Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1914-06-13
TO PRESS HAMILL
PENSION BILL FOR
CIVIL SERVICE MEN
Active Steps to Be Taken to
Report Measure Out of
House Committee.
Irrom a staR CorresnondcntI


WASHINGTON. juno 1S.-Among
the thousand and one bills that arc
hanging tire in the House Is the meas
IRE proposed by Representative
James n. IIamill providing for a pen
sion for government employees. This
bin Was introduced more than a year
ago. but up to The present time has
not been released from the committee
on reform of the civil service to
which 1t was referred. The action of
the Common Council. of Newark, in
approving the bill and urging upon
HE local representative in the House
to use their best Influences to have
it become law may hasten it some
Congressman Edward W. Townsend
and other members of the New Jersey
delegation have received official no.
tice from the city clerk of Newark of
The action Of the Common Council
and al The same time copy of the
resolution was enclosed. Represen-
tative Townsend said that he is
heartily in favor of il and he Is go
ing to constitute himself commit
tee Of one to urge action on IT,
Representatives Mccoy and John j.
pressed intentions of prodding the
committee that has the bill In charge
in the hopes of getting it before the
House at this session.
Representative Hainlls bill has
been explained previously in these
columns. In a general way it pro-
vides that all government employees
=, under the civil service shall be en-
titled to pension Of so per cent. OF
the regular pay when retired from
service. An employe, male or female,
who has been on the government pay
roll for thirty years will be eligible
to retirement and half pay. En-
ployes in the classified service shall
be entitled to pensions and 40 per
cent. of the regular pay at the end of
twenty-five years service.
Removals Cause Protests.
Indignation meetings have been
held in the capital recently protest
ing against the suspension from the
| local postodicc department of - num-
Der of old employees, especially some
old veterans. The explanation of the
local postmaster is that the suspen-
sions We're for the good of the ser
/ vice, and that in most Instances the
men relieved from duty were unfit,
due to old age and disease. He stated
that in one instance where a veteran
employee had been relieved from fur
! ther duty he was suffering from a
malignant and contagious disease
This old soldier had the handling of
/ letters and mail in general, and Post
! master Praeger contended that the
| presence of the afflicted veteran in
/ the postoffice was a menace TO the
| general health of the community, and
that his disease might be transmitted
! to others by his handling. of the
mails.
Without entering into the merits of
| the incident from the local postmas-
ter's point of view, the members Of
the National Civil Service Association
| are using the occasion to emphasize
the necessity OF having some kind Of
a pension system. Some of the old
employees, who have been lately
! turned out of office as unfit for fur
| ther work. have been in the employ
| of the government for thirty five
| years. All of them have been with
the government for more than a quar-
ter of century These old men, it Is
pointed out, have given the best years
of their lives to the service of the
| government, and now that they are
! unfit for service are thrown upon the
| mercies Of the world.
Pension System as Relief.
# is commended that if there was u
pension system in operation here
most Of these old employees would
have been relieved from duty years
ago. All of them We're drawing tine
highest pay they ever drew, yet have
been unfit for practical work for
years ana nave been kept on out Of
charity, doing nothing more arduous
than drawing their pay each month,
Some OF them We're given nominal as
signments, but most of them, accord
ing to statements issued from the
postotiice, were being carried as so
much dead weight.
Postmaster Praeger declared that
no business concern would do as the
government has been doing. That car
rying q lot of useless employees
through sympathy interfered with
the workings of his office. He was in
favor of q pension system, but ht
could not pension these old and de-
crepit employees because the govern
ment had made no provision for 1t
All this is being used as an argument
in favor of Representative Hamills
bill. The local G. \. r. men anC
members If the National Civil Service
Association are employing the power
full machinery of those organization!
to push the bill through.