Evening star., 1920-12-12
PUT PENSION FIGHT
BEFORE CONGRESS
New Move to Secure Retire-
ment for Unclassified En-
pIoyes of Government.

Having failed to induce the Civil
Service Commission to recommend to
President Wilson the extension Of
the Sssslremsnt act to ins1tde uH-
classified employees the executive
committee of the joint conferenne on
retirement voted yesterday to take
up the issue with the cfairmen ofsthe
civil service committees of the House
and Senate, and to be guided by the
gress.
r. H. Alcorn appointed a commit
tee to wait on Senator Sterling and
Representative Lehlbach this week,
its members being e. ]. Ryan,
Thomas f. ETaherty. Frank w. Lee.
+. J. Gainor, c. EJer Reed. william
D. Clark and George A. Warren
Two Stumbling Blocks.
The question was first taken up
with the Civil Service Commission by
letter. to which the commission re-
piled that two reasons prevented the
recommendation of the extension Of
the retirement act; first. the govern
ment should have at least twelve
months to work out plans for the ad-
ministration of the act with respect
cluded by the act itself; and, second,
because extensions of the provisions
Of the act to include a group Of en-
ployes would mean that when any
employe of any such group was re-
tired the resultant vacancy could not
be filled during the first year of the
administration of the act.
Provisions of the act that vacancies
resulting from retirement may be filed
by promotion has little, if any, particu-
lar application to laborers," wrote
President Morrison, "and retirement
during the first year Of the adminis-
tration of the act would consequently
mean the loss to a department Of one
position for every laborer retired"
hearing on the issue was later
held before the commission and in
second letter, read before the execu-
tive committee of the joint conference
last night. President Morrison again
president could not be made, and added: :
Administrative Difficulties.
sideration to your suggestion that indi-
vidual laborers. as they reach the retire
ment age. be given its benefits, without
extending the act to the entire class of
laborers. This, also, the commission is
unable to recommend. Aside from ad
ministrative difficulties there would be
manifest inequity in extending benefits
to individuals without making like ex-
tension to the entire class.
with the benefits there must go the
burden of contribution from the class.
Congress intended that the retire
ment system should, in part be self
supporting, since all those to whom the
button. There would be no contribu-
ton to the fund, if individuals were en-
braced within the system only upon
reaching the retirement age. This would
be pure pension and not a contribu-
tory retirement system, as intended by
Congress-
: AS committee to make tentative
plans and recommendations for a mass
meeting or entertainment to be held un-
der the auspices of the joint conference
on retirement, Mr.. Alcorn named Ber-
nard G. Ladd. Frank ]. Coleman, N
p. Atlas, Gertrude M. McNally. Thomas
F. Flaherty, NJ. A. Bodenhamer and W.
NJ. Collins. Another committee, named
| to make recommendations concerning
the suggestion to change the title of
the conference at the next meeting, In
cluded f J. Gainor, George A. Warren
Frank w. Lee. N. c. sprague and J.. D.
Evans.