"AGED SIXTY-FIVE."

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 424, 5 February 1909, Page 5

"AGED SIXTY-FIVE."

CIVIL SERVICE RETIREMENTS.,.. THE VETERANS' POINT OP YEGW. • The -warning: of Cabinet as to the, enforce-' 1 raent-'of •• the age limit 'in--; tie; Civil; Service'; is i Btill; a ;freijiient subject: of, !departmental offices,. : v'.;: .-I"';/"'; / "Toi.old :at sixty-five ?" said ;' a- gontißmai ' 1 whose duties bring hi minto frequent contact : with the service. :"Why,:lo6k at—— —— . whoso name has been in tho papers among the rest: Not very many weeks .ago he was 'riding his 120 miles a day away-up: tlie country some-" where.v Then '.there's-.-r 1 -'—-He'll soonbe- , sixty-five, but I'll warrant he's; as good 'St his .work now as he was tep'years rsu,- And. then, 1 on the other hand, there are menwho are bald- ! :headed r broken-winded.-orocks at : t'ortv. And there-are. exports who are old men, W still vigorous;, and" whosq speeial knowledger makes' them more valuable.tlvaa: younger:, ihen. 1 suppose the.rule is aigood:one,- if tho .proper .ex-ceptions-are wade, : - But yori : . know- there-'are' men who. have a .'pull',- and : will keep their : positions whatever; happens.". • . \ "I am quite ready, to'go,'* said one-of-'the lie'-: tiring ones. to. a Dominion.-,representative. "I'm ; tired. You see,. X-v'e.' beeo. at -.the- ga?ae •m6ro > (than forty years;" - ' And; it's lost its novelty? • "Yes'.'—with a" smile~ fts quite lost its novelty. I should be glad to-put on: my-.'hat.-and" . go out any time,, come.back,\'b'ut! i; can't say the same .of some-of'-thoso: under "mß."' Pursuing, the subject further dn ."other :ggrdes,V : the reporter; found, that-views -quite i different . to' those ju6t quoted we're ■ entertainod-',by, some' of the vote'rans of thoservice. ..They -felt'perfectly fit.' They. did not: want; to -retire, and they resented-the-publication of their-names: in this connection'. •. ..V—' ; Although ; the' : Cabinet oiroular contains' no indication as to how soon the pending'retire- ; ments are' to' take > place, there.is a', general. inipression ,tbat ! no great delay is'intended,'unless" themterests of the service require 'it in: special" casos: The higher officers, are quiotly consider-: ing tho . arrangements, to be'made to fill the vacancies.'; Some Departments will lose much more' heavily fthan : others -in proportion to tho numbers of theU' staffs.- Pov instance, the< |.EoadsDepartnloht "will lose-,(besides its chief engineer) one district .road' Engineer, one assistant chief clerk, one aooountimt cleric, two !t inspeotora, arid one: overseer. "The Public Works Department, on tho other: hand, will.only have' to arrange for the retirement of three or four ; overseers, who will; probably quit:the service on coiapletion of the works at present under their supervision. ' There'will ; be'- about the same' number of retirements,, from- .the head • office of'the Eailway 'Department;.