Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-02-25

well afford to advance the money In the
form of a loan TO the association TO tide
over this period and let it be repaid grad
ually out of the fund.
The senator said further that the per-
ceniage of salary retained 10 meet the
demands of the fund would be greater at
the start to provide even a meager re-
firing pay than 1t would be later. After
the first strain is over. he thought, IL might
be wise not to reduce the assessment. buc
to let 1t stand and increase the retire
ment pay, so that the young fellow who
had contributed heavily at the start to
help out the old man who was soon to be
retired, might have the sacrifice in a meas
ure made up to him when II comes his tur1
10 go on the retired list
But whatever plan was finally adopted. lie
said, If 1t were put in plain language, IN
tellieible to the average mentality OF the
House and Senate. he felt there would be
no question about its being sanctioned.
Ex-Auditor Castle introduced.
Ex-Aud.tor Castle, upon being introduced,
had little fun with some of Secretary
Shaw's recent statements before the meet
ing of the association. He said that Mr..
Shaw told the clerks in one breath that
they could accumulate a competency by
putting away a hundred dollars a year at
compound interest for forty years, and told
them in the next breath that they could
not stay in the service for more than six
years. The speaker regarded this as hidden
humor. Secretary Shaw he said. was much
given to that brand of geniality. He said
the scheme of limiting the government sery-
Ice to a term of six years is admirable. 1t
Is an indication that an inexperienced man
il more effective than experienced one.
But he would not press this point.
Speaking seriously. he said the report OF
the actuary who had been employed by the
association had ast0nisbed him 10y the lib
crafty of his calculation. Briefly, the re-
port was that a , per cent assessment on
the salaries of the clerks in the classified
service, of whom there were only about
one in ten in Washington. would enable
the association to retire its members at
from slXty-five TO seventy years of age
at two-thirds of the average salary they
had been receiving for the past ten years
The liberal feature OF the scheme that
surprised him was the statement that
when man Quilted the service from no
fault of his own the fun amount he had
paid In could be returned to him and in
case of his death it could be paid TO his
family.
Not an Objectionable Plan.
Mr.. Castle said that the plan appeared
to him unobjectionable from every point
of view. and he agreed with Senator Car
ter that when the majority consent of the
clerks was obtained to present the matter
to Congress. the bill could be put through
without difficulty, He would go even
farther and say that he thought the gov
eminent could well afford 10 appropriate
the money outright to start the scheme and
thus CJvi4te the necessity now contemplate
ed CT waiting three years before the fund
IS large enough to go ahead with on its
own responsibility.
The regular monthly meeting of the ex-
ecutive and auditing committees OF the
treasury branch of the United States Civil
Service Retirement Association was held
at the rooms OF the association. No. 1424
New York avenue Friday evening ct 8
o'clock. and definite arrangements made for
the annual election of officers and mem
bers of committees for the ensuing year.
The meeting viii be held at Carroll Insti-
tute Hall Wednesday evening March 4.
at which time the two bills prepared by
the legislative committee will be read.