Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1929-02-03
VOTE ON DALE BILL
SOUGHT IN HOUSE
AIabaman Accuses Coolidge
of Delaying Measure Pass
ed in Senate.

Forceful demand on the Republican
leaders was made in the House yester-
day for the members to be allowed to
vote on the Dale bill to liberalize the
retirement law, which has passed the
Senate and been awaiting action on the
House calendar for two sessions.
The demand was made by Repre-
sentative Dallinger, Republican, of Mas
sachusettS, a member of the House civil
service committee, which unanimously
reported the bill, and who was spokes-
man for the committee before the House
rules committee as result of which a
special rule was reported last May. He
insisted that the Republican steering
committee should force Chairman Smell
of the rules committee to call up that
special rule.
Representative Bankhead, Democrat,
of Alabama. accused President Coolidge
Of being responsible for having this
measure prevented from coming to a
vote in the House. Representative La
Guaroia, Republican, of New York, said
that. II the Republican leaders allow 1t
to come up 1t can be, passed in i've
minutes and called for 40 colleagues to
join in forcing such action.
Gibson Questions Dallinger.
Representative Gibson, Republican, of
Vermont, also a member of the civil
service committee, by questioning Mr..
Dallinger brought out that the cost Of
the proposed legislation is negligible
and that the available statistics show
10 NJ
of the contributions of the employees
themselves will not suffer through an
additional burden.
There is absolutely no question as
to the merits of this proposed meas
ure, and can hardly believe that this
body would allow the very small extra
cost to the fund which is involved
less than one-half of one per cent
to interfere with q measure involving
the welfare of so many thousands Of
people," MIR. Dallinger said, especially
when 1t is remembered that the fund
available for the payment of annuities
amounted T.. more than $l03, 000, 900
last July p constantly on the in
crease"
Pointing out the differences between
the estimates as to the size Of this fund
by Government actuaries, and the
actual status of the fund, he continued
THE estimated cost by the actuarieS
has been so far In excess Of the actual
amount that the result Is almost
ridiculous The contributions Of 3h
per cent of the employees salaries
alone amount to more than $4,000. 900
annually, and together with the Gov
ernment'S contribution OF something
ike $40, 10000, there Is an aggregate
c,Vv,a af o1vaack eEn mn mn vaor Tho
total expenditures during the past fiscal
year amounted to less than $4,000, 900.
Says Average Annuity $700.
IT understand from statements that
have been given out regarding this leg
islation, he continued, that the average
annuity is something over $700 under
our present law. Under the amend
ment, which Is now pending, and which
I trust will soon become law, the
average would be raised to something
like $500.
1T has long been recognized by many
of our most successful business enter
prises that retirement OF superannuated
employees is a sound business proposition
and numbers of these concerns pay the
entire cost of annuities. If it Is good,
conservative proposition for large indus
tries and other private enterprises OF
this country, then aside from the
humanitarian aspect of the question,
would it not be logically saving bust
ness proposition for our Government TO
treat it's employees as well as or better
than these business concerns?
Surely this great Government OF
ours cannot afford to allow a measure
so important as this to be held up or
postponed any longer. Think OF the
| thousands upon thousands Of employees
who have given their life's work to the
Government and who have been retired
under the provision Of the act Of May
%. 1920, on annunities so inadequate
that they barely provide existence.
With reference to the estimated
small additional cost by reason Of this
pending bill, at the present time, ow-
| ing 10 the enormous size Of the fund
| in hand and its constant growth, as
I previously stated, 1t Is not necessary for
Congress to make any further appro-
priation, nor will it be from all indica-
tons for years to come"