Evening star., 1926-05-20
RETIREMENT BILL
PASSED BY SENATE
ON LIBERAL BASIS
Measure Providing $1,000
Annuity Passed Without
Record Vote.
SMOOT PREDICTS HOUSE
PLAN WILL BECOME LAW
Proponents of Maximum Payments
Insist on Another Vote if Dead
locked in Conference.

The Senate this afternoon passed
without record vote the civil serv-
| ice retirement bill as recommended
| by its civil service committee. carry
ing a much more liberal plan than
that approved by the House on
Monday.
The bill is now ready for conference
| between groups from the Senate and
| House, to consider the varying pro-
visions as acted on at both ends of
| the Capitol.
The House bill increased the maxi
mum annuity from S720 a year to
ST 200, and left the age of compul-
sorry retirement for the various classes
of employees the same as in existing
law, and with no provision for volun-
tary retirement.
Provides $1,000 Maximum.
The bill as amended by the Senate
increases the annuity to $1,000. and
would permit employees to retire vol.
unfairly at their own option after 80
years of service, as follows: The group
that is automatically retired at 10.
which means clerks, could exercise
the option OF retirement at 65; the
group that automatically retires at
65 would have optional retirement at
62, and the group automatically re-
tired at 62 would receive no optional
privilege.
For more than an hour before the
bill passed there a lively discussion
in the Senate as to whether there was
any chance of inducing the House to
yield and have the President approve
the more liberal bill.
Simmons for Dignity.
Senator Simmons, Democrat, North
Carolina, vigorously denounced the
practice of asking the Senate to pass
legislation which is not entirely in
accord with the wishes of the Senate,
because of a fear that the House will
not yield in conference or that the
President will not approve 1t with his
signature.
The Senate. he declared. should
have a higher sense of its dignity
and should vote for legislation which
its conscience dictates is fair, and
then let the legislation take care Of
itself in conference.
Senator Simmons made these asser-
tions after several Senators had in
dicated that, while they favored the
more liberal measure, they understood
that there was no chance of getting
more than the House had voted for.
Senator Smoot. who led the fight in
the Senate for the House bill, which
is understood to have the approval of
the administration, concluded the de-
bate by saying that he did not believe
even the representatives of the Gov
ernment employees themselves expect
ed that the law as finally enacted
would be more liberal than the House
has approved.
Wants Some Plan Adopted.
He said it may be that the en-
ployees desire the Senate to pass the
$1,000 bill to establish a precedent for
some further legislation later.
Il think the Senate has made up
it's mind that it wants the Senate bill,
and / shall not take up time for fur
ther discussion" said Senator Smoot.
But the same bill was passed by the
Senate before and the House allowed
it to die without action. and all that
l hope is that whatever action the
Senate takes, that it will not prevent
some plan from becoming law"
Just before the final vote was taken
the Senate adopted several minor
amendments offered from the floor.
One, by Senator George of Georgia,
would provide for a minimum annuity
of $720 each year. for employees re-
tired for total disability after Is years
of service. Another, by Senator Jones
of Washington, would give allowance
to employees who are transferred from
the civil service to employment un-
der the Legislative branch Of the Gov
ernment and later restore to a civil
service status. The purpose of the
amendment is to give them credit in
counting up their total period of serv-
ice for the time in which they are
under the legislative branch.
Just before the question came to
vote, there were debates as to
whether President Coolidge would
veto retirement legislation if the Sem
ate should be successful in putting
through it's more liberal 81 200 an
nuity, instead of the House bill, which
is understood to have the indorse-
ment of the administration.
Senator Smoot, Republican, of Utah,
CONTINUED on Page d, Column g.