Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1908-03-12
AGES OF THE CLERKS
Many in the Departments Who
Have Passed Sixty.
THEIR PAY HAS BEEN POOR
Unable to Lay Up Anything Against
Their approximation.
PROPOSED FORCIBLE ANNUITIES
Ever-Present Problem-Little Likeli.
hood of Any Legislation on the
Subject by Congress.
PROPOSED FoRC1BLE ANNU1T1Es
RY WILLIAM f.. CURTIS.


Written for The Star and the Chicago Record
Herald.
The annual revival of the proposition
to pension or provide some means of sup
port for public servants who have outlived
their usefulness is not likely to result
in. any legislation The facts. however,
and the needs remain the same. The
aged clerk is always with us, and must
be provided for in some way. either by
allowing him to draw his salary as long
as he lives or by adopting some. plan
of compulsory insurance. because he will
not insure himself for various reasons.
civil pension list seems to be objection
able to Congress, although that plan
exists in almost every other country and
is being adopted by great corporations,
like the Pennsylvania and the New York
Central railroads. Both of these compa-
MES are quite as liberal to their super
animated employees as the United States
is to the retired officers OF its army and
navy and the old soldiers Of the civil
war. There seems to be very little differ
ence in the principle of pensioning SOL
diers or civilians Great Britain pensions
the latter and does nothing for the former.
except to provide homes for those who are
disabled and destitute The value of
the services performed is not taken into
account. Congress forgets that peace
has its heroes as well as war. Many a
department clerk and other government
official has done as much for the welfare
of his country as % per cent of the people
on the military pension roll.
Five years ago, on July ], 1908, census
of the civil service was TAKEN showing
271. 169 employees on the government pay
rolls. of whom 1907 were exempt from
examination under civil service rules and
nnSitjnnS
ice, salary and character of work left
them outside of the permanent class.
This included 74.19G postmasters. 1885
other employees Of the Post Office Depart
ment, $40 mechanics at the navy yards
and in the various branches of the War
Department, and 1915 scattered through
the various other branches of the gov
eminent.
This left total of 15O.ss3 permanent
employees. who would be entitled to pen
sions or come within any plan of insur-
ance that might be adopted. OF these 25-
SO are employed in the District of Column
bia and are particularly interested in the
insurance agitation.
On that date-July l, 19O3-and l sup
pose the percentage holds good-there
were 1,46S persons in the employ of the
government who were seventy years old
and over. of whom 500 were employed in
the District of Columbia. There were
101 clerks eighty years old and over, of
whom 43 were employed in the District
of Columbia.
There were 32S persons who had been
in the employ of the government for for
ty years and over. of whom 153 were in
the District Of Columbia
Government Employees.
Tie details were set forth in an ana
lytical table. showing the ages, the pc
RODS of service and the salaries of 49,
:ss' employees who would come within the
pension or retirement plan. 1t was shown
that their average salary was S1O72 a
year: and that only $50 of these en-
ployes received salaries of $500 and
over. Everybody will admit. that it is
practically impossible for any man to
bring up and educate a family on that
income and have much left to provide for
his old age.
The table is as follows: