Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1919-06-16
RETIREMENT BILL
BEFORE SENATE
Senator Sterling introduces
Measure and Will Urge
Early Action.

A civil service retirement and PEN
sion bill was introduced in the Senate
today by Senator Sterling of South
Dakota. chairman of the Senate COM
mittee on civil service. Senator
Sterling announced that he intended
to seek early action on the measure.
He may call his committee together
to consider the measure this week.
The Sterling bill has been drafted
with the cooperation of the various
civil service organizations. and Is be-
lteyed to represent the result of the
best thought on the matter. While
1t fs like the bill introduced by Sena-
tor Mcclellan of Tennessee. it differs
from 1t in some important features.
The age Of retirement for classified
civil service employees OF the govern
nent under the Sterling bill Is fixed
and letter carriers the age of retire.
ment Is sixty-two years, and for rail-
way postal clerks sixty years.
Are Placed in Five Glasses.
Instead of being divided into three
classes as in the Mcclellan bill. the
employees will be divided into five
classes. as follows:
Glass A-Those employees who have
been in the service thirty years or
more, their annuity will be so per
cent of their annual basic salary for
ten years Immediately preceding re-
tirement, with the provision that it
shall not be more than 1920 nor less
than $3.50 a year.
Class B-Those employees who have
been twenty-seven years in the serv-
ice but less than thirty years, 81 per
cent of their annual salary for ten
years; ina ma ximum annuity. se4s; mini
been in the service twenty-four years
but less than twenty-seven, 48 per cent
of their annual salary for ten years
maximum annuity. 1916; minimum,
Class D-Those employees who have
been In the service twenty-one years
but less than twenty-four, AZ per cent
Of their annual salary for ten wears
maximum annuity. 1904; minimum,
1852:
been in the service eighteen years but
less than twenty-one, SO per cent Of
their annual salary for ten years; maxi
mum annuity. 1892 minimum. s216.
Glass F-Those employees who have
been in the service for fifteen years
their annual salary for ten years: maxi
mum annuity, 1850; minimum, $780,
Contributions by Employees.
Every employee will be required to
pay. or to have withheld from his or
her salary 2h per cent to go to the
fund. 1t Is expected that when the
law first goes into operation it will
be necessary for the government to
contribute something over so per cent
of the money required to pay the an
nufties. AS the years go by, however,
the fund contributed by the employees
will reduce more and more the amount
contributed by the government.
Provision is made that the law
shall go into effect ninety days after
it's approval by the President
The commissioner of pensions is to
be intrusted with the operation.
the law. An appeal will lie from him
to the Secretary Of the Interior.
The fund is to be placed with the
Secretary Of the Treasury, and inter-
est upon it is to be compounded at 4
per cent.
Fatal Disability Provision.
The Sterling bill carries provision
for the retirement on annuity Of en-
ployes who shall become totally dis
abled SO far as earning a living is
concerned, through no fault of their
own. They must. however, have been
in the government service for at least
fifteen years to benefit under this
provision. Their annuities will corre-
spond in amount to those awarded for
retirement under the various classes
already designated. Those retired for
disability will be subject to examina-
ton by a medical officer Of the gov
eminent, and this examination may be
repeated from year to year.
Provision Is made that if the SUPER
vising officer certifies that an EN-
ploye who has reached the age of re-
tirement is able to do the work as
signed him or her and he or she de-
sires to remain on active duty, the
employe may be retained for two
years. At the end Of the two-year
period the same process may be re-
peated.
Meets Other Conditions.
II an emploYe retires from the gov