Perth Amboy evening news., 1920-07-03
Retirement
PostaIEmployes

ec0pyrIsht. 1870. BY n. washing

&1A
half of the postal employees, in
GLIDING letter carriers in all the
important cities OF the country, who
have been notified that having
reached the age Of sixty-nye years
the retirement age. fixed in the
Civil Service retirement measure.
their services will not be rssuired
after midnight Of August 80.
Congress wrote into the new law
that IL 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 opera
ton and thereafter not to exceed
two two-year periods.
Postmaster General Burleson is
the only department head or bureau
chief who has ruled against retain
ing efficient employees, as thus pro-
vided by law. and in a blanket or
der has declared that all employees
on reaching the retirement age
shall be automatically separated
from the service.
As it was avowedly the intent
of congress to allow such employees
time in which to adjust 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
nfF4Cfanf QoFyfnO rhora mos a Gfarra
of protest from all parts of the
country when the postmaster gen.
erals order became known.
Members of congress from all of
the states in the union have received
complaints regarding the arbitrary
action of the postmaster general
and have taken them up with the
p~ostohlce department and even with
the White House. Thus far POST
master General Burleson has been
obdurate, and First Assistant Post
master General Rooms, who is in
charge OF this branch OF postal ad-
m~inistration. declares that he has
no option, but to enforce Mr.. Bur-
Lessons order.
Representative Frederick X.
OF New Jersey, chairman
OF the House committee Oh reform
in the civil service, and joint author
with Senator Sterling or the retire.
ment act. is much neensed at the
Interpretation OF the postmaster
general that he is entrusted with
autocratic power. and has written
in protest to President Wilson
against Mr.. Burleson's blanket or
der.
Representative Lehlbach quotes a
from john Barton Payne
secretary OF the interior, after con-
ference with representatives OF
other departments looking to uni
form Interpretation and aaministra-
lion OF the act, which says that each
case would be decided on Its merits
and thai it will be Easy 10 determine
the efficiency standing of any en-
ployes from the annual records.
Representative Lehlbach quotes a
tends that the postmaster general
mas made four grave errors in his
HE has undertaken to set aside
and thwart the well known intent of
congress by ignoring an important
provision of the act which provides
Tor continuing in the service efti-
cient employees.
HE has done an injustice to
those employees who had expected
that the employment would con-
tinue indefinitely, and vino will
thus be suddenly thrown ou
of employment at a time
when costs of living are very high.
He has weakened the efficiency
of the postal service by removing
one sweep of the pen hundreds OF
efficient men, who must be replaced
by green or inexperienced men.
gu hoe f.a~aaaad fhA aocf N fba |
government because pensions must
be paid to those dismissed while sal
aries must also be paid to the green
men who r brought into the ser
vice to replace them"
Representative Lehlbach has
urged that appeals should be made
by efficient men, by going over the
head Of Postmaster General Burle-
so and carrying their cases to the
President. Such appeals are being
arranged, and petitions are now be-
ing signed by citizens testifying to
the efficient service given by certain
of the city letter carriers who have
received notice that they must go
on the retired list August 80, al
though they desire to remain n the
service as the law provides.
As an illustration of how the
members of congress are being be-
sieged in this acknowledgements
car of Philadelphia, has received
a complaint from the p~ostofice In
his home city where 120 are affect
ed by the blanket order. He has
carried the case before Representa-
tive Halver Stevenson, chairman
of the House committee on post
office and post roads, and promises
that when congress reassembles he
will ask for an investigation by n
of three House committees-reform
in the civil service which handled
the retirement measure, by the post
Office appropriation committee
which must recommend salaries for
the new employees, or by the COM
mittee to investigate experdi-
lures in the postofice department.
already declared that he will carry
the tight for justice to the postal
employees to the floor of the House.
Scores of other members have de-
clared their intention of supporting
this fight.
In the meantime the officials Of
the national organizations repre-
senting the postal employees. includ-
ing Edward w. Cantwell, secretary
of national association of letter EAR
riers; Thomas F. Flaherty, secretary
treasurer of the National Fedora
ton of Postofice Clerks. and E. j.
Ryan president of the railway mail
association, are all cooperating in
an effort to get Postmaster General
Burleson to modify his interpreta-
ton of the retirement act, and in
protesting to congress for proper
enforcement of the new law.
These official representatives of
the employees r urging that all
those eligible under section s of the