Daily Kennebec journal., 1911-03-06
PENsiONED POLICE AND FIRE
MEN. 80 -
Views of Carnegie. Sherman and
Marks Upon MunicipaIity's Duty in
This Respect Toward Employees

| This Respect Toward Employees.
| Recently n Succial committee of In ,
| fittH,ns Onion. which FOR nearly 4
Year mas been studying the question Of
retirement pensions for civil service
employees uf New York Citv. made a
| report. The committee found that tho
! present pension system was particular
| ~ unfair IL HE CITY. giving special and
| unNarrantcd privileges 10 employees m
some departments. particularly the P0-
lie" and Fire. and tonding toward IN
Increasing cost IT, the city. Th, report
p"ihted out that it was within the
rang" of p"ssibiiit,' that. "if continued
] on The present basis the pension rolls
Of the Police and Fire departments will
! ~ iime reach ~ oNcehd The activ" pay
! rolls"
"Th"Sc OF the Fir" Department" tho
| report continued nov amount /" l2.i
| per cent and "f The i'n!ic" Department
| To -. per cent OF thr active payroll.
| In 1903 the budget appropriated $780,
100 for police pensions this year, we
| understand S700. .000 is asked fnr this
purpose, and a report recently appear
ed in TIE daily press that next year
the budget will be 81 600. 900. In con-
| trast with this, payments in the De-
| partment Of Education amount 10 lS
| per cent OF the active payroll. In in
duStrial enterprises ot private char
acter. where employees do not contrib
| ute. pensions appear to average not
mare than per cent of the payroll.
The Tribune has invited expressions
OF opinion on the subject of municipal
pensions from number Of persons
who have given the subject attention.
Among these are Andrew Carnegie.
| Arthur Williams. tac chairman Of the
| committee. WHO is superintendent Of
the New York Edison Company: L.
Fecumseh sherman, formerly state
Commissioner Of Labor, and Marcus
NJ. Marks of the National Civic Feder
alton.
Somehow ono docs not think of the
big building at the corner Of Elm and
Duane streets. with its towering steel
stacks. as an Office building. The
passerby planees in through the great
doorway on the ground floor, and per-
hans he stops a few minutes TO observe
the quiet and smooth operation of the
mighty dynamos of the Edison COM
many. set up on edge like so many
giant white enameied watch cases. 1t
is only a big power plant to the casual
observer.
At the southern end of the seventh
floor is an apartment of roomy proper
tiops. lrpon the walls hang sketches
and ether pictures. some OF them SOU
vcnirs OF journeyings in other lands
About the sides ii tn" room are filing
cabinets OF tasty design in dark oak TO
match the woodwork and the heavy
desks and chairs. II is the apartment
of 4 man of taste.
At the desk sits man of open coun-
tcnance and in the prime Of life. There
is Il little iron gray tinge to his darh
hair the slight premature change mat
one sees in some men and when gives
the impression that it is somehow com
nected with the task of carrying euF-
den vi responsibility. Yet as he rises
from his chair and smiles there is
lichtness about his bearing that bellies
the telltale hair. Apparently the smile
and the bearing are a refiecuon o,
habit OF optimism. bern OF broad
outlook. and an effort to realize an
ideal The man is Arthur NillamS.
the director of the energies of the Edl-
son power plants of the city. and
chairman uf the Citizens Union COM
mittoe. The other day he discussed
the pension needs of the municipality
of New York with representative ~
The Tribune.
I'VE have studied the pension sys-
tens of Germany. France and Eng
land" said Mr.. Williams. "The first
thing we recommend isethat pension
system should be adopted by the city
and that il should include all the en-
ployes in all the departments. There
are at the present time sixteen depart
mcnfS, only five OF Which--the Police,
Fire. Education, Health and Finance
have any pension plan Whatsoever.
Past legislation has been pecemeal in
its character. 1t does not recognize
the needs of all of those whose work is
OF a hazardous nature and provide for
a retiring pension in all cases. The
street cleaners. for instance, are on the
firing line. Theirs is a dangerous oc-
cupation. They must be out in ALI
kinds of weather, sometimes work for
excessive hours, and they arc con-
germs. In some places cleaners are es-
pecially exposed TO disease. Such. for
instance, are the approaches to bridges.
where all sorts of germs are deposited
by the thrOngS Surging back and forth
through the bridge portals. We ought
TO put in such places pneumatic clean
ing systems. There is no reason why
the bridge approaches, the municipal
buildings and even street surfaces
should not be cleaned in this fashion.
The dirt would be sucked up into her
metically sealed receptacles in which
it would be retained until destroyed.
In the case Of the street the plant
could be placed on wheels and oper-
ated. say, by a gosoline engine or stor-
age batteries. the receptacles being re-
placed as rapidly as filled"
There are other hazards in the
street claiming service also, such as the
danger of being run over by careless
ly driven vehicle or an electric car,
his caller suggested.
Yes. II n member of the street
cleaning force is injured in that way
and incap apacitated for earning a living
as a result he has no compensation for