Evening star., 1924-01-22
'sIAlESHELDMORE
LIBERAL Than U. 5.
Witnesses Tell of Annuity
ProviSionS flor metrBrnpHt
of EmpiDes.

: The United States government. un-
/ der the civil service retirement act
tis not dealing generously with civil
| service elnplosaes, as compared ITO the
Treatment of their employees by sta tes
i,cities and private zbnsirets concerns
according to testimony given before
! the joint NEE ting OF the civil service
comnIfttees of the Senate and Housp
in TIE Senate office building to1ay.
! Witnesses testified that the laws pf
4 New Gork. Illinois and other states
rroNtue that the governments shall pay
at least one-haf of the amount re-
qItired for the annuitiRs. In the case
i OF the federal government the fem-
! pEoYes. under aeNiSting lsiw. contribute
and Will continue to contribute Emnre
tlRn 90 per cent of the amount used
to create the .retirement fund. When
the committee met to-day Ii was With
the hope of completing the hearings
/ on proposed amendments to THE Tettre-
ment act before adjournnfent. It is
fhe .cumn1ittee's purpose then TO begin
/ work ;On legtsiEtion for submission to
/ tho TWO houses.
I Whnesxrs To-day.
Those who Hppeared befure the
committee today were Luther c.
Steward president of the federation
; uf federal employees; Col. IA. i. Gordon
/ kline, Representative Tague Df
Massachusetts, George D Seibnld OF
the Columbia Typographinal Union,
Prof. George "A ELL of the naval OBJ
serviltury. Frank Coleman, editor of
/ the Plate Printer: Jacob ". Stein,
DIR. George +. Bowerman. Iibraria n
OF the public library. and Mrs. Mar
garet Hopkins WDrrefl, an attorney y
Iiu the nepartmeRt uf the interior.
The SD-Called Utield-Le lbRc n
; bill was indprHed by Representative
! TaSue of Massachusetts. who told
! the committee that tho annuTties now
! paid should be Increased 10 the pro-
! posed maximum of 81. .9GG and that tlJy
! all means the provision eufhorizillg
retirement after thirty Eears' service
! should b. enacted into law. He said
! that employees who have been faithful
! in their service to the government
! for many wears arc being separated
| from tn. government service In many
I parts OF the country without the
benefit OF the retirement act because
! they have not reached the specified
age of retirement.
! MIR. Steward Also gave his indorse-
ment and that of the organization
which he represents TO the Starfieti-
LcElbBch bill.
Indorsed hy IInisH.
Mr.. Seibold Jold the committee that
! the Stanfield -Lehlbach bin had been
indorsed also by the Typographical
, Unicn. Tie said that the 1900 maJNi-
mum propeBed I'eprese uted the Erea t.
! est good to the greatest number. Mr..
Seihpid discussed the pensions paid to
members of the International Typo
graphical Union under the plan which
has been in effect since 19eS.
! This PENSION amounts 10 S4l6 a
year. and member of the union Is
~ Ia
| age after hns'ing had tW7enty wears
membership He said that the mem
bers contributed onehalf Uf i per
cent OF their pay to the retirement
fund. At present. he said, the CON
dition of the treasury of the fund Is
better than it ever was before.
Mr.. Stiibola recommended that some
plan be devised whereby al enrploye
OF the government should be given
the right to a hearing bsfore being
dismissed from the service. prefer
ably TO some board of authority out
side Of the department in Which he fE
employed.
At present, he said the head of a
department may dismiss an .emp1oSe
without giving such a hearing, Tor
tho good of the service" Such an en-
ploye is entitled TO a copy OF the
charges against him. and may write a
reply but is accorded no hearing. He
called attention also to the case OF
! months Of retirement age and who
resigned from the service beoause the
conditions in the office In which he
worked became unbearabte.
Exn.sPse OF s4atex.
Or. Hill testified that the states
and municipalities where a retire
meut system has been established
put in at least 80 per cent of the
money required for the retirement
fund.
DR. Hill said that the average sal
ary of the government emEloye af-
fected by the retirement law was
ifrem s1A40 to Sl.500. lie called at
itention of the committee 10 the fact
that under the reclassifcation OF
government employees the bonus.
amounting in recent years to SS4.-
900 .D00 is being added TO the basic
pay OF The employe. SO that next
year the government employees VIII
pay into the retirement fund 2R Per
cent of s34. .96a. .b86 over and above
what they are paying now.
DIR. Fill argued strongly in favor
OF a graduated scRie Of annuities. the
higher annuities to be paid to the
employees who had contributed the
largest Gums TO the retirement funds
No other government, he said
makes the higher sa'laried employees
contribute 20 AS 10 make ND The bal
ance of the lower paid employees, in
may receive a higher annuity than
they would otherwise. He maintain
ed that an <,mp3eye should receive I'm
annuity commensurate with the con-
tIfbution he had made. II II was de-
s:reu TO have one maximum annuity
for all. he said, there should be fixed
maximum proportion of the salary
upon which the employe should make
his contribution.
Mrs. Worrell told the committer
that she represented over 5000 gov
ernment clerks, who, under their own
signatures, had directed her TO say
that they desired the three follow
ing recommendations in any amend
ment to the retirement act:
First, that the annuity be increa sed
TO 800 month Or more.
Second, retirement at the aFe Of
sixty years. at the option of the em-
ploye.
Third. optional retirement after
thirty years service, regardless Of
age.
As the law now stands" said Mrs.
Worrell, 1.-The annuity is Inadequate
TO meet living expenses after retire
1nent. causing great suffering many
deaths and some suicides aafone old
and faithful employees of the govern
ment.'