Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1920-05-05
TSRET|REMENT
BILL AMENDMENT
G. A. Warren Says Non-Re-
placing in Fiscal Year 1921
Would lnjure Business.
To the Editor Of The Star:

10 the Editor OF The Star:
Even a casual survey of the field
reveals that the amendment to the
Sterling ehlbach bill providing that
no person employed IN the Dis
trict Of Columbia retired under the
provisions of this act. during the
fiscal year ending June 80. 1921. shall
be replaced by additional employees"
cannot be enforced without grave in
Jury to the nations business. In nu-
inerouS scientific or technical units
OF the government service the entire
personnel consists of one specialist
assisted by an office force OF. perhaps
three or four persons. and in such
cases the functioning OF the unit
tcharged. 1t may be, with distinctive
work not duplicated elsewhere in the
service) without filling the vacancy
caused by the retirement of the spe-
cialist in charge would be on a par
with an attempt to present the play
of Hamlet with the part of Hamlet
omitted. Furthermore, the field is not
confined to high-salaried specialists.
In many small bureau. office or
service the makeup of the force bears
close analogy to large household
establishment. and. just as the coach
man can't fill the characteristics place.
or the cook take charge of the sta
bleS, in like manner the work of a
great many employees is. in the par
ticular field, distinctive.
The advocates Of civil service retire
ment have. never claimed that uni
formity of conditions prevailed
throughout the service similar to the
presence of ripe apples upon a tree.
the plucking of which in no way ad-
versely affects the tree or the APP
pies that remain.
In carrying out an equitable retire
ment plan no hard and fast rule can
be followed without injury to the
service. A large discretion must be
lett with appointing officers. with.
perhaps a provision that the whole
number of positions in any large
service involved shall be decreased.
whenever practicable. by number
corresponding to a certain proportion
,say 90 per cent? of the retirements.
The vacancy. wherever it can be filled
- promotion. should be carried down
the line until position is reached,
tne nInng of which is unnecessary.
Other conditions permitting, the va
cancy should be carried to the bot
tom of the ladder" Even then the
salary saved to the government
would. nineteen times out of every
twenty. exceed the retirement allow
ance, which attains at its maximum
only $72O per annum. 1t should be
borne in mind that the work abides.
and those left to perform it should
receive the compensation properly In
cident thereto. Any closing of ave-
motion, even for a limited time. is
disastrous to esprit de corps. Then.
TOO. it sometimes happens that the
duties Of "old lions who have lost
their teeth" have long been perform
ed by subordinates. and their work
should receive proper recognition.
The conclusion seems a reasonable
one that appointing officers and en-
ployes generally, il clothed with dis
cretionary powers, may be trusted to
carry out in good faith the purpose
and intent Of this legislation. Con-
Rress has accepted at face value their
statement that retirement law
would be in the interest of economy,
and it is incumbent upon 1t to keep
GEORGE A. WARREN.