CIVIL SERVICE PENSIONS.

Dominion, Volume 4, Issue 1198, 5 August 1911, Page 13

CIVIL SERVICE PENSIONS.

Sir,—May I be permitted through the medium of jour paper to voice opinions which I ftel sure a.ro shored by a largo number of business men and workers throughout the Dominion? In a recent paragraph, under the heading, "Civil Pensions," appeared the following:— "A statement presented to tho House yesterday fhows that Mr. J. K. Logan, ex-Inspector and Superintendent of Electric Lines, has been granted a pension of i!G00 per annum, .commencing on Ist January. 1911. Mr. W. S. Furby, also of the General Post Office staff, but now retired,' gets £383 Gs. Bd. as from the Ist June, and Mr. J. Eilgour .£260 13s. Id. from Hth April." First of all, may I ask, have thoso State employees been paid a salary while in the employ of tho Government? If so, I presume they were paid according to their worth, or they would surt-ly have made it their business to find employment in other walks in life, whero they would receive adenuato remuneration for their services. Taken for granted, then, that they have been paid according to the services rendered, it is surely reasonable to expect that thov should have saved sufficient by the time they retire to provide them with comfort in their old ago. Is the Government of this country supposed to be run on business lines, or is it a philanthropic institutionh I do not think that- a business concern can be found in the Dominion that would grant a pension of ,£ll 7s. Gd. per week to one of its staff on .retirement, no matter what his position or how long or faithful his service; and, for what reason a man who chooses a position in tho Government service to earn his livelihood, should expect tho country to keep him in luxury after his poriod of usefulness is ended, I fail to see.

In granting the old age pensions, it has to bo proved that the petitioner is not in receipt of more than a certain weekly income, or dees not hold more than a certain amount of property, and even then the'pension granted is barely enough to provide ordinary comforts.' 'it must also be borne in mind that many of tho old people in receipt of pensions had to bear the heat aad burden of the battle in days when the Dominion was young, and had not tho privilege of free education to help them to good positions with good salaries tacked on to them. Now, sir, is there any reason why Civil Servants (who have been naid for their services while employed, nut who, on retiring, find that through thriftlessness or for any other reason, it is necessary ro apply for a pension) should not come up for examination in the manner as tho old ago pensions, and oven then tho pension should not be to provide luxury, but ordinary comfort? Last, but not least, it is usually the man who has been in receipt of the 'biggest salary, and. therefore, more able to provide for old age, that receives the biggest pension. Justice is evidently astray somewhere. Apologising for having trespassed so much on your valuable space, and hoping some abler pen may take this matter up.—l ain, etc., PAY FOR WHAT IS DONE. rOur correspondent apparently does not recognise that ono of the inducements held out to men of ability to join tho Civil Service in tho earlier days of the Colony's existence was the right' to a pension. Without this inducement many of them would not have accented the positions nt tho salaries offered. Nowadays, Civil Servants pay on annual contribution towards the cost of the pension fund, and this in due course entitles them to a 1/ension on retirement.]