Evening star., 1920-07-04
OWERFUL forces are being
. massed in behalf of the postal
employees. including letter car

L. massed in behalf of the postal
employees. including letter car
= riers in all the important cities
of the country, who have been notified
| that having reached the age of sixty
five years. the retirement age fixed
in the civil service retirement meas
ure. their services will not be re-
| quired after midnight of August 20.
Congress wrote into the new law
that if such men desire to remain in
service and their chiefs certify that
| they are doing efficient work. they
| may be retained on the payroll in
two-year periods during the first ten
years that the act is in operation. and
thereafter not to exceed two two-year
periods.
Postmaster General Burleson is the
only department head or bureau chief
who has ruled against retaining eff
cient employees, as thus provided by
law, and in a blanket order has de-
clared that all employees on reaching
the retirement age shall be automati-
| cally separated from the service.
Was Not Intent Of Law.
AS it was avowedly the intent of
Congress to allow such employees time
in which to adjust their affairs to
meet the changed conditions. and at
| the same time to achieve economy
and efficiency in the federal service
by retaining those who by long years
of training were able to give efficient
service. there was storm of protest
| from all parts of the country when
| the Postmaster Generals order be-
came known.
/ Members of Congress from all of
| the states in the Union have received
| complaints regarding the action of
| the Postmaster General and have
| taken them up with the Post Office
Department and even with the
| White House Thus far Postmaster
| General Burleson has been obdurate.
| and First Assistant Postmaster Gen
] eral Koons, who is in charge of this
| branch of postal administration, de-
| clares that he has no option but to
| enforce Mr.. Burleson's order.
Protests to Wilson.
bach of New Jersey. chairman of the
House committee on reform in the
| civil service, and joint author with
| Senator Sterling of the retirement act,
| Is much incensed at the interpreta-
ton of the Postmaster General that
| he is intrusted with autocratic power,
and has written in protest to Presi-
dent Wilson against Mr.. Burleson's
blanket order.
Representative -Lehlbach quotes .
| statement from John Barton Payne
| Secretary of the Interior. after con.
ference with representatives of other
departments looking to uniform in
| depreciation and administration of the
act, which says that each case should
be decided on it's merits and that it
| will be easy to determine the eff
| cheney standing of any employees from
the annual records.
Cites -Four Grave Errors.
Representative Lehlbach contends
| that the Postmaster. General has made
four grave errors in his ruling:
He has undertaken to set aside
] and thwart the well known intent of
Congress by ignoring an important
provision of the act which provides
for continuing in the service eff
cient employees.
HE has done an injustice to those
i employees who had expected that their
employment would continue indefi
nitely, and who will thus be suddenly
thrown out of employment at time
| when costs of living are very high.
He has weakened the efficiency of
the postal service by removing at
one sweep of the pen hundreds of
efficient men, who must be replaced
by green or inexperienced men.
| He has increased the cost to the
! government because pensions must
he paid to those dismissed while sal
aries must also be paid to the green
men who are brought into the service
! to replace them"
| Lehlbach Urges Appeals.
Representative Lehlbach has urged
| that appeals should be made by eff
cient men. by going over the head of
Postmaster General Burleson and car
rying their cases direct to the Presi-
dent Such appeals are being arranged,