five years next preceding his retirement for from five to ten years of service; forty per centum for from ten to twenty years of service; fifty per centum for twenty-one years and over.

SEC. 6. That for the purposes of this act the period of service shall be computed from original employment, whether as a classified or unclassified employee, and shall include periods of service at different times and service in one or more departments, branches, or independent offices of the Government, the Signal Corps prior to July first, eighteen hundred and ninety-one, and the general service in or under the War Department prior to May sixth, eighteen hundred and ninety-six.

SEC. 7. That the Secretary of the Treasury is hereby authorized and directed to pay, out of any moneys in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, a sum sufficient to carry out the purposes of this act.

SEC. 8. That the Secretary of the Treasury is hereby authorized to perform, or cause to be performed, any and all acts and to make such rules and regulations as may be necessary and proper for the purpose of carrying the provisions of this act into full force and effect.

THE PETERS BILL.

[H. R. 11661, Sixty-second Congress, first session.]

A BILL To provide for the retirement of employees in the civil service.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That, beginning with the first of July next following the passage of this act, all employees in the classified civil service shall be eligible for retirement as hereinafter provided.

SEC. 2. That any employee who has served the United States for at least thirtyfive years, and who shall have attained the age of sixty years, shall receive six-twelfths of the average salary, pay, or compensation he may have received for the five years next preceding his retirement. Any employee who has served the United States for at least thirty years, and who shall have attained the age of sixty-two years, shall receive five-twelfths of the average salary, pay, or compensation he may have received for the five years next preceding his retirement. Any employee who has served the United States for at least twenty-five years, and who shall have attained the age of sixty-four years, shall receive four-twelfths of the average salary, pay, or compensation he may have received for the five years next preceding his retirement. employee who has served the United States for at least twenty years, and who shall have attained the age of sixty-six years, shall receive three-twelfths of the average salary, pay, or compensation he may have received for the five years next preceding his retirement.

Any

SEC. 3. That no employee provided for in this act shall be retained in the service after arriving at the age of seventy years.

SEC. 4. That all payments provided for in this act shall be paid quarterly throughout the life of the employee.

SEC. 5. That any employee to whom this act applies who has served the United States for not less than five years and who, by reason of accident or illness not due to vicious habits or intemperance, or who, by reason of exigencies of the service, has become disabled, shall be retired from the service on certificate from the head of the department or independent office in which he is employed to the Secretary of the Treasury setting forth such disabilities; and, on the approval of the Secretary of the Treasury, he shall receive an allowance equal to the annuity provided in section two of this act, irrespective of age. If he has served less than twenty years but at least five years, he shall receive two-twelfths of his average salary, pay, or compensation for the five years next preceding retirement. The arrival at the age of seventy years of an employee who has served less than twenty years shall be sufficient evidence of disability for retirement under this section. The Secretary of the Treasury shall terminate the disability allowance granted to any employee whenever, in his judgment, it is proper to do so: Provided, however, That the disabled employee may appeal to a commission of three, consisting of a commissioner of the district court of the United States where the disabled employee resides, a supervisory officer or other employee selected by the head of the department or independent office in which the disabled employee was last employed, and a competent citizen of good repute selected by disabled employee.

SEC. 6. That for the purpose of this act the period of service shall be computed from original employment, whether as a classified or unclassified employee, and shall include periods of service at different times and service in one or more departments,

branches, or independent offices of the Government, the Signal Corps prior to July first, eighteen hundred and ninety-one, and the general service in or under the War Department prior to May sixth, eighteen hundred and ninety-six.

SEC. 7. That in times of stress any retired employee under the age of seventy, who is able and willing, may be employed as a substitute, auxiliary, or temporary employee, and shall be paid accordingly out of the respective appropriations available for such service; but such employment shall not exceed thirty days' work in any one quarter. Such employment shall not count toward an annuity or disability allow

ance.

SEC. 8. That the Secretary of the Treasury is hereby authorized and directed to pay, out of any moneys in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated, a sum sufficient to carry out the purposes of this act.

SEC. 9. That the Secretary of the Treasury is hereby authorized to perform, or cause to be performed, any and all acts, and to make such rules and regulations as may be necessary and proper for the purpose of carrying the provisions of this act into full force and effect.

THE DUPRÉ BILL.

[H. R. 14873, Sixty-second Congress, second session.]

A BILL For the retirement of United States civil-service employees.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, That after July first, nineteen hundred and twelve, applicants for United States civil-service examinations must not be over forty years of age. This does not apply to those in the service, those who are in the United States Army and Navy, and those who have been honorably discharged from the United States Army or Navy.

SEC. 2. That employees must be five consecutive years in the service to become eligible for retirement. All employees fifty-five years of age who will be twenty-five consecutive years in the service July first, nineteen hundred and twelve, will bə eligible for retirement.

SEC. 3. That the retirement age is sixty. Employees will be retired in July, October, January, and April of each year. Employees eligible for retirement may remain in the service, provided they are mentally and physically capable of performing their duties satisfactorily.

