Show AGED i iBE TO 1 BE GIVEN PENSION Plan to Relieve Government Departments of Clerks Too Old to Work MATTER UP TO CONGRESS FEATURES OF PLAN ADOPTED AND LIKELY TO BE ADOPTED BY BI JONATHAN WINFIELD Jan Im ment In the civil service taw law is about to be written Into the statute books It is the annuity scheme which will It Is believed give all the ot of Uncle Sam not only absolute security during their working days but keep them from all fear ot of want during their lifetime The plan Js Is not altogether a new one ne neIt It was indorsed by former Cormer President Roosevelt and has just received the In IndOrsE indorse dOrsE aunt of President Taft There Is hope that th t Congress may take favorable on it this session The Tho civil service law was enacted In more than a quarter of a century ago It established order where chaos hd reigned The efficiency of the serve e e was vastly increased by It and the status of the tho greatly improved He knows now that he has Ims practically life employment It if he does his work well There are no longer to be found of offices under the government where cler ral kal appointments are made mado in payment of political favors favor and the appointees dismissed after a few months so that other r pc Utica workers may la be similarly reward d dAs As a at l example of the working of the theold theold old rule rul a small office In the postoffice department may be cIted the work in which now requires about twenty pea peo pi ph It is on record as havIng carried sixty people on its rolls for u a period of two to years ears before the enactment of the civil service law Before the fun full benefits of the merit system In the government service can be realized however a clause must be inserted providing for the retirement or of orthe the superannuated ThE dismissal of th the InefficIent was naturally provided for but there Is no modification or amendment of the law where inefficiency cy 31 is the result of old age Furthermore that part of the law Is not observed for few executive officials will dismiss a man whose only fault Is advancing years jears Many Aged It Is believed that In the government service roaches reaches its highest point in Washington where one I out of every fourteen is more t than 65 years of age The conditions are especially bad in the general land landom om oftie e the patent office and the treasury department In these departments tn aro many workers ver SO 80 years of age and the sight of so large a portion of the aged and the obviously infirm Is likely to leave a bad impressIon on the visitors There are many experts who declare that an more than 65 years of ago renders only ice he and thus becomes a great drag I upon the entire government service It is estimated that the annual cost of the government of keepIng the aged In of 11 fk a 0 rather than filling their places with younger men is about so far as the District of Columbia Is concerned and about for the entire 1 leE ice In this sense the government already maintaIns a civil pension list more cost ly 13 and more demoralizing to the em effi dency clency of the service than If It established a direct retirement scheme Legislation has been repeatedly urged upon Congress to ameliorate the tho present conditions and Its evil effects ts have been assailed by bJ an organ known as the tho Service Re association by the civil service let ice commission and by various depart department ment heads The propaganda has made little progress however largely became it lacked a definite program So many themes schemes of retirement have been sug sugg g sted that the movement has been un unable unable able to focus on anyone any one of them These plans have been before the committee ommittee on reform In the civil 11 service e but the objection most strongly urged against them Is that they have either provided cIvil pensions or have imposed some form of at assessment l that prove proved 1 Inequitable as between different classes of Latest Approved Plan The approval of many congressmen has b been n gaIned however for a new plan which has been embodied In the form of a bill It was favorably report reported ed to the House by Representative Gil Gillett Gillett lett chairman of the committee on re reform reform form In the civil service at the last Jast ses session session sion of Congress The same bill with some modifications will be Introduced in the Senate by Senator Perkins The Theauthor Theauthor author of the plan is Herbert D Brown who has been engaged In the super movement for many years This plan Is founded on the savings bank barik idea which provides for retire retirement retirement ment of annuities from the savings sav savIngs Ings of government The United States Civil Service Retirement association now has a membership of and is so strong and aggressive that it will be a great force in securing securIng Ing legislation from Congress A great number of Representatives have already expressed themselves In favor of the compulsory separate sav savIngs savings Ings account for all based on ona ona a sliding scale percentage of salaries Actuaries who were engaged by a pre previous previous Congress have figured that ample funds could be provIded through an adaptation of the French system under which the first months compensation is denied to and those who re receive receive promotion agree to a deduction of theIr first three months Increase The fund thus created forms the nucleus for forthe forthe the retirement system A favorable report on the Brown plan was made by the Keep commission whose report was sent to Congress about a year ago with former Pr President message of Indorsement At that time the civil service committees of the House and Senate desired to ob obtain obtain tain more data In regard to the person personnel personnel nel of the service and also in regard to the cost of the proposed plan There has been hi n a meat reat deal of nf suspicion In Congress that the plan pia practically meant the opening W dge of paternalism In the government servIce ice that is would open the way to an another another other heavy drain upon the nations funds This idea however has been founded upon ignorance As a matter of fact the government clerks clerIcs under this plan would practically pay every cent needed for the lon fund It is founded on the principal of modern scientific s insurance and there is said to be no question of Its success according to previous experience Heretofore the civil service low law has been like a beautiful entrance to a fine building saId one supporter of the Brown plan today but the fine build building building ing had no exit The back door had been forgotten Mr Brown has shown how a doorway may be cut and It Is hoped that Congress will wUl accept his plan and give relief to the old who are pIning for escape and to the young who are longing for more elbow room and anel higher r seats |