The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1904-03-06
Many Make Suggestions
of Value to Aid IL
Bringing About
the Reform.
Advocates of a Retention
of a Part of Salaries
Appear to Be In
the Majority.

ploye, his age and length Of service. and
statement as 20 whether the position
occupied by him is subject to appoint
ment by the President, or Is excepted.
competitive. uncIassihed. temporary. or
subject 20 contract Until this inforna-
ton is available. the clerks association
has suspended its efforts to frame a re-
lief measure, and therefore, at present
has no bill before Congress.
1t Is aot surprising that efforts should
be made TO put through some retirement
measure. aside from the conditions OF
the service dependent on the large NUM-
Der of superannuated clerks In the Coz
eminent employ. Bolivia. Colombia.
Haiti. Venezuela, snd Victoria are tns
only countries besides the United States
having u civil service system-which Is
all the civilized countries OK the globe
which do not also have a system OF re-
tiremen with pension for length OF ser
vice or infirmity. II England and her
colonies all civil service employees are en-
titled to retirement after ten years ser
vice. receiving one-sixtieth OF the salary
previously enjoyed. up to two-thirds
of that salary. In communication to
the Civil Service Commission. By the
similar commission OF Germany, in re-
ply to request sent at the instance Of
'ormer Speaker Henderson. the state
ment Is made that the civil service Of
Prussia is indebted for it's worId-re-
nOwned efficiency and purity to
allowing a pension to those employees
that are obliged to retire from iH-health
or old age"
In France the civil employee may be
retired at the age OF sixty, and also
after thirty years of service The fund
| is created by the deduction Of per cent
OF salaries. The amount of the pension
is the sixtieth part OF his average salary
during the last six years Of service. null
tiplied by the total number OF years in
the service. though there are limits for
| each grade. Sixty-ive is the retiring
age in Holland, and the amount of tho
pension is determined as in France
Heads Of departments enjoy a better
rate. Italy and Sweden and Norway
have similar plans. Russia forms her
fund by deducting per cent. Egypt
has voluntary deduction Of 5 per cent.
only those so contributing having ac-
vantage Of the pensi5p laws.
And so on I'D I'D. Even poor old be-
nighted Turkey and Persia have the
pension system, the amount in Persia
| alone Of all countries. being the full
amount Of the active salary. 1t is small
wonder. then. that efforts have beez
made. and are being made, to remove
the United States from the company OF
the Aftieth rate powers which alone. be-
sides her. right or wrong. employ no
system Of retiring civilian employees with
pensions.
The amount OF interest felt in the
| question is evinced by the manner In
which The Times question has been re-
ceive1. and the ease with which inter,
views have been obtained from men who
seldom ralk for publication, and the de-
mands upon whose time are strenuous t.
superIative degree It IS the purpose
to obtain expressions from all whose
1
these expressions win be published from
time TO time,
A can was made at The rooms % the
United States Civil Service Retirement
Association, 1924 New York Avenne.
where President Jacob Starr was found
bUsily engaged IN preparing some stat
istical information to present 90 tAs
/
Civil Service When the question Of
The Times was propounded 70 Mr.. Starr,
ne smiled and remarked that It was
hardly necessary 10 ask his viewB on
1.-THE subject. After devotfng three years
OF my time to the furtherancs OF civil
service retirement, and having been
made the president OF this association,
you know my attitude said Mr.. Starr.
This association is. OF course. com
mitted 20 pension retirement as a prtn-
ciple. It's object is to devise some plan
OF retirement which Is feasible. fair, and
commercially sound. When chosen 20
this office three years ago found. On
the occasion OF my first visit 60 the
House committee. that there was ae-
tUally no available data by which TO
Judge the practicabillty Of any proposed
measure, this notwithstanding that for
half century efforts have been mac
to devise some retirement scheme. Bills
innumerable have been submitted &c
Congress, but they have all died in com
mittee. because the members of the
committees had TO means to judge their
feasibility. Their purport and tenor
were right. but they were merely the
individual judgment OF some man as 20
~ possible solution OF the problem. u
was all guesswoIk.
This association then set about gath
ering the required information. After a
resolution passed at our request by the
Senate calling for statistics had failed
Of producing proper results. we sent out
cards which brought in something. as
you can see.' pointing TO mountains OF
typewriter and tabulated sheets %