Evening star., 1924-01-14
RETIREMENT ACT
DECLARED UNJUST
AT JOINT HEARING
Committee Considers Bill
Proposing 60 and 65 as
Ages for Leaving Service.
MAXIMUM ANNUITY PUT
At $1,000 IN ONE MEASURE
Payments Under Present Law to
10000 Benefciaries Called
Wholly Inadequate.

The inadequacy and injustice of the
present civil service retirement act.
affecting 100000 employees of the gov
ernment in the District of Columbia
and the states and territories, were
described in detail at the opening
nearing today on the Stanield-Lehl-
bach bill and other measures 10
amend the retirement act, before n
joint meeting OF the Senate and the
House committees on civil service.
The proposed legislation would in
crease the maximum annuities paid
the retired employees from s72o to
sl'2oo and would decrease the age of
retirement from 10 years to 65 years,
contingent upon the employees having
rendered thirty years service An
other bill offered by Mr.. Lehlbach
would make the age of retirement
80 instead of 65.
Average Annuity, $500.
There are at present 10000 annui-
tants on the retirement roll The re-
tirement law has been In effect for
nearly three and half years Wit
nesses today declared that the average
annuity received is $500, which, under
existing living costs. is entirely in
adequate to support life in any degree
OF comfort, particularly if the retired
empioye has, for example, dependent
wife.
John s. Beach, chief of the retire
ment division of the bureau of pen
sions; Robert H. AIcorn, chairman of
the joint conference on retirement OF
the civil service employees; Edward j.
-<IT
Association Of Letter Carriers; Ed
ward j: Gainor. president OF the Ma
tlonal Association of Letter Carriers;
n. I. Weeks, postmaster at Patchogue,
y. T.. and Col. George E. Kemp, post
master of Philadelphia were heard
by the committee today in support
or amendments to the existing law.
Fund Grows Large.
Figures were presented to the COM
mittees showing that the civil serY.
ice retirement and disability fund is
fur in excess Of what 1t was ex-
pected to be at the time the law was
enacted The total credits were
shown to be s42.42a,4s3.s5. made up
Of the 2is per cent deductions from
interest on investments. The total
annuities and refunds paid out were
given rs S17,042, 33437
ROBERT II. Alcorn declared that he
would bring the greatest good to the
greatest number and at the same
service.
Mr.. Beach. in his statement to the
committee, said:
Had Time to Test Act.
The retirement law has now been
In operation for nearly three and one
half years. There has been ample
! opportunity during this period to
| study the effect Of the law upon th,
service. and to arrive at a conclusion
as to whether 1t has met the expecta-
| tion of its advocates
ut will be recalled that when the
passage of a retirement law was
being urged upon Congress it's ad-
. vocates maintained that IL enacted il
would promote ccoaons- and efficiency
In the service as whole; that it
would AFFORD measure OF relief for
superannuated employees and for
those who become disabled before
reaching retirement age. and that IL
would make for contentment Of mind
of the employees In the active service.
1t is believed, speaking generally,
that all of these things have been
accomplished.
Perhaps the best proof of the eff
f1cacy of the retirement law lies in
the fact that practically no sugges-
tion comes from any quarter looking
towards its repeal. On the contrary,
we find that many employees who now.
do not come within the purview OF
the law are seeking, both individually
and as groups, to be included within
its scope, which is an added proof
that the law is popular, TO say the
least, among those most directly con-
cerned.
Demand for Revision.
'It 10 true. however, that there is
now and has been for some time past
an tnsistent demand that the law be
amended and liberalized. This is
not to be wondered at when we re-
call that the law as finally enacted
IN May, 1920. contained essential
(Continued on Page 2, Column ~