Evening star., 1920-04-04
SENATE PASSES
THE CIVIL SERVICE
RETIREMENT BILL
Seventy Years Fixed as Ace
at Which Employees May
Draw Pensions.
C0NGRESSMEN PREDICT
PASSAGE THIS SESSION
Representative Lehlbach Believes
Measure Will Become Law
Before Adjournment.

The Sterling civil service retirement
bill was passed by the Senate late
yesterday afternoon. Passage of the
bill by the Senate marks an important
milestone in the course of this legis-
lation. 1t is the first time such a
measure has passed either house OF
Congress. Predictions were made last
night that the bill will become a law
before the present session OF Congress
, ends. For more than a decade efforts
have been made to enact a law for the
retirement and pensioning of super
animated government employees. Sew
eral times bills have been reported
favorably from the Congressional
committees. but have failed of action.
Before passing the bill yesterday
the Senate made an important amend
ment. The age of retirement for all
classes of employees covered in the bill
Is made seventy years by this amend
ment. AS originally reported, the bill
fixed the retirement age at sixty-nve.
with proviso that the retirement age
for mechanics. city and rural letter
carriers and post Office clerks should
be sixty-two. and OF railway clerks.
sixty The amendment was offered by
SENATOR Smoot of Utah and was accept
ed by Senator Sterling in charge OF the
bill.
After the adoption of this compro-
mise proposition the opposition to
the bill. which for months had pre-
vented it's passage, fell away, and the
bill was passed on a viva voce vote.
Believes Bill VIII Pass House.
Representative Lehlbach of New
committee of the House, said last
night that he had no doubt the House
would now pass the bill. and that it
would become law before Congress
adjourns. 1t has already been re-
ported favorably to the House by the
committee. and as soon as the pension
appropriation bill and the sundry
civil bill have been disposed Of Mf.-
Lehlbach intends to call 1t up for
action. Friends of the measure as
originally reported are hopeful that
the House will adopt the provision
retiring the employees at sixty-fve
and sixty-two years of age, and that
a compromise. at least. win be effect
ed with the Senate whereby the ma
jority of the employees will be retired
at sixty-eight and the mechanics, ETC..
will be retired at sixty-five.
After the passage of the bill by the
Senate Senator Sterling. in a brief
statement, declared that the bill was
a good one, and that he. too, believed
it would be enacted into law with
little delay.
with the legislative situation i'm
the Senate. it seemed best to accept
the compromise fixing the retirement
age at seventy and to get action on
the bill today" he said. The Army
reorganization bill and many appro-
priation bills, not to mention the
peace resolution, are pressing for
action, and it might not have been
possible to keep the retirement bill
longer before the Senate as it's un-
finished business"
Before offering his amendment
making the age of retirement seven
ty years Senator Smoot declared that
he was willing to see the passage OF
a retirement bill il it was in proper
form. but that he did not consider
the pending bill such as to properly
safeguard the interests of the tax
payers of the country.
Il would rather vote for a straight
out pension plan with the government
ma wing the entire expense than TO vote
for this measure which seems to place
some of the burden on the part of the
employees, but which. in reality. will
place it upon the government and the
taxpayers" he said.
Thinks Seventy Best Age.
Most of the evil in the pending bill.
he continued. Lies in the age set for re-
tirement l propose to offer an amend
ment which will strike out the age Linn
its of sixty-five and sixty-two years.
and fix the age for all employees to re-
tire at seventy
Senator Smoot gave estimates of the
cost of the retirement plan, under the
provisions of the bill and under his
amendment, covering a period of seven
ty-seven years. The total cost of the
retirement plan the first year under the
committee bill, he said, would be S4.
$4,000 the first year. and under his
amendment $2.051, goo. In the seventy
fifth year. hs said, the total cost under
the committee bill would be sS7,000.000.
and under his plan $1S.000,0Q0. He
asured the total cost for seventy-seven
years. under the committee bill, as $2.-
475. .o00 900, and under his amendment
y. .000. .22s,O
He then compared the cost of the re-
.irement law to the government under
he two plans. showing that the govern
nent would have to contribute in seven
v-seyen years under the committee
,lan a total of 81 300. 900. 900 and under
his plan $SO4.oo0.0O0. Under the COM
nittee plan, he said, the government
would have to contribute 1851 per cent
II the total amount used for annuities
@ the employees and under his plan
IS. As per cent. He said that the cost
o the employees under the committee
,lan would be approximately $532.000.-
100, and under his plan $424,000,000.
or the period of seventy-seven years.
''The committee bill does not pro-
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