Evening star., 1915-05-27
Retirement System for Civil
Service Employees Discussed
by Secretary Lane.
NOT PREPARED TO MAKE
A CHOICE OF METHODS
Replies to the Questions in The
Stars Coupon Increasing
in Number.


pension system for the civil service en-
ployes," said Secretary Franklin X. Lane
of the Interior Department.
Il am perfectly willing that the en-
ployes in the Interior Department shall
express their views on this important
question. and 1 think that The Star is
doing a good work in giving them an
opportunity to do so through it's voting
coupons
Personally, while am convinced that
a pension system would be a good thing
for the government civil service, l have
not made a sufficient study Of the ques-
ton SO far to decide which would be
preferable, a contributory system or
straight pension system. However, I in
cline toward the contributory plan.
helped to draw up the act which pro-
vides pensions for firemen and police
men in San Francisco, and that pro-
vtdes a contributory system.
Economy if PROPERLY Managed.
Undoubtedly a properly managed PEN
sion system would be an economy for
the government. It would mean that the
government could retire its old and
faithful employees. who have given their
lives to the government service, and
could put in their places younger en-
ployes. making the service more efficient
necessarily
Il do not believe in fixing an arbitrary
age for retirement of the employees. I
think 1t would be preferable to fix
period of service at the end of which
employees might be retired. but would
leave it discretionary with the heads of
the departments as to the actual retire
nj
older employees are Of great value to the
service. and it might be advisable to con-
tinue them in office for some time after
they had served out this fixed period"
Replies to Stars Questions.
Replies to the questions contained in
The Stars voting coupon on the sub
ject of civil service retirement are in
creasing in number as the days go by.
All the civil service employees In the
permanent establishment here are
urged to express their views as soon
as possible SO that they may be count
ed and tabulated. The coupon will be
published daily up to and through next
Monday. All answers must be in the
hands OF the civil service editor by
June /.
One conpon received yesterday was
accompanied by the following state
ment:
Congress has indicated in unmis-
taxable terms that under no circum-
stances is it willing to go on record
as favoring a straight civil pension
bill, but is inclined to give some con-
sideration to contributory measure; !;
therefore it is difficult to understand
why government clerks persist in their
papreference of a measure which they
have been given to understand cannot
be considered Let us get together on
the contributory plan. which Congress
is willing to consider (even though
the actuaries- do not favor such a prop
osition) The passage of such a meas
ure, even though 1t may be lmpracti-
cable would be an entering wedge,
and the system could be improved upon
later as necessity might require
Another Expresses Views.
From another civil service employe
came a letter which was, in part. as
follows:
IT inclose a coupon cut from The
Evening Star to show that l believe in
a civil service pension. l have not
studied the question from the stand
point of an actuary. the only one from
which to view it. nor yet from that of
the history of civil pensions in other
countries, nor in the corporations of
this country But 1 believe that there
is some solution to the question to be
found.
1T is right that the employees of the
government should be pensioned. Not
because they are detectives and can
not care for themselves; not because
they are paupers begging charity. and
not altogether on account of the rela-
lively small salaries and the high cost
of living, but because the government
is a great cOrpOration like which fhara
is none other in the country, and the
clerk trained in it's offices and for it's
uses and in its methods is trained away
from all other businesses and pursuits
It's needs and requirements are entirely
different from those of the industrial
world, and an able and alert clerk who
has spent, say, ten. fifteen or twenty
years in a government office and is in
valuable in that particular office may,
by change of administration. or other
misfortune, find himself set adrift with
so many years of technical training on
his hands that will profit him nothing
in the worlds busy marts.
Not Indication Of Incompetence.
Because he is not able to adapt him
self easily to the requirements of the
is either lazy or incompetent, but sim
ply that he has been trained in school
whose methods are not popular and in
use in the outside world.
Pension the old people and give the
young ones a chance, whether by the
contributory or straight pension plan
and experience will modify and adapt
1t to the needs of the government and
the clerks as well"