The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1910-12-06

the expenditures of the government,
and we wish to save money to enable
the government to go into some of the
| beneficial projects which we are de-
barred from taking up now because
| we ought not to increase our expendi-
lures.
At later date shall send to con-
gress special message on this gen.
eral subject.
/ Civil Service Retirement.
1t is impossible to proceed far in
such an investigation without perceiv-
ing the need Of a suitable means of
eliminating from the service the super
animated. This can be done in one of
two ways-either by straight civil pen
sion or by some form of contributory
plan.
II Careful study Of experiments made
by foreign governments shows that
three serious objections to the civil
pension payable out of the public treas
ury may be brought against it by the
taxpayer, the administrative officer
and the civil employee, respectively.
A civil pension Is bound to become
an enormous, continuous and increas-
ing tax on the public exchequer. 1t is
demoralizing to the service, since it
makes difficult the dismissal Of incom-
petent employees after they have part
ly earned their pension, and it is dis
advantageous to the main body of en-
. ployees themselves, since it is always
taken into account in fixing salaries,
and only the few who survive and re-
main in the service until pensionable
| %Io Of
pay.
. For this reason, after a half century
Of experience under most liberal pen
sion system, the civil servants of Eng
, land succeeded about a year ago In
, having the system so modified as to
make it virtually a contrfbutory plan
with provision for refund of their the
oretical contributions.
The experience of England and 9TH
: er countries shows that neither can a
contributory plan be successful, hu-
man nature being what it is, which
, does not make provision for the return
I of contributions, with interest, in case
, Of death or resignation before nension-
r able age. Followed to its logical con-
clusion, this means that the simplest
I and most independent solution of the
, problem for both employee and the
: government is a compulsory savings
, arrangement, the employee to set aside
from his salary sum sufficient, with
, the help Of a liberal rate Of interest
! from the government, to purchase an
! adequate annuity for him on retire
: | ment this accumulation to be fnalien-
, ably his and claimable If he leaves the
s. service before reaching the retirement
age or by his heirs in case Of his
death. This is the principle upon
, which the Gfllett bill, now pending, is
r drawn.
The Gfl1ett bill, however, goes fur
: Their and provides that the government
q shall contribute to the pension fund of
h those employees who are now SO adj
= vanced in age that their personal con-
) tributions Will not be sufficient to ere
n ate their annuities before reaching the
q retirement age. In my Judgment this
2 provision should be amended so that
+ the annufties of those employees shall
r be paid out Of the salaries appropri-
q ated for the positions vacated by re-
J. tfrement and that the difference be-
i tween the annuit1es thus granted and
+ the salaries may be used for the en-
= ployment OF efficient clerks at the low
er grades. II the bill can be thus
4 amended recommend its passage, as
It It win initiate valuable system and
o ultimately result in a great saving In
J. the public expenditures.
d Interstate Commeres Commission.
> There has not been time to test the
l. benefit and utility of the amendments
to the interstate commerce law con
tanned in the act approved June IS
1910. The law as enacted did not con
; tain all the features which I recon-
mended. 1t did not specifically de
nounce as unlawful the purchase By
~ one of two parallel and competing roads
of the stock Of the other.
% Nor did it subject to the restraining
u influence of the interstate commerce
commission the power of corporations
= engaged in operating interstate rail
- roads to issue new stock and bonds
Nor did it authorize the making OF
= temporary agreements between rail
roads, limited to thirty days, fixing the
. same rates for traffic between the same
. places.
l do not press the consideration OF
n any Of these objects upon congress a
this session. The object Of the frs
provision is probably generally covered
by the antitrust law. The second pro
IL vision was in the act referred to thu
consideration of a commission to b,
"a appointed by the executive and to re
u port upon the matter to congress. Tha
u commission has been appointed and fl
engaged in the investigation and con
le sideration Of the question submitted
y under the law. 1t consists Of Presiden
Arthur T. Hadley of Yale university
as chairman, Frederick @. Strauss
"a Frederick N. JudSon, Professor B. 81
&c Meyer and Walter L. Fisher, with VII
liam E. g. Griswold as secretary.