Evening star., 1924-01-15
FORCED1yEAR
Retirement ASKED
Witnesses Tell OF Tragic Ex'
perIences With Veteran
Federal Employees.


snploye OF the government on an
nuity after thirty years OF service 10
only Z matter OF justice. the e'vil
service committees of the Senate and
House were told today by witnesses
Appearing at the Joint hearing on
proposed amendments to the clVn
service retirement act.
The committee was urged to INCLUDE
In any legislation passed q clause
authorising employees to be retired At
the conclusion OF thirty years serv-
ice. Irrespective OF their asea
Thomas F.; Flahsrty', .esrss,ry, Try =
of Post Office Clerks in his testi :
mony particularly emphasized this
demand
"The principle Of a shorter life,
time work should ~,t,s, Gs es'aS,snrGc sSn nrin
clple of a shorter Gays work has
been established. When 1t was first
proposed to fix u twelve.hour work
ing day 4 was hailed as reyolu-
tionary. But twelVe.hour day.
later q ten-hour day and finally, an
eight-heur day has hsccme recognized
as just"
Split Among Groups.
Representatives OF various groups
Of employees divided today over pro-
poaaIs to amend the law so that EN-
p,oyes who have received higher
salaries and +, have paid In larger
sums to tho annuity fund shall be
entitled to higher snnuities.
ona group insisted. that there
should be the same maximum annuity
for all employees. Another group
urged that employees receiving higher
salaries and paying larger sums into
the annuity fund would receive the
higher sn9ges sssr qhomas w
Ing Of the patent Office, now OF New
York. urged upon the committeeman
the establishment of fixed age OF
retirement at which retirement should
committee tragic experiences with
superannuated employees durtRg his
service as head of the patent office,
from 1913 to 1917.
are primary examiners, responsible
receive j2,700 year, There are aiEo
first assistant examiners receiving
$4,000, whose work is very similar TO
,a whose q sss I. nos so great
Trial Of Demotioas.
II undaFtook,t said Mr. Ewing, ito
solve the problem arising out OF
superannuatien by taking some of the
primary examiners and reducing them
to the grade OF >frst assistant exam
iner and putting younger men in their
places.
In one case there was man.
e;gnty-hve years old, who had been
fisty years In the service. He was
bright. we'll and always on hand. but
engaged largely In reminiscing. !
consulted his son and his wife hrsS
and then told him that proposed to
He was very angry and insisted that
he would not agree. However. after
talking with the members of his fam
lily a little later, he accepted the de-
motion.
"Ths second case was that of a
man Of advanced years, but not
sighty,hve. He had lost his grip and
his once was In bad shape, I told
him that had decided to denote him.
the second day. isarnsd iater that
he had come to the office for the FIRST
time after an attack ct strip. and that
may have had something TO do with
his death; But whst killed him. J am
Mr.. Ewinr said that had bsen his
experience, not in separating em-
Roy:s 4, the hs su: %sssly
nuated. He insisted that 1t was not
fair to put up to any adminiStratiye
officer such = duty; that there should
be = definite age OF retirement, when
when rstirenen, would mean no re-
fActlon on the mind.
Proud Of Service.
Government employees are proud
OF their service and proud of the
government" said Mr.. Ewing, and
they should not be placed in situa-
tions that break their hearts"
Mr., Ewing said that he did not ap-
pear as . representative Of any gov
the committees the benent Of his own
experience while commissioner of pat
ents. He said, too, that he believed
that annuities paid on rstirement
erSl 20 those who have had small
He added. however, that he believed
IL only fair that larger annuitiss
should BE- paid to the employees who
~siopsd @ s'ssp sh.ip e.rninr % CAPACITY yhS While
In the, government service. !.
The witnesses heard today. besides
Mr.. Ewing and Mr., Flaherty, included
Edward J. cantwell Of the Associa-
Black Of the Brooklyn navy yard,
Thomas J. Diamond OF the National
OF Postal Supervisors; s.
a. Reynolds OF Alabama, representing
the rural letter mstl nr.a carriers. !7dsts and and
resenting tho postal clerks.
Service OF Clerks.
Mr.. Flaherty said that the. post Of
fee clerks worked q minimum Of eight
hours q day. day and night and holi.
these clerks do more work on the aver
age than other clerks of the govern.
ment service. He urged that govern.
mept employees be given the option of
years. Mr.. Flaherty said that former
Postmasters General Hays and Work
had both recommended such an amend
nent to the law. Mr.. Flahsrty opposed
the prepcsrl to give greater annuitiss
ployss. Hs said that Il there was any
Inequality or unfairness in paying the
same annuity to . higher salaried ON
S,.i who IN ,I sSrn -, had npsv pnid The be-, i:rFs.
matter should be rfghted In some other
The retirement act. hs said; was Inv
tended particularly to aid the lower
salaFied employees IN their old ago:
Lehlhach- -stanheid bill would bring
the greatest good to the greatest
number. as opposed to the bill in
reduced by Mr.. Lnhlbach and pro-
posed by tho officials Of the pension
bureau, which looks 10 higher an
nuitiss tor. the bettsr-paid employees.
Navy Yard workers.
Mr.. Black told the committee that
he represented 1000 employees o. the
Brooklyn navy yard. He said that
StaaAsld bill largely because of the
provision in 1t authorizing retirement
after service of thirty years. He
said that the Standard Oil Company
provision tor retirement OF
their employees. -. :,