Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-01-22

| tigated the subject for Congress gives a
list of seventy large corporations which
pension their employees.
The First National Bank of Chicago
was one of the first to adopt this plan.
The United States Steel Company. which
employs more men than any other or
ganization in the world, has also a system
of profit sharing. by which any man on
the pay roll may participate in its pros
pertty and become a StOckholder.
James J. Hill of the Great Northern
railroad has introduced similar ways and
means by which his men are going into
partnership with him, and are able to
purchase stock in that corporation upon
the installment plan. The ardor with
which they have responded to his offers
indicates their appreciation of the privi-
lege.
Mr.. Hill is also trying to distribute the
stock of the Great Northern railroad SO
far as possible among its patrons and
other people who live along the line.
When the farmers are receiving pay for
! their grain he deposits blocks of stock 1t
at the quotations on the stock exchange
in New York for that day.
He provides this stock personally, TAX
ing upon himself the risk of the trade.
1t is easy for any farmer who wishes to
buy few shares to secure it on credit by
depositing a margin with the banker.
Those who are in the habit Of consider
ing corporations as ''soulless would be
astonished if they knew how many are
generously providing for the welfare of
courRging them to habits Of economy and
thrift. Although the relations between
capital and labor appear to be growing
more hostile, the practice of providing
pensions and retirement funds is becom-
ing almost universal
Employees of Cove ment.
The committee which made the investi-
cation for Congress discovered that 1885,
9O2 persons were employed permanently
in the civil service of the United States,
of whom %, 1O3, practically one-tenth, are
in the city of Washington.
It was considered impracticable to in
clude all these employees in a retirement
or pension system. Therefore 81. 663 post
masters. 1875 MECHANICS and .laborers,
1850 clerks Sin post offices, 1854 en-
ployes on the isthmian canal and several
thousand occasional and temporary EN-
ployes were omitted from consideration.
The committee also reported there were
in the civil service 4,346 persons between
sixty-five and seventy years of age, 1857
between seventy and seventy-five years
of age. 465 between seventy-fve and
eighty years of age and 1871 eighty years
old and upward.
Thus total of 6.523 persons were i'm
mediately eligible to retirement from the
public service. AS the subject was
dropped by Congress, and no one seems to
be disposed to revive it, these facts are
not Of immediate Importance.
The committee did not take the school
teachers into consideration. They are
entirely outside. but the reasons for pro-
viding a pension or retirement system
apply to them even more forcibly than to
the clerks in the departments. because.
Pensions for Teachers
The practice of pensioning public school
| teachers is growing rapidly in the United
States since Mr.. Carnegie pensioned col
lege professors. 1t is already common
in Europe. and may be found In France.
Germany. Austria, Hungary, Holland.
Norway. Sweden. Russia, Denmark. Bel
GUM. Italy, Spain, Portugal and Greece.
In England teachers who have reached
their sixty-five years. or have been thirty
years i'm the service. receive pensions of
a maximum of $500 for men and 1854 for
women. In France. after twenty-five
years Of service. or having reached the
age of siXSs', they receive one-half the
average salary of the last six years, and
similar provision is made in other coun-
tries.
Several states have provided pensions
or established retirement funds During
the winters OF lW6-,S there was good
deal Of activity in this direction. Half
dozen legislatures passed laws for the
benefit of superanauated teachers.
In Illinois it was provided that the in
terest upon school money should be re-
served as a pension fund. and that l per
cent of the taxes collected for school plIr-
poses should be set aside annually for
that purpose in cities of 100 OGO popula-
ton; but nothing was done for the coun-
try school teacher.
The legislature of Indiana went further
and provided for a special tax levy of
cent upon each 500 of taxable property
in cities of 10000 inhabitants or more
for a permanent fund. which is to be in
creased by adding l per cent per annum
of the salaries of teachers who have not
yet taught fifteen years, and per cent of
The salaries of those who have taught
fifteen years or longer. From this fund