Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-05-19
PENSION SYSTEM
IN CIVIL SERVICE
Secretary Wilson Favors
Retirement of Employees at
Government Expense.
PREFERS THAT METHOD
TOCONTRIBUTORY PLAN
Head Of Labor Department Believes
Superannuated Clerks Entitled
to Consideration.

Civil service employees have an ardent
| supporter for retirement system in
William 8. Wilson, Secretary of the new
Department of Labor. Although he be-
lieves the clerks should have nothing but
non-contributory pensioning system
supported wholly by the government,
Secretary Wilson admits that he would
support a contributory plan under GER
tain conditions. The Secretary said he
thought government employees were en-
titled to retirement under proper regula-
ton, and he believed that the time was
not far distant when civil service retire
ment would be a fact.
Eyes, I do strongly favor a retirement
system for government employees" said
Secretary Wilson today, when asked by
Star reporter for his views. Il think
the government employees are as much
entitled to 1t as are any other employees.
And you have no doubt noticed that
many business firms and private corpora
tons long ago started pensioning systems
for their superannuated employees. These
are being added to right along as other
corporations. seeing the advantage of re-
tirement, start such systems. l believe
that the government should have sys-
tenn of retirement which would serve as
a model
Friend of Laboring Nan.
Secretary Wilson has always been a
strong supporter of the laboring man. and
has made study of labor problems in
all branches. In Congress he was one of
labor's strongest hackers. Therefore. he
is declared to be quite in a position to
express expert opinion on retirement.
While his statements cannot be looked
firlo fhn fIoi oil nIfov
of the administration in a matter Of this
kind, it is believed that should such a
matter be presented to the cabinet in the
near future the Secretary of Labor would
be one of the strong supporters Of retire.
ment for civil service classes.
Much interest is displayed in the civil
service by Secretary Wilson. He believes
in rewarding efficiency and displayed this
in promoting civil service employees to
fill three out of four vacancies in the
new department..
The opinion was expressed by Secretary
Wilson that it would be only matter of
a short time before persons could enter
the civil service with a feeling that the
government would take care of them in
their old age, after they had given the
best part of their lives to the government
The Secretary was most emphatic in his
statement that he favored a straight non
contributory system of pensioning for the
civil service employe. He believed that
such a system would be the only Just
one, and he believed that this would be
the one which would be eventually en-
acted into law. even if another system
were first tried.
Il should give the civil service en-
ployes only straight retirement sys.
tem,' said Mr.. Wilson, "one by which
the government footed the entire bill.
This, in my opinion. is the only equitable
system which could be offered to such
class of employees as may be found with
in the government service.
Contributory System Discussed.
"Of course" the Secretary continued.
Il would favor a so-called contributory
system under certain conditions. said
Mr.. Wilson in answer to a question on
this point Il would support it to the
would not lose one cent If for any rea-
son or other he left the service of his
own volition or was compelled to leave.
ed-one in which the employee pays GER
tain amount Of his salary. part of which
being paid for running the system, etc
would give my support to it only if it
provided that when an employe left the
service before the time when he could
retire he should be paid an amount of
money equal to the total sum which he
had paid during the time he was in the
service, with such deductions as would
cover his pro rata cost for maintaining
| the system.
contributory system Is the only system
| long run.