The Washington times., 1911-01-27
LOEB FIRST WOULD
PENSION EMPLOYEES
Retirement of Old Clerks
Best Way to Improve
Civil Service.
CONTINUED from First Page.)

( "
est efficiency was expected, but it would
also be unjust to the Government and
| to the clerk next in line found to be
| capable of giving the Government the
| kind of service for which 1t was paying.
Denoted Old Clerk.
1t would be unjust to keep the ef-
fcient clerk down in order that the in
efficient clerk might hold on to his job.
| The problem had to be solved in some
| way, and l presume we solved 1t here
as officials in other branches of. the
| Government are solving II every day.
| We denoted the old clerk and promoted
| the young and efficient clerk to his
place. This transaction serves to illus
trate the evil of existing coadi ions.
| The 5000 clerk who was incapable OF
| continuing his work could not be sum-
marily discharged. He had a family to
support, and he had been unable to
save anything out of his salary from
year to year. He could not be thrown
ous into the street with no prospects for
finding employment We had to find
another place for him in the service.
How much better it would be If We
could put these old clerks on - pension
the moment they were found TO be in
capable of performing the work de-
manded by the Government. The case
l have cited is not unusual. There are
hundreds of such cases. Instead OF
iOclullIS lllC SCi NlSC Will NllCoS OiOJ
dependent clerks, we should have younp
and efficient clerks at all times, but
that condition will not prevail until
Congress establishes the pension system.
Self-Supporting Plan.
I have in mind a pension system
which I am convinced would be self
supporting. 1 am aware that it will
meet with the disapproval of many
q oil iS for that
reason that stated at the outset that
in any system that may be established
there must be justice for the Govern
ment as well as for the clerks. The
plan which I have in mind is what l
call a "three-for-one pension system"
For instance, there are three clerks in
a department who are too old to do the
work for which they are paid. Any one
familiar with conditions in the depart
ments knows that one ambitious yor-.
man can do the work OF three old, In
firm, and inefficient men. The three
old men should be retired on pension
am, of course, citing a hypothetical
case.
In that case one old clerk draws
81 OOO another 81 800, and a third loo
The sum total of their earnings is $500
Combine the three jobs and put young
5000 clerk on the combined job. You
W AL AloNS ACIS S1'"SN-
Fund for Increases.
would not devote that entire sum
to pensioning the three clerks.
should say that about 1920 of it should
be used for pensions. the size Of the
pension, of course, to be based on
percentage of the amount drawn by the
old clerk when he was in the active
service. The balance of 500 should be
retained by the Government to be used
in the discretion of the official, In
whose department the saving was ef-
fected. for increases in the salaries Of
competent clerks who demonstrate
their ability.
By establishing such a system Con-
gress would not have to worry about
a huge outlay Of Government money.
If a pension system were authorized
ernment would have no difficulty in
retiring aged clerks without taking a
cent from the Federal Treasury; the
old and infirm clerks would no longer
be called u0on to do work they are
physically unable to perform; the
young clerks would have new incen-
tive once they were convinced that
their progress through the various
grades of the civil service would not be
hampered by an accumulation or men
and women who should be Weeded out
of the service, and most important OF
all from the standpoint OF good busl-
ness. the Government would auto
matically place it's departments on
husiness-like basis which could not help
hiring about the highest possible stand
ard Of efficiency and economy.
Merit Alone Should Count.
Merit alone should count in the Gov
ernment service, just as merit alone
wins Dromotion in private enterprises.
positions at the top of the civil service
should not be held by men incapable of
doing the work, and the positions in the
lower grades should not be filled up
with old men to the exclusion Of young
men who want to enter the service.
such men can be gradually weeded out
nv process of elimination provided
Congress establishes a pension system.
such a system as 1 have roughly out
lined will be self-supporting; 1t would
take care of the old clerks and would
Improve the service. 1 afh heartily in
favor of a pension system, provided the |
Government is not expected to carry an
unnecessary burden.