO. In the state department there are
three employees over 70 years of age
and 10 over GO, Of total of SO en-
ployes. In the department of justice
there are 326 employees, 90 Of whom
are are over 60 years of age, 10 of
them having served more than 20
years in the department. In the labor
commissioners Office there are 101 em-
ployes, II of whom are over 60 years
of age. In the interstate commerce
commissioners Office are 125 en-
ployes, nine Of whom are more than
60. There are 3,465 employees of the
government printing Office. One is SO
years of age, one is 80, thirty-three are
over 10 and PIP are over CO. Five men
have been employed forty years, ten
have served thirty years and thirty-s six
have been employed between thirty
and forty years. There are eighty six
employees Of the interior department
who are more than seventy years OF
age.
The plan of the civil service commits
sion for securing more effective service
in the department is to adopt regula-
ticns which will provide for an exam
nation, with minimum grade.
Another plan that has been proposed
and embodied in bills that have been
introduced provides for pension sys
TEN and compulsory retirement when
a fixed limit is reached. This provides
that 2 per cent Of each civil service
employees pay shall be deducted ant
placed in pension fund. Any EN-
ploye, after ten years of service, who
may become physically or mentally dis
abled may retire and receive pension
!, amounting to rs per cent of the amount
that was being received at the time O
retirement. Every employee who
reaches the age of 60 years. after hav
ing been in the service for thirty years
) may retire and receive the rs per cen
: pension. Every employee who reache,
the age of 70 years and has meen thir
ty-five years in the service will b,
compulsorily retired and receive tn,
pension. 1t is also provided that an,
> employee leaving the service withou
! being qualified to share in the pension
. benefits shall be entitled to repayment
, of such sums as said employe has pai
into the pension fund.
: There are many supporters of thi
p measure in congress, and out of tn
!. agitation for the adoption of the bill
f or out of the regulations that are BIZ
ing considered by the civil servic
a commission, some action is looked 70
= that will tend to settle the probler
: that is causing the department head
, no little Worry.