Evening star., 1924-10-15
URGES SIXTY YEARS
AS RETIREMENT AGE
AdJutant General of Army
Suggests Congress Liberal
Ize Law Relating to Clerks.

retirement of Government clerks
at the age of 60 years or after 90
years service has been advocated by
Maj. Gen. Robert c. Davis, the ad-
Jutant general Of the Army. who has
supervision over more clerks than
any other official of the Government.
Il hope that Congress at it's next
session." said Gen. Davis in a specia.
report to the War Department, will
see fit to liberalize the existing civil
service retirement law, both by IN
creasing the amounts of the an
nuities and by lowering the retire
ment age
Maximum WoefulIy Inadequate.
THE maximum annuity is woefully
inadequate to cover ordinary living
expenses at the present time. even
in the case of a person without de-
pendents. The plight of the old man
in straitened circumstances with
wife to support, who has been
awarded less than the maximum, Is
a sorry one. indeed. Moreover, many
persons at the present retirement
age have lost much of their en-
thusiasm and capacity for enjoyment.
Relief from their daily duties at thn
office Is in many cases almost a mat
ter Of Indifference: it is too late TO
derive pleasure from their freedom.
The lowering of the retirement age
by 10 years, or even 5. or after
80 years of service, would enable an
nuitants to enjoy at least some or
the years of leisure that have come
to them at last The liberalizing OF
the retirement law would rebound to-
the benefit Of the Government serv-
ice generally. Federal employees
everywhere would work harder and
better were they assured of a respite
from their labors, with comfort
able income, before all the bright
ness shall have faded from their
lives.
Cites His Personal Experience.
MY interest in the well being of the
civilian employees is founded in personal
experience. 1t would be difficult to find
in the Government service a more capa-
BILE and dependable working force than
the one which assists me in handling the
complex and varied duties assigned to
my care, and i seize this opportunity, to
express my appreciation of their intel
ligent and painstaking efforts.
ITO the commissioned personnel as
well my thanks are due for their efficient
management of the work under their
charge. both in the office itself and in
the field, and the loyalty and fine CO.
operative spirit which they displayed.
My Office made every effort to do full
justice to each and every member of
its civilian personnel in ailocating them
to their grades under the provisions Of
the act of Congress approved March 4.
1928. known as the classification act OF
1928"
Unfnfuenced by Bias.
The officers and civilians who per-
formed this task were intimately ac-
Quainted with all the details of the work
and organization of the Office, and they
were unnf1uenced by bias or favoritiSm.
and were actuated solely by a desire TO
accomplish as thoroughly and accurate
ly as possible their part in administering
the law in accordance with the intent
of Congress, namely, to assign to the
same grade all employees who were per
forming work of equal Importance, diff
ficulty, responsibility and value. A.
though the Personnel Classification
Board did not at first concur in all the
recommendations of the office. correc-
tions were subsequently made in some
cases as the result of appeals. and it is
hoped that the board will finally ap-
prove the ALLEGATIONS made by the Of
flee in all remaining cases. This would
tend to heighten the morale Of the force,
for so long as there exist instances in
which employees are receiving less pay
than others who are performing the
same work or work of the same value
discomfort is sure to exist"