Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-11-20
NO NEED FOR ALARM
Older Employees Of the Pension
Bureau Reassured.
NO RADICAL CHANGES
DESIRES TO CONDUCT THE OFFICE
ON A BUSINESS BASIS.
Dismissals on Account Of Age VIII Not
Be Made, Though Efficiency Will
Be the Rule for Rank.

There need be no feeling of alarm
among the older employees of the pension
Office for fear of far-reaching and revoiu-
tionary changes" said Commissioner War
ner to reporter for The Star today Tt
has never been my intention to make any
radical changes in the personnel Of the
force and l see no reason for doing so at
this time. 1t is quite true that from time to
time. as some of the employees OF the pension
Office grow old and are not active enough
or otherwise able to perform the duties as
signed to them. they will be given other
work to do and active young men will be
promoted to fill their places.
'.It is my earnest DESIRE" continued the
Commissioner, ito have the Office on q
business basis and to have the work per-
formed in the best possible manner, but /
do not intend to discharge men who have
devoted their entire lives. practically. 10.
the service of the government, and who
have fought In battle for the nations flag
and honor have concluded that there Is
some place in the Office that every man can
fill and these places are to be given to men
who unable to keep up with the duties
at present assigned to them.
The Rule to Be Employed.
.It is not true. as has been stated, that
the high salaried men will be reduced to
the WV pCSltiOnS ana the WV IRSn pro-
NOTED to the high places. II a man is un-
able to do the work assigned him. but can
do the work in the next lowest grade, that
is the place he will get and so on down the
scale. In other words a man has the OPP
portunity to work himself up to the top
and then. when It Is found that he cannot
perform the duties, he will be taken down
the scale gradually and in keeping with the
work he Is capable of doing. This prac-
tice, 1 have concluded, Is far better than
letting man go to he top and. when from
declining years or other disability he be-
comes unable to do his work, drop him from
the rolls, Those clerks who would be at
fected by such an arrangement understand
Il and thoroughly appreciate It."
Uneasiness Among Employees.
There has been some uneaslness among
number of employees of the pension Office
over the mistaken report that Commission
er Warner had intended to make some very
radical changes which would affect all the
old men and old employees In the office that
had reached the period In their career when
they could no longer do the work assigned
to them Rumor had It that all these clerks
would be dropped to the lowest grade and
the clerks of the low grades promoted to
I'LL the vacancies. AS will be seen by Com
missioner Warmers statement, no such
thing Is thought of. He is simply arrang-
Ing to provide for the care Of men and wo-
men who have become unable to do the
work assigned to them by giving them such
work as they are capable Of doing, which
practically means that they are to have
pension for life.
There are now on the rolls Of the pension
Office six persons who are over eighty-four
years old twelve who are over eighty, one
who Is eighty-six and one who ts eighty
seven. These people, it is said, are in an
agitated state Of mind and to dismiss them
from the service at this time would work a !
hardship. which the commissioner says he
would not impose.