The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1904-03-07
EMPLOYEES PEHSIONED
FOR FAITHFUL SERVICE
United States Among the Six Ma
tons Who Make No Provision
for Its Servants.
IT'S GREAT ADVANTAGES

WASHINGTON, March 6.-Strange as
it may appear, in the matter of
civil pensions the United States ranks
with Bolivia. Colombia, Haiti. Venezuela
and Victoria as the only countries In the
world which Go not make some provision
for the pensioning of civil employees after
years of faithful service The republics of
South America and the despotic monarchies
of Asia and Africa reward with a COM
petence those who have served them we'll
but the greatest republic and the richest
country in the whole world offers nothing
to the employees who have spent their lives
in promoting its interests in an official ca
pacity.
In Europe the system of civil pensions
is developed in its most scientific form, and
a person who once secures a position in the
government service knows that ne or she
Will not be thrown out upon the world
when the years of usefulness are over and
age has made the once valuable employee an
annoying encumbrance In the greater
number of those countries a pension is to
be had after ten or fifteen years service
and grows with each year after that at the
rate of one-sixtieth of the annual salary
at retirement, or the average annual SAL
airy OF five or six years previous until the
number OF years causes the pension to
reach maximum of from thirty TO fifty
slXneths, according to the country. After
that the pension cannot be increased and
the retirement is in some cases compulsory.
In England the pension begins at ten
years service, when the employee may re-
tire on ten-sixtieths Of his salary and emol-
uments. Another sixtieth is added for each
year after that up TO forty, which is as high
the pension can GO except in certain
har iG =rog-
clal provision. An employee compelled to
leave the service in less than ten years be-
cause of disability incurred in the discharge
OF his duties receives a gratuity equal to
three months salary for each two years he
mas been employed, and sometimes he is
put on permanent pension not exceeding
one-SiXth OF his salary. Those who lose
positions because of the adjustment of the
office or a change of administrative meth
DDS doing away with the necessity for their
services receive a pension not exceeding
tWo-thlrds OF the salary of the office.
RETIREMENT COMPULSORY.
Retirement is compulsory on reaching the
age of sixty in some of the Offices and six
ty-ive in Others but if the enforced retire
ment at sixty-fve would be to the detri-
ment of the service an extension of five
years may be granted Pensioners are free
to engage in any business. Should they be
In a position paid from the public funds
they cannot draw salary which, in con-
nectlon with the pension, would make them
receive more than the salary on which they
are retired.
This brief outline of the English system
is, with more or less variation. the basis
OF all the other civil pension retirement
schemes among the civilized nations. Some
OF them are more LIBERAL some do not give
as much; but the method OF computing the
pension is the same in all, and the regula-
tions are pretty much alike.
SaXony is about the only country in
&c r0Yo fn1
gaging in business. In the other countries
ne Is entirely free 10 do as he pleases ex-
cept that, as a rule, he cannot draw a sal
airy from the government larger than that
on which he was retired. Russia has a
provision that a pensioner cannot have his
pension sent to him at a point out of the
country for more than five years without
special permit.
Persia has probably the most liberal OF
all the civil pension laws. Nobody is dis
charged for old age or incompetence, and
when he can no longer work he keeps right
along drawing the same old salary and
spending it as he pleases After the death
of the penSioner the salary goes to the fam
lily. AS many officials take it on themselves
dened with large number of salaries paid
to healthy individuals who do no work and
draw good money.
Morocco. the other hand, has the worst
OF the retiring laws. The civil-service re-
port ON Morocco says:
Gentlemen on the retired list are usually
Quartered in the state prisons. and those
who can obtain leave TO retire without a
pension are thankful enough to do so. Wher
once they have amaSSed a fortune they are
free TO engage in whatever business they
fancy"
This is a rather grim civil-service Jest
1t is stated in the report that the officials
are supposed to squeeze enough out of the
public TO make a fortune and retire. The
implication is that If an official does not
have pull enough to hold his Job and ge
the fortune he is not strong enough to keeI
out of Jail or away from the soothing bow.