The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1902-01-09


company have been re-
ceived They are more liberal than
appeared in the earlier dispatches.
They constitute Il notable forward step
in the development of more harmon
ious relations between employers and
employees.
All who have been in the employ of
the company for ten years continuous
ly are eligible to it's benefits. All en-
ployes who have attained the age of
G5 years are to be retired, though an
employe s. years. of age can obtain
permission through recommendation of
the manager to continue for longer
service. BY continuous service is
meant service not interrupted at any
one time for more than six months.
Those who are discharged from the
service of the company for cause or
who voluntarily leave its employ and
subsequently return, after an interval
exceeding six months, have no part in
the pension system.
The pension allowances are upon the
following basis: For each year of SER
vice an allowance of one per cent. of
the average monthly pay received for
the ten years preceding retirement is
made. To illustrate: If an employe
has been in the service of the COM
pany for forty years and has received
on an average for the last ten years
$50 Il month regular wages, his pension
allowance would be forty per cent Of
$50, or $40 a month. Once allowed,
the pension is for life except when for
feited for gross misbehavior In one
point this pension system is more lib
eral than many hitherto devised. 1t
allows the pensioner to engage in any
other enterprise differing distinctly
in character and scope from his for
mer employment without penalty of
forfeiture Pensions are non-assign-
able and are payable to the beneficiary
or to his duly qualified agent only.
A correlative feature is that no in
experienced person over thirty-hve
years and no experienced person over
forty-tive years of age is hereafter to
be taken into the service of the COM
pany. Persons beyond such age limit
may be taken into the company's SER
vice temporarily, but shall have no
claim to pension. With the approval
of the board which is to administer
the pension plan persons may be en-
ployed indefinitely, irrespective of age
limit, if the services required are pro-
fessonal or otherwise special in their
nc III is- nt
make clear that the entire project is
q voluntary concession on it's part and
not a contract binding it to keep OBJ
jectionable men in its employ. or es-
tablishing legal claims which would
interfere with the efficient conduct of
its business.
Altogether more than 10000 men will
benefit by this move; men many of
whom are working along from day to
day without making provision for the
inevitable rainy day" 1t might be
argued that it is not the place of the
employer to exercise in the behalf of
the emplOye that foresight which he is
unwilling to exercise for himself. But
this is an unkind argument. 1t may
we'll be counted a judcious part of the
employers concern to provide Il fund
offsettlng the wear and tear of his la
Dor, similar to the charge made for de-
probation of plant. Nothing. in our
judgment, is more certain than that
in the next decade great advances will
be made in the direction of humaniz-
ing the industry of our country.