CIVIL SERVICE SUPERANNUATION FUND.
Liverpool, 5th May 1853.
Sts—Your article on "The Civil Service Superannuation Fund," in your paper of the 30th April,—advocating that the deduction now made from official servants in the Customs towards their superannuation should form a life-assurance and provident fund for their relatives or dependents, seeing that from the year 1829 to the present time the gross proceeds have reached a total of 621,0001., whilst the sum of 40,000/. only had been paid to the contributors,—has given much satisfaction to all the officials here, who heartily thank you for your able and powerful support in the matter.
With respect to one point, however, allow me to explain what appears to you "an aggravation.' In granting the modern clerks a less superannuation than the ancient ones, there is no injustice to the former. Prior to 1829, the con- tributions from the ancient clerks had accumulated to about 600,0001., which the Government of the day appropriated for the benefit of the country ; and their present superannuation was given to them as an equivalent for the money so taken.
The modern clerk, too, when he entered the service knew the conditions of it.
Both classes still paid Id. in the pound out of their salaries toward the benefit of the "Customs Benevolent Fund," whether insuring in it or not. This fund, as you are aware, is from its nature and constitution of little benefit to poor clerks who cannot afford to insure. Hence, taking these cir- cumstances into consideration, perhaps you may be inclined to think the modern clerk is not unjustly dealt with in the matter of his superannuation with reference to the ancient clerk.
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