Evening star., 1915-05-29
All. Civil Service Employees
Urged to Give Views on
Retirement Question.
OPINIONS ARE EXPRESSED
INLETERs TO THE STAR
One Correspondent Advocates Ap-
pointment Of Joint Commission to
Study Question.

With only two more days left in which
to send in answers to Tho Stars poll on
the matter Of civil service retirement,
shoals OF coupons are reaching the civil
service editor by each mail, and in the
intervals by messenger. The voting cou
pons will be published daily up to and
including Monday. All answers, however,
must be in the hands Of the civil service
editor by Tuesday, June 1.
Every civil service employe Of the per-
manent force in Washington who has not
yet voted his views regarding the estab-
lishment Of civil service retirement sys-
tenn u urged to do SO without delay. Tho
Star has undertaken this poll in order to
givs the employees an opportunity to ex-
question. Friends Of the civil service
have insisted that its cause is injured
when various factions go to Congress
asking widely divergent plans for a pen
sion system be established by law. If
the desires Of the majority Of employees
are ascertained. an opportunity will be
AFFORDED tho employees to get together in
support Of ono plan.
Advocates Joint Commission.
One OF the employees. sending in his
coupon. has written to The Star az
follows:
III 10 true that an equitable system
Of pensions for superannuated employees
should be adopted. and 1t is also true
that the people Of the United States
would heartily indorse any plan de-
signed to bring about such a system.
There 10 a very unfortunate circum-
stance. however. which tends to COM
bat any action toward the desired end.
The idea of civil service employees. the
real beneflciaries Of any pension or re-
tirement system which may eventually
be adopted. in forming themselves into
factions. one favoring a straight pen
tory plan, is deDlorabie. Let the civil
service employees work for the general
idea Of retirement: let them ooncen-
trate on the general question and for
get the different plans that may be
advocated by tho various so-called ex-
ports on statistics.
7 believe that the desired end may
be obtained in q more satisfactory and
expeditions manner II Congress could
be prevailed upon to appoint a joint
commission with authority and power
to conduct a thorough inquiry into tho
systems of retirement or pensions
adopted by foreign countries and by
private concerns, and to make q thor
ough inquiry into conditions existing
IN the government, particularly to tho
extent Of ascertaining definitely the
loss Of efficiency in tho service owing
to the presence Of superannuated en-
ployes, and to instruct that commission
to prepare a bill on the subject which
would embody the views of the ma
jority of tho commission. without re-
gard to the number of petitions or
noise made by adherents of different
plans. Then when that bill 10 intro
duced let all employees stand behind II"
Advocates q Reclassidcation.
Another employe writing to The star
said:
II am in favor Of q recla assihc cation,
but not an increase in salaries all
along the limo. A great many employees
are overpaid and q large number un-
derpaid. The once in which I am en-
ployed 10 seriously considering now q
plan Of rehabilitation. While am in
favor of a straight civil pension, I
would favor tho contrtbutory retire
ment plan, provided the first plan could
not receive tho sanction Of Congress.
It would result In q great economy II
the straight civil pension 10 adopted.
In the bureau IN which I am employed
there are thirty employees whose ayes
90 Al-