Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-12-11

Pittsburg or vicinity who are starting
their railroad careers, but in the evening
another large class of journeymen and a
few apprentices, mostly men of expert
ence and frequently past middle age, as
semble to receive instruction in the same
branches Many practical mechanics, fore
men. electricians and others who have
the practical details of their work at their
fingers ends feel the need of more thor
ough and comprehensive knowledge. Thus
in the evening class are one superintendent,
two shop foremen and one electrical fore
man. Mr.. Gardner instructs these men.
also the class meeting Monday and
Wednesday. There are twenty-four jour-
neymen.
There are no hard and fast lines in the
course of instruction. for the school rec
ognizes the fact. often ignored by the
public schools and trade schools that all
boys are not of equal endowment or ca
pacity for imbibing teaching. Therefore
enough to fit the different types of boys.
These courses include four-year ones in
boilermaking, blacksmithing, moldng, pat
tern making and car building and three
year ones in tin and copper shop work,
painting and planing-mill work.
Mechanical drawing is the basis of the
educational work of the school, and. like
all the other courses, it is thoroughly
practical. the drawings being made from
actual parts of locomotives, cars or ma
chinery and from models. The preliminary
geometrical exercises taught in the tech
meal schools are omitted. One of the
features of this drawing course is that
the boys make their own blue prints. By
this course every journeyman who has
attended the school learns to read draw
ings and to make working sketches. The
drawing instructor in all the schools is
the shop craftsman, and he reports d.
rectly to the shop management.
Information received yesterday from
Ottawa states that the Canadian govern
ment proposes to enact legislation at the
present session of. parliament providing
pensions for old age. The purpose of the
new law is to encourage thrift and saving
among working classes of the country.
and to insure the beneficiaries an annual
income after they have reached the age
of sixty or siXty-five years sufficient 10
keep them from actual want.
To illustrate the operation of the pro-
posed bill it may be pointed out that for
an annual contribution of s13, beginning
at the age of twenty years, the bene-
ficiary will become entitled, after he has
reached the age of sixty. to an annuity
of S120 per year thereafter as long as he
lives. If the annuitant prefers to wait
for his annuity until he has reached the
age of sixty-five years he will then be
entitled to 5000 per annum.
The contributors savings will be paid
into local post offices wherever they may
reside. These savings will then be given
compound interest, half-yearly, from the
government at the rate of per cent.
A government annuity will not be made
in favor of any person other than the &C
tual annuitant nor for a larger amount
per annsm than s400. No annuity will be
paid until the beneficiary has attained the
age of sixty years. Where family is de-
sirous of assuring itself of more than
$500 yearly there is nothing to prevent
the wife taking out an account in her own
name as well as the husband. These gov
eminent annuities will be absolutely
nalienable, that is to say, they cannot be
capitalized or sold to any one else. and
the law will provide that the money that
a family derives from them cannot be
seized for any purpose whatsoever.
If the annuitant is either unable or I'M
willing to keep up his payments untl he
has reached the age of sixty, he will be
allowed to withdraw whatever money he
has paid in. and to which the government
will add interest at the rate of j per cent
per annum. Annuities, of course, will
cease with the death of the beneficiary,
lust as it would if his contract had been
made with any annuity company. The
government undertakes the management
of the annuity fund and payment of the
annuties will be guaranteed by the Do
miniOn government.