Perth Amboy evening news., 1919-01-09
VIEWS
ON PENSION LAW
MataWan Man Gives His Ideas
on Subject of Much In
tereSt

just at the present time the New
Jersey State Teachers Association is
holding the attention of a great many
people of this state not only those con
nected with the schools, but the gen.
eral public as we'll. The association Is
divided into I'VE factions, one known
as the Insurgents II composed of
teachers from Perth Amboy, New
Brunswick and Camden and those
4, from the upper portion of the state
J and known as the regulars.
The insurgents are on record as be-
ing against the tactics and regime
of Miss Elizabeth A. Allen, as secre-
tary of the state Teachers Retirement
Fund, and stand for adequate salaries
! for all teachers n for the safe
| sound and sane pension system In
stead of the ~tnterlocking systems now
in vogue and which lave been found
to b. far from financially safe by
investigation of actuaries.
| In order to obtain an idea as to
what q new pension law should be
like to be safe and sane, an EVENING
NEWS reporter obtained the follow
ing interview from Professor Frank
Howard Lloyd. supervisor of schools
of this city, principal of schools six
! and eight and a former president of
the New Jersey State Teachers Asso-
citation Professor Lloyd is being men,
toned as a candidate for state sena-
tor next year and there is a possibil-
lily that he will have something to
do with future laws and for this rea-
son is well able to speak on the sub
ject:
Eyes, one safe and sane pension law
sounds all right. but safe and sane
for whom? 1t might be safe II sane
for one and not for another. 1t should
be safe and some for all teachers for 1t
is supposed to be in their interest that
the law is to be enacted
Il do not pretend to be able to frame
t law that would be able to sctand all
the tests of an actuarial ~investiga-
ton any more than h commission
has been able to up to this time, but
/ believe 1T can be lone. i think the
Pension Commission has done good
work so far rs 1t has gone but I do not
believe ii has yet gone TO h bottom
! of the subject n / doubt the wis
dom of passing a law this winter I'M
less we are absolutely sure it is going
to settle our difficulties. In n of its
| reports the commission recommends
that a further exhaustive investigation
n study be made of the entire prob
Hem or teachers pensions and annul-
ties for the purpose of determining a
~ a more scientific and just
C~iSITiDulAOn Oh the COstS anu DthtlitS.
inns IS in accord with my views FOR
l do not think that point has been
, reached yet. Neither do I think any
! law ought to be enacted this winter
that will in any way affect.the state
/ pension law. / hin the whole prob
lem lies with the retirement fund law
| INT / think the question of making /,
| actually sound should be considered
entirely apart from the pension law at
| this time"
II do not, and never have. believed
in the compulsory feature OF the law
as it lands today. / do moi believe
it is either fair or legal to compel us
to IA our money into a concern for
| nineteen years eleven months and
twenty-nine days without being enti-
tied to any protection in hat time or
| getting IN return for our money at
the end of that time if we leave the
\ profession no matter for what reason.
| Neither do I think 1t fair to be com :
| peeled to a for twenty years or any
| other length OF time il We either do
not get Insurance protection or get
/ our money back if we cav the pro-
| fession. / would advocate a compul-
! sorry clause provided a teacher could
get her MONEY back with interest
| whenever she retired, for whatever
| reason and / think teachers, all, would
favor this idea.
1t Is absolutely untrue that any
teacher gets two pensions or can get
two pensions under existing laws h
| most cursory examination into the
subject will eveal h a to any me.
Some one has been trying to fool the
taxpayers at the expense of the teach
ers. We can get one pension after
thirty-five years of service. 1t is pos
sible to get a retirement annuity at
the same time If N happens to be
hal fdead at the end OF the thirty
five yea period, but that retirement
annuity, please understand comes to
us out of our own savings and is no
concern of the taxpayeror OF any one
else. Certainly no n can object to
our investing our money in camou-
tagged insurance especially when
completely or In any other insurance,
no matter IL we do get a pension be-
siles I assume that II is known that
the supreme court decided that the
retirement fund operated as disability
insurance.
IF the voters desire to take away
our pension. that is In their hands.
except a. we may be able to control
enough votes to keep IL. But the
question OF keeping the pension on the
statute books is n question for the
public to decide entirely without re-
lation to the retirement fur law.
which concerns them financially only
to the extent OF the expenses Tor adj
mi~nistration largely made necessary
because of the states action in re-
CARDS to certain features of the law.
Frankly / do not believe the tax
payers think We are getting o much
when it is correctly explained to
them. Suppose the average salary -
be 500. just to take an amount at
random for the last five years, and
suppose a teachef antitled to both
pension and annuity. giving her ITO
per cent of her average salary which
in this case would be 1870. Is there
anyone who would publicly say that
that is too much for any one 10 live on
7~e who has devoted at least
thirtyy-fie years to the service OF the
lhe state at the measly sal
aries paid. especially when h has
contributed part of IL herself? / nave
more faith in the public han that and
i believe that such opinions as the
double pension" are put forward by