Saturday news. (Watertown, S.D.) 19??-19??, 1918-11-07
PENSI0NING OF
GOVT CLERKS
CONSIDERED
Time-Worn Topic of Providing
for Federal Employees
Again Revived.
SHALL PENSIONS BE PROVIDED?
Old Age Pension Proposition to Be
Discussed in the Near
Future.
SHALL PENSIONS BE PROVIDED?
by FREDERIC ]. HAsKIN

washington, ID. Gin one govern
ment department here until recently
an old man was carried to his desk
every day by his servant, who deposit.
ed him in a comfortable chair, where
he sat all day long staring ~vacantly
into space until the servant returned
for him.
rms man was an enlploye who had
been in the department for many
years and had done good work. Old
age had rendered him useless, but he
was dependent upon his salary for a
living, and no one in authority had
the heart to turn him away.
This man was one Of many super
animated employees who fill the desks
and delay the business of the federal
government. IL is as Il result of this
condition that the retirement of civil
service employees on a half pension,
half insurance system is now being
arranged. A bin containing legisla-
ton to this effect has been introduced
into congress by Senator Mckeddar of
Tennessee, who declares that it has
the favrable endorsemnt of the presi-
dent. The civil service employees
themselves also at last appear to be
satisfied.
Long Agitation for Pensions
The Mcclellan bill is only one of
many bills dealing with the retire
ment OF government employees which
have com up for debate in congress
in ranart yaa,.e. a-,,1,, 10 ,,., r.
those numerous inconspicuous pigeon
holes in the capitol that have been
labeled by one of our representatives,
The abode of things which do not
happen For the last half century
government clerks have agitated the
matter of pensions wit about the
same result that ~suffragists have agi.
tated the matter of suffrage. They
have commanded. they have entreat-
ed, they have threatened. And, what
is more important, they have organic
ed to force such a measure. 1t is es-
timsted by weary representative
that at least II different organizations
OF government employees have called
upon him to discuss, the pensions
i'N'siSi' puS NilI oitk&IilS, the Unit
ed States has continued to share with
Turkey. the doubtful honor of being
without Il pension system for it's aged
employees.
In justice to congress-, however, it.
must be stated that u pension system
might have been enacted before if it
had been possible to get all of the
government employees to agree on
what they wanted. Many of them
held out in the beginning for a
straight pension, coming wholly as a
gift from the government, while
others asserted that they preferred to
nay for the entile pensions them.
selves. The present bill before con.
gress. which is a compromise between
both attitudes, is the only one that
has been able to satisfy all factions.
All government employees unions
stand solidly in back Of it. -
~ provides, briefly, that the govern.
ment employe shall contribute "a
Per cent of his allnua salary towards
his retirement pension, and that when
the time. ONE for him to retire the
SoNCi DHtetit VIII cplIT1DuLe the rest.
Beginning with the first of the month
after the act goes into effect, deducs
tions will be automatically made by
the treasury department from salary
appropriations and transferred on It's
books 5te: he aHaait d Il special fund,
to be known as sthe civil service re,
tirement fund This fund viii be In
creased by 4 per cent interest, com
pounded annually. Inaptller words,
an employs whose salary is $1,000 u
year viii have s25 dsducted from II.
and credited 70 his retirement pen
Sion. AT tlle9end of the year ST in
interest will be added. The next year
tho Interest Willg be 500, and SO on urls
81 ollf mental arithmetic is exhaust,
Cd
This fund OF course ii simply held
in trust by the government. AT any.
time that III employeleaves the gov
ernlnetit service his share iii mere.
tlrerneIlt fund Is laandcl over to him,
but until he has served Is years the
government contributes nothing to
| his pension. He gets only what hc
ilailnsel has syae 3D. 49,
ItElX