Cite: http://nla.gov.au/nla.news-article3590803

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CIVIL SERVICE SUPERANNUA-

TION.

TO THE EDITOR OF THE BRISBANE COURIER.

Sir,-As my letter of Sunday last contained most of the reasons I had to urge respecting the impolicy of abolishing the above fund, it was not my intention to take any part in the discussion which might possibly be evoked; but the views of your several correspondents, and, if you will excuse my saying so, those advanced in your leading columns also, are so opposed to what I consider the principies upon which the question should be determined that I feel constrained to again address you   upon the subject,

It appears to be considered a sufficient reason for the abolition of the fund that a majority of civil servants are adverse to its con- tinuance. I hold, on the contrary, that if it can be shown it is to the interests of the Public Service that the superannuation clauses of the Act should be retained, then the opinions of the civil servants are of secondary importance.

It cannot be said that those immediately interested are the best advisers or judges in this matter inasmuch as it is on record that  

the great majority of officers under the far more favourable Act of 1863, to their subsequent sorrow, voluntarily relinquished their privilèges under that Act in order to get back and have the immediate use of their contributions.

The arguments, if such they may be called, of most of your correspondents scarcely deserve a reply. Take, for instance, the letter of " X.Y.Z." in this morning's issue. He   authoritatively announces that " the Superan- nuation Fund is undoubtedly insolvent,'' and proceeds to give what he terms " a brief and simple example to prove his statement;" but as the arguments in his example are based on the assumption that all men entering the service at the age of 20 will attain the age of 60 and become pensioners, and then live on for a further period of fourteen years (the expectation of life for those who reach 60)- in other words, that all civil servants of 20 will live to the age of 74-the value of his opinions can be easily gauged. If he can convince the public of the soundness of his reasoning doubtless there will be no lack of applicants   for admission into the service ; but the actuarial tables to which he so confidently refers your readers show that the life expecta- tion at the age of 20 is but 22 years and not 54, as assumed by him. His statement, there- fore, that " in no case can a profit be made excepting by enforced dismissal or voluntary retirement" is altogether erroneous, and on a par with his utterances in a later portion of his letter, referring to gratuities paid to retrenched officers who have been since reappointed to the public service.

As to the opinions of " Actuary," the number of actuaries now in Brisbane can be counted on the fingers of one hand, and not one of those gentlemen would, I am sure, venture to express an opinion upon the solvency or otherwise of any fund without a previous searching actuarial investigation. It is, as a rule, those only who possess a very limited knowledge of a subject who are found willing to commit themselves to positive opinions. An actuarial  

investigation, which the administrator of the fund are most anxious for, is apparently about

the last thing its opponents desire.

I am, sir,

&c. A.B.C.

Toowong, 7th November.  

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