Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1926-01-14

sent MESA ges to the committee room
declaring their support of liberaliZed
/ retirement law for Government EN-
pluyes Nearly all of them specified
Endorsement Of the Sta nfield LehlbaC h
bill
Communications FayOring Bill.
Representative Lehlbach, who pre-
sided. also placed in the record num-
Der of communications which had been
received from groups of Government
employees in several parts of the coun-
try urging passage of a more liberal
retirement measure.
Mr.. Beach testified the CARRIER Har-
reid bill would prevent the temporary
re employment by the Government of
a retired enploye on the ground that
il is not deSira BILE TO permit this prac-
tiCe. One of two members OF the com
mittee questioned the wisdom of such
a rsE 1eIlon. contending that there
msv os cases in which il would be of
benefit to the Government to call back
temporarily an experienced retired EN-
pfoye rather than TO take an ineXpe-
/! rienced one.
Mr.. Beach also testified that the bill
he is supporting eliminates the present
discretion allowed department heads
! to extend the service of employees OF
reached the retirement age.
Representative Upshaw OF Georgia
and Representative Kelly of Pennsyl-
vania. both made statements to the
committee urging beraliza ton of the
present retirement law in order tG do
a larger measure of justice to men
md women who devote all of their
lives 10 the Government service.
Robert II. Alcorn, chairman Of the
Joint conference on retirement of the
| United States Civil Service Employees
today made public memorials prepared
I by employees of the Bureau of EnGrav-
ing and Printing and the Washington
| Navy Yard in support of the Stan
field Lehlbach bill.
Explain Measure.
The statement of the Bureau of En-
craving and Printing employees ex-
planned the bill they are supporting in
part as follows:
The ages for retirement, with a
provision for Two years extension car
ried in H r. No. I, remain I'M
changed. There is provided. however.
4 system of optional retirement after
80 years of service regardless of age.
provided that retirement under this
paragraph shall be at the option of
the employe and nothing hereinafte Ell
/ contained In this act providing for
automatic action shall apply to the
/ foregoing eligible.
The method Of computing annuity
has been changed resulting generafy
in somewhat higher scale of annuity.
and the ma Ximum has been raised
from 1920 To 81 200. The act of 1922
amending the retirement law by pro
viding for deferred annuities of scaled
down present annuity-in case of in
! voluntary separation after Is years
of service, and at the age of 55-has
been further amended to provide for
a certificate Of deferred annuity for
those involuntarilf separated from
the service between the ages of 40
and 30.
The change in the method of com
putting annuitieS is made appIica bile
to those already on the retired roll.
| The increase of the annuity from 500
to possible $1,000 will not induce
any larger number of mocha meal en-
| ployes to separate themselves from
, the service when they reach the OPP
tional ages. When they do take ad-
vantage of the optional retirement of
the proposed law there will be in every
case the strongest possible reason
why they should do So If they do
! wish to retire, it is very certain proof
that they are no longer able to render
efficient service: and the very object
of a retirement law. from the stand
point of the employer. is to permit
his employees. when no longer able to
render efficient service. in the interest
of economy, to separate themselves
from the service
Dickstein Speaks.
Representative Dickstein of New
York addressed the committee in a
strong argument for passage of the
Stantield La hlbach bill, declaring thai
ii is desirable from the standpoint of
efficiency because 1t will encourage
employees to retire when they reach
the age at which their efficiency be-
gins to go down.
There are two ghosts that bother
employees the Representative contin-
| ued. unemployment and dependent
old age"
Mr.. Dickstein said the Government
employe is not bothered so much by
the fear of unemployment, and thai
if this retirement law is passed, Uncle
Sam will have chance to become a
model employer by making adequate
provision for his employees in old age.