Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-03-20
Ideal Clerical Retirement.

To the Editor of The Star:
In civil service retirement system
three things are indispensable: Its provi-
sions must be equitable, adequate and
practicable. In reference to the primary
requirement it is evident that most of the
proposed measures are open to criticism.
1t goes without saying that any assess
ment levied upon a salary that already Is
wholly inadequate to afford a mainte-
nance to its recipient becomes an oppres-
sive income tax, since it is equivalent to
q reduction in salary of 5 per cent, or
some other rate of extortion.
There is, therefore, one prerequisite to
be insisted on before any assessment plan
can be justly adopted This is an in
crease in salaries all along the line.
Both houses of Congress have taken
cognizance in q direct and practical way
of the necessity of higher pay on account
OF the increased cost Of living. To ignore
mental clerk and. in addition. impose a
per cent tax on his meager salary
would be gross blunder and a cruel
wrong. First increase the salary SO that
there shall 'be narrow margin of surplus
above the bare cost of living upon which
the tax for the retirement fund may be
assessed, for to deplete his present sti-
pend by Withholding any part of it under
the benevolent preteXt that the loss will
be made up to him in the sweet by
dIiu ny 10 d. utluSloi anu n Share, since
1t is impossible for any except the high
est paid clerks to meet current expenses
from the salaries now received.
None of the retirement projects yet pre-
scented provides for an adequate annuity.
Nobody could live on the pitiful sums
posed. After twenty years service, we
are told, a man on reaching the retire
ment age would be entitled to princely
income from the pension fund. ranging
to human intelligence TO offer such trifiing
amounts as benefaction. The man asks
for bread. and is given stone.
In the United States Army obtains the
custom of promoting an officer at the
time of his retirement. so that Maj.
Lucky Dog retired) has an income
which equals exceeds the pay that
Capt. Dog received at any period of his
active service. Such retirement is no
hardship or privation. but an advantage
every way. Without a murmur would
the writer Of this article submit to 81
per cent advance of salary and to imme-
diate retirement thereafter on two-thirds
pay.
Another Objectionable feature of all pro-
posed legislation on this question Is the
establishment of an age limit beyond
which retirement becomes compulsory.
Some men arc incompetent at forty. some
at sixty and others at any and all ages
from twenty upward But many are just
period. For the good OF the service such
should not be forced to leave it. Inef-
ficiency should determine the necessity
for retirement. Moreover, the test of
efficiency. as we'll that for incapacity,
| should be applied by an impartial board
of referees
Finally. the retirement plan must be
feasible. 1t is idle to affirm that project
of such magnitude can be put into oper-
alton without any additional cost for adj
ministration. To do the work of book
keeping for the individual accounts of the
| $4,000 clerks in Washington would require
a considerable force of trained men,
whose services would have to be paid for,
| and Congress should be urged to appro-
pirate a generous initial subvention to es-
| tablish the undertaking. Once chartered.
this beneflcent trust unlike some infant
| industries, would need no further Sub
sides or protection. But at the start Con-
| gress should place the organization on a
sound financial basis.
| There need be no hesitancy in making
I such Il request, for ii is exigent con-
| Germ of the government that some plan of
civil service retirement should be de-
| vised and reduced to practice as soon as
possible. Economical administration in
| the executive departments suffers detri-
ment by delay. Z. NJ. BLAKE.