Evening star., 1916-05-23
STRONG PLEA MADE
FOR CIVIL PENSIONS
Retirement System for Gov
ernment Employees Urged
Before Senate Committee.
CONTRADICTORY PLAN
CALLED AN INJUSTICE
National Association Representa-
tives Show How Efficiency Would
Be Increased by Proposed System.


! Be Increased by Proposed System.
a strong plea for the adop-
ton of a retirement system and
straight pension plan for civil
employees of the government was
made before the Senate commit
tee on civil service and retrench-
ment of the Senate today BY rep.
resentatives of the National .Asso-
ciation of Civil Service Employees
and the Joint retirement commit
tee of the District.
The speakers insisted that the estab-
lishment of contributory plan. by which
part of the salaries of the employees would
be withheld from them to establish pen
sion system. would be very great IN
justice. The high cost of living and the
comparatively low pay given the civil
service employees were emphasized.
Association Representatives Heard.
James w Mcconnell of the joint civil
service retirement committee was the
first speaker, and Andrew W. Mckee,
president of the National Association OF
Civil Service Employees. followed him.
Later in the day DIR. c. Eder Reed. Jasper
D. Evans, Robert H. Alccrn, chairman of
the joint civil service retirement COM
mittee and DIR. Llewellyn Jordan. secre-
tary of the United States Civil Service
Retirement Associa ton, were heard.
Senator Pomerene, chairman OF the
Senate committee, strongly favors the
establishment of a contributory plan
as does Senator Smoot of Utah, another
member of the committee, and they
questioned the witnesses closely. SEN
ator Smoot one occasion admitted
that if he had the appointing of all
the civil employees of the government.
and could make the appointments with
out reference to politics and for busi-
ness reasons alone, the government
could be run for hundreds of millions
of dollars less than under the present
system. in which politics has so much
to do with appointments and promo
tions
IF l could do that. then l would not
think of urging the adoption of con-
tributory plan" said Senator Smoot.
Il am glad to hear you say that the
government is not run on sound bus-
ness principles today" commented Mr.
Mckee, who was on the stand at the
time. You are in position to do so.
but l am not
Cannot Afford Contributory Plan.
Mr.. Mcconnell told the committee
that the contributory plan is actively
opposed by great majority of the
civil service employees.
They feel that they cannot afford
the necessary deductions in pay" he
said. 1T is the wrong principle to
take from the growing generation to
provide for the old age support of the
present generation he added. refer
ting to the fact that for a number of
years the older employees of the govern
ment, under the contributory plan.
must be given support without having
paid in an appreciable amount to the
pension fund.
We deny that the masses of en-
ployes of the government can purchase
an annuity by the contributory plan
Without denying to their children many
of the advantages which they should
have" said MIR. Mcconnell. The con-
tributory plan carries with it an arbi-
trary and fixed age of retirement. This
age must necessarily be too high for
some and too low for others. 1t is
wrong and vicious in it's social aspects
to retire men from industry still able
and willing to work. 1t is just as bad,
those who have failed before the age
of retirement"
Cannot Be Made Self-Supporting.
Mr.. Mcconnell insisted that no con-
tributory system can be made self-sup-
porting. He pointed to the initial cost
of retiring the present superannuated
employees. to the cost of retiring those
!, rrtf ia1I
part of the retirement fund. to the cost
OF continuing annuities after all ac-
cumulations have been exhausted the
cost of administration, the effect on
wages or salaries of contributory
ing the adoption of such system, and
these increases would exceed the sum
Of the contributions.
Mr. Mcconnell told the committee
that in the long run the government
would save money by adopting the
straight pension plan instead of the
contributory system.
Mr. Mckee urged that Congress take
action at the present session looking
to the establishment of retirement
and pension system for the civil EN-
ployes of the government. He insisted
that no retirement system in any gov
ernment existed today the contrib
utory plan, and urged that the govern
for a retirement and pension system
for it's aged employees.
Senator POmerene and Senator Smoot
pointed out that under the contribu-
tory system proposed in the bill which
has been introduced by Senator Pom
creme the government would have to
contribute some 100000 in the first
twenty years of its operation, and that
then it would become self-supporting.
Thinks $41, 200, 900 Small Amount.
Mr.. Mckee said that Sal, 200, 900 over
a period of twenty years did not ap-
pear to be a very large contribution
| in view of the benefits the government
would derive from getting young
blood in place of old in the depart
ments.
straight pension systems adopted by
the Pennsylvania railroad and the In
ternational Harvester Company.
The large number of designations by
government employees in recent years
Mr.. Mckee said. indicated clearly that
the government was not doing it's full
share of justice to these employees
They resigned. he said. to take better