Evening star., 1926-04-28
'PtEAFOR ANNUITY
.0F S1,2OD MADE BY
'U.S. WORKERS BODY
Representatives of 250,000
Employees Tell President
Lords Plan Is Inadequate.
HOLD AVERAGE OF 500
Z ONLY WOULD BE GIVEN
Alcorn Heads Committee Making.
Appeal to Coolidge for Lehlbach-
Stanfeld Bill.

Pleading for legislation setting a
maximum retirement annuity of 81 200
dS outlined in the Lehlbach-S Sta nfield
Dill, the executive committee of the
JOINT conference on retirement, claim
/ ing to represent 250,000 Government
| employees, called on President Coolidge
at the White House today and regis
tered the opposition of six national or
GanizationS to the provisions of the
administration retirement bill. which
would set a maximum annuity of
$1,000.
The committee of 10. headed by
Robert II. Alcorn, chairman of the
Joint conference on retirement, said
| in a statement presented TO the Presi-
dent that the conference holds the
Lord proposal for a maximum an
nuity of $1,000 will not bring i'm
mediate relief for the reason that
the average annuity under this plan
would be only about 500, while un-
der the Lenlbach- -Stanfield bill it
would be about $S13."
Committee Personnel.
The committee was composed of:
Mr.. Alcorn, Ed. J. Gainor, president
of the National Association of Let
ter Carriers; Clarence F. Stinson, as
sistant secretary of the same organi-
zation; w. NJ. Bollins. president, and
II. w. Strickland, secretary, of the
Railway Mail Association; Judd r.
Austin, national president of the Fed
eral Rural Letter Carriers Associa-
ton; Leo E. George, president, and
Thomas f. F'laherty, secretary of the
National Federation of Post Office
Clerks; n. P. Alias, president, Dis
trict No. "A, the International As
sociation of Machinists, and George
G. Seibold, secretary of the Columbia
Typographical Union.
AlcOrn's Statement.
The statement presented to the
press by Mr.. Alcorn. outlining the
visit to the White House, follows:
The Presidents approval OF
maximum retirement annuity of
81 200, under the plan outlined in the
Lehlbach-Stanfield bill now before
Congress. was sought today. The
committee called attention to exist
ing inadequate annuities, and that in
order to provide annuities sufficient
for the retired to live on, the en-
ployes had agreed to contribute per
cent of their salaries to the retire
ment fund.
Retirement under the present law
means, in many instances, poverty
and suffering. The average annuity
received by those retired is only about
S545. Obviously, an aged employe
and his wife cannot live on that.
even with the most rigid economy.
and Government salaries are usually
so low the employe is unable to save
anything before retiring to supple
ment his annuity pittance. All we
seek from Congress is enough to pro-
vide the bare necessities of life for
| the superannuated employe, who has
given a life of useful and loyal serv-
| ice, in the few remaining years of
| his life.
Gen. Lords proposal Of maximum
annuity of $1,000, with an average of
only $500, will not procure the neces-
sary relief. The maximum should not
be less than $1,000. Even then, the
retired employees will be only about
SS13. Many industrial corporations
and municipalities provide pensions
more liberal than this; and if we are
to have retirement at all, surely the
Government can. well afford to be
just"
Cites Economy Effect.
Mr.. Alcorn cited statements of Joseph
N1C1Oyy SONCi AhlACHl oSI0oA ~
tended to show that retirement had
brought about great economy in the
Government service, because Of in
creased efficiency Of a younger per-
sonnel. He contended that the cost
of increased annuities would be lower
than estimated by the board of actu-
aries, due to the fact that a large per-
centage of those reaching retirement
age obtain extensions. thus reducing
the amount of annuities paid, and in
creasing the amount Of the contribu-
tions by the employees. In support of
this claim, he cited the testimony of
DR.. Alvan H. Thompson, chief of the
board of review of the Pension Bu-
reau, before a civil service committee
of Congress.