The Washington times., 1920-07-22
WILSON ENDS
PENS|ONSROW
President Directs Aged EN-
ployes Of U. s. Be Kept
Whenever Possible.

Grams. are to have the right OF way
In all questions affecting retention
under the Civil Service Retirement
act.
President Wilson made a decisive
step in their behalf today. The fol-
lowing announcement was made at
the White House:
"The President has directed that.
in considering applications for re-
8. of the Retirement act of May 20.
1920. by soldiers or the widows OF
soldiers. the heads OF departments
and the Civil Service Commission
shall give them the usual prefer
ence."
This action has been taken pursu-
ant to the policy decided upon by the
Cabinet last Tuesday when the need
OF q uniform enforcement OF the re-
tirement law was emphasized.
ANNUITIEs TOO SMALL.
1t operates to create a special class
OF superannuates, those who fought
during the civil war and their wild
ows A number of these Federal en-
ployes, mainly clerks on small sala-
ries. have been protesting bitterly
against retirement because the an
nuities were so small that they would
be unable to exist upon them.
The Presidents order is the exact
sntithesis Of the attitude taken by
Commissioner OF Pensions Saltzgaber
in his now famous order of three
weeks ago. Saltzgaber declared that
all superannuated veterans In the
Pension Bureau were to be automatic
ally retired. because they already
were recipients Of pensions from the
Federal Government under the civil
war pension acts, and therefore had
a distinct advantage over those su-
perannuates who were not veterans
and consequently were not receiving
pensions resulting from war service.
The effect OF Commissioner Saltz-
paber's order was to discriminate
against the veterans, while that or
President Wilson's supcrseding order
is exactly the opposite-it discrimin-
ates in their favor.
CLEARS SITUATION.
Taken in conjunction with the re-
versal of Postmaster General Burie-
sons order relating to automatic re-
tirement, the Presidents stand now
clears up the whole retirement situa-
ton and gives every empioye
chance to be retained II he Is ef-
ncient in his work.
His order serves to clarity a situa-
ton which was rapidly becoming
dangerous, because Thousands or aged
employees were organizing ngnt
against being retired fro NTH eFed-
eral service at this time. They de-
cIared they understood the general
purpose of the retirement act was 10
enable them to leave the Government
service when they were no longr MT
for duty. and to nable them TO spend
their declining years in comfort
They protested against any adminis-
tration of the act which forced them
to retire against their will and re-
gardless Of their efficiency.
LIBERAL POLICY TO RULE.
1t is now clear that q most liberal
policy must be pursued regarding the
INTERPRETATION Of the efficiency of the
aged clerks, because vacancies caused
by their retirement cannot be filled
save by promotion or transfer. 1t
will be impracticable, in the vast
majority Of cases, to Nil them either
by promotion or transfer, according
to officials.
Officials of the Civil Service Com
mission stated today that 1t was the
retirement act not to have the va
cancies caused by retirements to be
filled. This purpose was based on the
theory that an employe would not be
retired until he was no longer OF
service, and II he were no longer OF
service, there was no vacancy that
required another worker in his place.
In other words, there is no provision
in the retirement act to permit one
man to be retired so that his place
can be filled by another accession to
the departmental payroll from the
civil service eligibility list.
ELECT TO STAY.
ANY man more than seventy years
Of age can retire from the service
II he chooses to do So" said Commits
sioner Wales today. But for all
practical purposes he will elect to
stay, and only those will be retired
who are unable to continue their
work efficiently. It stands to reason
that no bureau will sustain a loss
by reason of the retirement of
clerk too old to do his work efficient
ly, and therefore there is need for
filling his place."