The Washington herald., 1914-06-18
SIXTY LOSE JOBS;
PAY Of I60 CUT
Pension Office Reduction to
Take Effect June 30An-
other Predicted.
LEGISLATION IS BLAMED
Commissioner Saltzsaber Says There's
Less Work Suffering Minimized.
No 'Vets" Dismissed.
LEGISLATION is BLAMED

There ID hotnM8 p9ycnoio8sc2i eu01s
the depression" which has struck more
than 800 employees Of the pension once.
where. 1t was announced yesterday, sixty
men and women win lose their jobs on
June 90 while 1p others VIII have to
sustain a salary cut Of from 500 TO WOO
a year.
In the case of many of the victims of
the governmental policy of gradually re-
ducing the pension once force these are
hard times indeed. although Commissions
sr Saltxgaber and his aides have done
everything In their power to distribute
the burden on those shoulders which can
best bear It. There IL no prospect Of an
Improvement in conditions % far AZ the
pension ONCE IL concerned. Many who
escaped the AZ this time are merely be-
ing held over for q year. at the expira-
will be another and even more effective
cut.
Result Of Legislation.
The reduction in the Pension Once
force Is largely the result Of the recent
liberal legislation by which practically all
claims have been settled. explained I.
F. Dennis, the Commissioners Law clerk,
who gave out q statement for Mr.. Saltz-
gaber last night The settlement Of all
claims, said Mr.. Dennis, has left little to
be done outside Of attending to disburse-
ments. This. coupled with the fact that
the number of benefciaries on the rolls
is diminished by death to the extent Of
5000 or more annually. makes less and
less work for the ONCE every year. Seven
years ago. said Mr.. Dennis. the Pension
ONCE had 100 employees exclusive of the
disbursing force; now 1t has LOO.
U-k< vx-flI 1<,<S hot 1rst,a
by the present cut got notice yesterday |
afternoon in the form Of a letter, which |
also informed them that they might quit
at once In order to get the benefit Of the !
annual leave allowed them. Notice has
not yet been given to those whose SAL |
aries are to be cut. Commissioner Saltz- |
gaber Is not yet ready to ydve out list
of the victims In either case.
The cut Is necessitated by the govern
ment appropriation biii pending in the
House, said Mr.. Dennis, which calls for /
16 vacancies in the gra1ks from $500 to |
s, 900. employees above that grade being |
deemed too valuable to the department to |
be dropped. But Commission Salt1J
saber thinks that employees who have \
worked themselves up beyond the s. 100
grade are also too valuable to be dropped. /
SO instead of cutting on ten In the 5000
grade. ten in the n. 800 grade and 50 on,
he has reduced the salaries Of men and
women in those grades to bring the total
amount down to meet the appropriation.
Vacancies Were Saved.
Those who are Erred" Mr. Dennis said.
have been getting 8, 400 or less. and that /
only sixty instead Of 1S are going. Ii
due to the creation Of eighty-hve vacan-
cies during the year by resignation. death
or removal Twenty-Five per cent Of these
pcfoo mt - -
law provides but instead all were
saved" by order Of Commissioner Saltx-
saber SO that when the time came for
the annual cut only sixty more vacancies
would have to be created by summary
removal to comply with the appropria-
ton bill. l.
Mr.. Dennis last night corrected q state
ment he had made earlier in the day
that two civil war veterans were among
the dismissed. No veterans, he said. are
On the list. He added that the Commits
the removal Of employees who would be
placed in dire circumstances by the loss
,f work. Were a man and wife both
employed in the office, he explained. one
,f the two has been removed and the ,
'ame method was applied In cases where .
'ather and son or father and daughter .
we're both in the service. In cases where
he choice lay between a married man ;
md single one the latter was selected
ior dismissal. In that way, he said,
by reason of the reduction has
,een minimized as much as possible. II
here are no new laws or new wars to
,ut new names on the pension rolls, 6
Mr.. Dennis said, there will probably be {
mother severe cut next year. In fact, !
lie said. the officials Of the pension ONCE
ear that 1t will be ordered by Con- :
,reSs.