The Washington times., 1920-06-25
PENSION DEDUCTION
TO Be MADE DIRECT
U. S. Workers Pay Envelope
viii Receive 81 IL Per Cent
of Basic Amount.
lcontinued from First Paxe.)

pay roll Is concerned with the amount
to be paid the employe and with
nothing further.
1.-The direction of the act that the
Secretary OF the Treasury shall cause
said deductions to be withheld from
specific appropriations and allotmentr
out OF lump-sum appropriations for
payment of salary, etc, operates di-
rectly upon the appropriations re-
ferred to. This appears from the al.
rection TO transfer the sums on the
books OF the Treasury TO the credit
OF the special fund created by the
act--the retirement fund.
This is a matter which can read
ily be accomplished by having all the
executive departments, Government
establishments. etc. report to the Sec
retary OF the Treasury at once, and
thereafter, Immediately following an
appropriation being made by Con-
gress of the amounts for salary, etc.
OF such appropriations, and under
lump-sum appropriations the amount
OF the allotments for salary. etc, OF
those subject to the act. These re-
ports IL approved by the Secretary OF
the Treasury, may be referred TO the
proper auditor for adjustment OF the
appropriations and the special fund
priation becomes available. BY hav
ing, the adjustments made through
auditors settlements the books of the
Trasury will show the amounts trans
ferred to the special fund as expen-
ditures under the respective appropri'
ations as In other cases.
DELAYS IN ANOTHER PLAN.
although section 8 would seem Ia
contemplate merely "A transfer on the
Looks of the Treasury Department
to be accomplished by a simple ap-
preparation transfer warrant-yet
see no objection except delay and un-
necessary work, to the procedure OF
action by the auditors. II you think
that best suited to maintaining your
record of receipts and expenditures
but l do not recommend 1t. At any
rate IL Is clearly the duty OF the Sec
retary Of the Treasury to have placed
to the credit of the retirement fund
on or before August /. 1920. substanti
ally all the money that will represent
2h per cent of the money to be spent
from August /, 1920. to June 80, 1921
for basic salary, pay or compensation
Of persons to whom the act applies.
cit may become necessary under
lump-sum appropriations where those
to whom the act applies are paid on
an hourly or piece-wori basis and al
lotments are made from time to time
and for a lesser period than the fiscal
year, to have reports made accord
ingly, but as general rule the re.
ports should be once for the fiscal
year, and no refunds be made from
the special fund by reason Of reduc-
ton in allotments. lapsed salaries
ETC. subsequent increases in allot-
ments to be reported for deductions
accordingly. The requirement OF
monthly deductions relates to- pay
ments to the employees and not to the
transfer of appropriations.
HAS NO EXTRA DUTIES.
"While. under this retirement law
the Secretar. of the Treasury has the
same duty as that assigned to al
heads of executive departments, l dc
not understand that he has any add
tional duties or responsibilities eX
cepting those stated in section s.
There is no requirement in the act
which makes 1t necessary to keep in
dividual accounts with employees oi
the amount of deductions from theiI
individual salaries, etc. The provi
sions of section Is make the service
record of the cmploye. as kept by the
Civil Service Commission from reports
of the Government services, the rec
ord upon which adjustment of any
claim under the act Is to be made by
the Commissioner of Pensions. Such
records are now usually kept by the
respective Government services, show
ing the employees rate of pay, etc.
and may form the basis of such re.
ports.
FULL SALARIES ILLEGAL.
For the period of actual service
shown by the service record. no more
than 91k per cent of the basic sal
airy, etc, could legally have been paid
and it is to be taken as a fact that
no more was paid. In the case OF
fixed salaries. etc. the amount OF
the deductions can readily be com.
puted from this record when any mat
ter affecting the individual employs
arises: and so also in the case of sal
ary. etc. not fixed, as per hour, piece
work, etc. The administrative office.
now keep records Of such varying
earnings, and the requirements of sec
ton 13 are such that this will neces
sarily be furnished in the reports tc
the Civil Service Commission.
"The transfers from appropriation
to the retirement fund, as hereir
referred to, are matters of regula
ton to be prescribed by the Secre
tary of the Treasury. The seryic,
records are matters for the heads OF
the respective Government services
having regard to the reports pre-
scribed by the Civil Service Commits
sion and the information deemed
proper by this office as hereir
stated"