The Washington times., 1919-01-27
REPORT OHOUSE
URGESPENSIONLAW
CONTINUED from First Page.l

/
The great majority OF civil servie'
employees are eligible for retiremen
at sixty-ejght: mechanics and cit,
and rural carriers at sixty-hve-
change from the original bill Is founS
in the fact railway mail clerks ar
made eligible at sixty.
The committee points out that fol
a period Of more than thirty years
the question Of making adequate re
tirement provision for the superan
nuated in the Government employ hai
received the serious consideration oi
executive and administrative officials
Many officials, il Is set forth, have
! urged such action. In 1912, Presi-
dent Taft gave it his emphatic en-
dorsement.
That both political parties are com
mitted to it also is stated in th'
report.
The first bill on the subject war
introduced in. Congress in 1889.
More Than 1000 Involved.
The committee calls. attention to
the fact that the American Fedora
tion of Labor is for a pension and
retirement plan and that leading In
dustrial and business concerns have
1
More than 1000 government en-
/ ployes would be eligible to immediate
/ retirement under the bill as 1t stands.
the committee indicates.
The report gives in detail figures
relating to the cost OF the system. as
already given in the report Of the
Senate Civil Service Committee It IL
demonstrated that the government
would not be required for some yeara
to make an appropriation for the
fund.
The Sims Report.
The report as submitted by Mr..
Sims follows:
''Your Committee on Interstate and
Foreign Commerce reports House bill
1882 to the House OF Representa-
tiVes with amendments ana with the
recommendation that the bill as
amended be passed.
Section / provides for retirement OF
the large mass Of civil service en-
ployes at sixty-eight years OF age.
Mechanics, city and rural letter car
riers are to be retired at sixty-hvs
years of age, and railway mail
clerks at sixty. PostmasIers and
employees OF the lighthouse and coast
guard services are not included. Re-
tirement will not be compulsory, now
ever, during the first ten years under
the operation Of the law Csee Sec
tion 81 After ten years retirement
becomes compulsory at seventy-two,
sixty-nine, and slxty-four years OF!
age for the respective groups.
Section ? provides for classihca-
ton by periods of service, and for an
nuities graded in relation to length
OF service and average salary during
the last ten years OF service. The
maximum provided Is 5000. There
is no minimum. Il Is believed that
about so per cent OF those retired
will receive the maximum and that
the average annuity will be about
$500.
section 8 IS designed to give the |
employe the benefit of every period Of |
active service when computing his |
annuity, including service in the |
army, navy, marine corps, or coast |
guard service. II ID provided. how
ever, that any person who Is in re-
ceipt OF a military or naval pension, |
or Of compensation underline war risk /
insurance act, and who shall become /
eligible for retirement under the pro-
visions of this bill, his service in the |
army, navy, marine corps, or coast
guard service shall not be included /
for the purpose Of computing his civil
service annuity.
Benefits To Others.
SECTION 4 provides that employees
of the Library Of Congress and the
Botanic Gardens who come under the
Of the legislative branch |
of the Government, but are not in the |
classified service. shall receive the /
benefits of this bili-their duties and |
tenure of office being considered to be
analogous TO other civil service en- |
pIoyes with a fixed status. This sec
ton authorized the President to eX- |
tend the provisions OF this bill to |
other other classes OF employees not |
already included upon the date Of the |
OF the act; he may also In
ciude, or exclude, employees, or groups |
of employees, whose tenure OF ohice Is
of an intermittent or uncertain dura-
tion.
from the service upon ar |
irving at the age OF retirement, ex-
cent in certain cases mentioned in this |
section. but providing absolutely that |
at the end Of ten years no employe |
shaII he continued in the civil service |
of the United States for period Of |
more than four years beyond the age |
Of retirement
section 6 furnished the regulations |
under which an employe shall apply |
TO the Bureau OF War Risk Insurance |
for his retirement and annuity.
Section Z provides. that every en- |
ploye entering the civil service, or \
therein, after the approval |
Of the act thereby consents and agrees |
to the deductions to be made from |
his salary, pay. or compensation. not
the provisions Of exist |
ing laws. or any rules and regulations |
made in pursuance thereof.
Deducted From Pay.
Section provides that 2Is per
cent shall be deducted and withheld
from the basic salary. pay or compen-
sation of each employe to whom the
bill applies. The section further pro-
vides that these deductions shall be
used to create a special fund to be
known as the civil Service Retire
ment, and that they shall be credit
ed to the individual account OF the
employe, together with interest there
on at per cent compounded on June
30 of each fiscal year. This section
also appropriates. out OF any moneys
in the Treasury not otherwise appro-
priated, a sum which, when added 10
the deductions provided for in the
bill. shall be sufficient to make pay
nents provided by the act. The pro-
yiso of this section authorized the
of the Treasury to invest