The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1906-04-09
What Other Countries Pay
Those Who Grow Too Old
In Their Service to Work
UNITED STATES FAR BEHIND
SOME GOVERNMENTS PAY THE
ENTIRE AMOUNTS. OTHERS
CREATE AND ADMINISTER RE-
TIREMBNT FUNDS

tirement and pension question this year,
but sooner or later it has got to face the
problem. or give up the civil service idea.
Shortening the tenure of office will be
utterly destructive of any benefits deriv-
ed rom the civil service plan. 1t is no
argument that in private business the
wages paid, without guaranteed tenure,
are as small as those paid by the govern
ment. The Fact is, that the civil service
is designed to secure the very best class
of service possible. that it offers none
of the hope of promotion which attaches
to similar work in private business. and
that the guaranteed long tenure, which
amounts to tenure during good behavior
and competency and is generally under
stood to be life tenure, whatever may
have been the original theory. is the
prime attraction which secures and re-
tains in the government service the high
class Of services it asks and receives.
The United States is the only civilized
country of Importance which has not
taken this view of its public service en-
ployees, and provided retirement funds
enabling the incompetents and incapables
to be weeded out without hardship.
Frances retirement system has been in
operation more than fifty years. In
many countries the employees of the con-
sular and diplomatic service are included
in the pension list.
Besides France, the countries which
provide for their aged employees by pen
sion or retirement fund. are Germany,
Great Britain. Austria. Italy, Russia,
Canada, Belgium and Portugal. All these
except Austria and Canada. provide PEN
sion for both service and disability. Ger
many, Austria, France and Italy also
give pensions to the widows and orphans
of government employees.
The French pension or retirement sys-
tenn is perhaps the most elaborate and
successful. A retirement fund is pro-
v.ded by an assessment of FIVE per cent.
upon salaries, the deficit being met by
government appropriation. This deficit
amounts to less than 100000 year
low tol-
tage of it. These who do may retire. in
different branches of the service. at fifty
FIVE or sixty years, if they have az that
age server the minimum number of
years, which is from twenty-five to thir-
ty. The amount of pension depends up
on the class of service, ranging from one
sixtieth to ore-half of the average salary
received during service. One-fiftieth of
the salary is added to the pension for
each year served after twenty-five years.
Widows of employees married more than
five years before death receive a mini
mum pension of three-fourths the aver
agssalaries of their husbands, and or
phans are pensioned at the rate of one
third their parents average pay.
Germany assesses its employees three
per cent. of their pay, grants pensions
at sixty ater at least ten years of
service. and bases tire amounts paid at
ffteensixtieths of the last active salary,
with one-sixtieth additional for each
years service. Widows are paid one
months full salary and one-third salary
as pension. Austria makes the pension
able age seventy years, with service
requirement of forty years. assesses pay
three per cent, and grade pensions at
from forty per cent. of ull pay or ten
years service to full pay for forty years
of service
Great Britain requires ten years of
service as a minimum and makes the pen
sionable age from sixty to sixty1five. The
amount of pension is based on a scale
of one-sixtieth of full pay for each year
of service. with two-thirds minimum.
The government pays the entire pension
without assessments.
The rate of pension in Italy is fixed by
the courts. Pensioss are allowed for dis
ability, afte TWENTY-FIVE years if service,
and service pensions are allowed at sixty
five, with a fortysyear service require
ment attached.
In Russia the government pays the
pensions without assessment. Employ
ees are pensioned at one-sixth pay after
twelve years of service and one-third pay
after thirtyhve years. If able to work
after thirty-five years of service the en-
8ployees get both salary and pension.
Canada has the simplest of all clvil
service pension systems. 1t is retire
ment fund. created by the employees
themselves, which the government ad-