SEC. 4. That employees shall pay monthly dues in advance for retirement and death benefit. (See table of assessments.) Retirement and death benefit dues shall be collected immediately after the passage of this bill. Retirement and death benefit dues shall be deducted from the salaries of employees at the beginning of each month. Receipts will be given employees for amounts deducted from salaries. All moneys deducted from employees for retirement and death benefit dues, also the one dollar per month assessed those that are sixty years or older, shall be remitted to the Treasurer of the United States, who will invest this money in paying securities. Money collected from employees and annual appropriations will be used only to pay retirement and death benefits. Employees from fifty to fifty-four years of age, inclusive, who will be in the service July first, nineteen hundred and twelve, will be granted five additional years to pay assessments for retirement. (See table of assessments.) Employees from fifty-five to fifty-nine years of age, inclusive, who will be in the service July first, nineteen hundred and twelve, will be granted ten additional years' time to pay assessments for retirement. (See table of assessments.) Employees from sixty to Sixty-four years, inclusive, who will be in the service July first, nineteen hundred and twelve, will pay three-fourths of the retirement assessments (one thousand two hundred dollars); that is, they will pay nine hundred dollars. Dues will be five dollars per month. Employees sixty-five years of age or older who will be in the service July first, nineteen hundred and twelve, will pay one-half of the retirement assessments (one thousand two hundred dollars); that is, they will pay six hundred dollars. Dues will be five dollars per month. Employees sixty years of age or older, whether retired or not, will pay one dollar per month in addition to retirement and death benefit dues.

SEC. 5. That employees retired shall receive one hundred dollars per month. The Secretary of the Treasury will pay out of any moneys in the Treasury not otherwise appropriated retirements for the first twelve months after July first, nineteen hundred and twelve. Employees may be retired at any age prior to sixty if unable to perform their duties on account of sickness, not due to vicious habits, accident, and so forth. They will receive a monthly allowance. (See table of benefits.) Employ

ees retired must pay monthly dues until full amount has been paid in. Employees retired before the age of sixty may borrow five hundred dollars at eight per centum interest. In six months' time thereafter they can borrow an additional five hundred dollars at eight per centum interest.

SEC. 6. That employees separated from the service on account of reducing the force will receive either first, full amount paid in for retirement and death benefits with three per centum interest; or, second, full amount paid in for retirement, with three percentum interest, and continue their death benefit in force by paying double rates. Employees separated from the service for any cause whatever, except on account of reducing the force or by death, will receive full amount paid in for retirement, with three per centum interest. They may continue their death benefit in force by paying double rates. Employees separated from the service, who continue their death benefit in force by paying double rates, failing to make their payments promptly, said death benefits will be void. Should employees separated from the service reenter the service, double rates paid on death benefit during the time they were separated from the service shall be considered as single rates; they will continue their death benefit by paying single rates. At the death of an employee, whether retired or not, upon receipt of death certificate the death benefit will be as follows: First, one year with the service, the difference between three hundred dollars, which is one-fourth of death benefit dues (one thousand two hundred dollars), and amount paid in for death benefit, deducted from one thousand two hundred and fifty dollars; second, two years in the service, the difference between six hundred dollars, which is one-half of death benefit dues (one thousand two hundred dollars), and amount paid in for death benefit, deducted from two thousand five hundred dollars; third, three years in the service, the difference between nine hundred dollars, which is threefourths of death benefit dues (one thousand two hundred dollars), and amount paid in for death benefit, deducted from three thousand seven hundred and fifty dollars; fourth, four years in the service or more: (a) Employees retired at the age of sixty or older, the difference between one thousand two hundred dollars and amounts paid in for retirement and death benefit, deducted from five thousand dollars. (b) Employees not yet sixty years of age at time of their death, the difference between one thousand two hundred dollars and amount paid in for death benefit, deducted from five thousand dollars. (c) Employees retired before the age of sixty, the difference between one thousand two hundred dollars and amount paid in for death benefit, also the amount received for retirement in excess of the amount paid for retirement, and whatever may be due on borrowed money; the sum of the three amounts to be deducted from five thousand dollars. (d) Those separated from the service, but who kept up the death benefit by paying double rates, the difference between one thousand two hundred dollars and amount paid in for death benefit at single rates up to the time of separation from the service; one-half of the amount paid in for death benefit at double rates from the time of separation from the service until death; deduct the sum of the two amounts from five thousand dollars. (e) Those who separated from the service and again reentered the serivce, the difference between one thousand two hundred dollars and amount paid in for death benefit at single rates up to the time of separation from the service; one-half of the amount paid in for death benefit from time of separation until reentering the service; the amount paid for death benefit at single rates after reentering the service until the time of death; deduct the sum of three amounts from five thousand dollars. No death benefits will be paid until July, nineteen hundred and thirteen.

SEC. 7. That Congress shall appropriate three hundred thousand dollars per annum. Clerks employed to take charge of the retirement of United States civil-service employees shall have their salaries paid by the department.

Employees 60 years of age or older will pay the same death assessment as those who are 59 years of age.

The CHAIRMAN. Without objection, the committee will stand adjourned.

(Whereupon, at 12.10 o'clock p. m., the committee stood adjourned, to meet at the call of the chairman.)

WASHINGTON, D. C., February 20, 1914.

The Hon. HANNIBAL GODWIN,

Chairman of the House Committee on Reform in the Civil Service.

SIR: Dr. Miller, of the bookkeeping department of the Treasury, has just phoned me that there was a surplus of $450,000 to $500,000 accruing to the Treasury from unearned salaries appropriated by the Congress of 1911-12 for salaries of employees of the Government in the District of Columbia for the fiscal year 1912-13.

Granting that a like surplus from the annual appropriations for similar services should accrue yearly to the Treasury, you can readily see the sources from which would come the amount to reimburse the Government for any annuities provided by the Congress for the superanuated employees in the District of Columbua, and which would go very far toward meeting the cost of the retirement of all the employees of the Government 70 years of age or over, as suggested in the joint resolution submitted herewith, and suggested by myself at the hearing this morning.

In regard to old-age pensions, in my judgment this provision for aged citizens should be relegated to the States saving where the parties interested are employees of the Government in some one or other of the branches of public serviee or are by birth citizens of the District of Columbia. This I understand to be the position on this question entertained by the United States Civil Service Association; which association is also committed to a contributory plan for the ultimate retirement of all civilservice employees excepting that group which is now 70 years of age or over.