4
thus assuring all employees of equal
and impartial consideration, regardless-
of the department or, service in which;
they are employed.
13> Administrators could assume more?
personal responsibility in selecting and
Recommending; employees for retirement
action or retention^ action. This, of
course, would put the administrator
"on the spot” with some empjdyees and
others, but administrators -are normally
expected to know their employees and
their abilities; They alSo, should be
thoroughly acquainted with and mind
ed to comply with the Retirement - L'ayr
and thus administer it* properly; and
with justice. Their positions in state,
.service warrant such action in a manner
.which will command respect, .
4. Employees should have. reason to
have confidence .in the judgment of
their administrators and should respect
their decisions.
5. Retiring employees; should sub
merge personal desires in deference to
the future benefits to their successors.
Individual opinions should yield , to . the
majority.
6. E m p l o y e e s and administrators
alike should foster a spirit of mutual
respect one for another and should
become better acquainted with and ap
preciative of the problems of each..
Liberalization of Act Is Desirable
The - Oregon Retirement Act, .as
passed in 1945, „is a compromise meas
sure. It is not as desired by the O.S.E.A.
and other supporters. It is a compromise
measure solely because custodians of
state funds were fearful that the'state,
in it's poor financial condition,9 could
not bear its share of the money cost.
The" potential value to public -service
cannot be measured in dollars, so pvas
entirely ignored in equating dollar cost
with increased production and effic
iency. Thus, all employees, and especial
ly those who retire during the first
few years of its operation have been
denied the full benefits which a just
.system would normally provide retiring
-employees. The blame here rests either
on misjudgment of the state’s financial
condition or On the poor financial con
dition itself!
The aqt should'be liberalized at least
in the following respects*-'to give' credit
for a'll-service rendered prior to July 1,
1946p‘€6 proyide for state matching of
an employee’s contributions on the full
amount of his pay; and to permit in
vestment of the funds collected in
higher yielding, yet safe, ^securities.
The O.S.E.A. has consistently striven
to have deficiencies in the act corrected,
both in 1945 and 1947. We will con
tinue to- press for proper action at every
opportunity. I
Benefits Will Increase
/*A s the A ct becomes more fair in its
terms,
waK increasingly fulfill, its
mission -of improving the/^q eieu ey of
state ^’governmental functions. As the
spirit and efficiency of employees Jim-
prgyl||? governmental services will re
turn increasing dividends-.td.Rh^.publiy.
which supports them.. The Retirement
System is; a good investment for the
state, its* employpes? and 'tjhe public.
MAGAZINE FOR CITIZENS
Designed-to aw.aken citizen interest
in the many plans and activities of local
government, a new monthly- magazine,
Citizen, has appeared on the British
scene.. The artuilfes'm this ."journal of
civic affairs” describe and explain, such
local government functipns.ias street
lighting, district, heating, schools, health
services, city planning, and housing.
The purposes of, this new British
magazine are to ; explain local govern
ment activities* and tosdCureicitizen in
terest; and participation in local de
mocracy— a purpose to be commended.
That such an undertaking can also
be a success is- evidenced by I the fact
that n h e w irst RsSues of the magazine
were'sold out within-a very short time,
and paper limitations allows the pub
lishers-to satisfy only a part of a great
public demand.1. I
American City, March, 1947.
"When all is said and done,” usually
a;-good deal more was said than done.