Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-02-21
Author to Withdraw Measure
and Ask Favorable Report
on Dale Proposal.
DECLARES FOES FEARS
CAUSE OF OPPOSITION
Plans to Resubmit Provisions and
Forecasts It's Eventual En-
actment as Law.

Chairman Lehlbach of the House
civil service committee announced to-
day that he would withdraw his bill
for revising the civil service retire.
ment law and will ask his committee
at the meeting next Tuesday to report
favorably the Dale bill to liberalize the
existing law for the benefit especially of .
low-paid employees.
A poll of the civil service committee
today showed that there are IS votes
out of 81 to report out the Dale bill.
Late yesterday the rural free delivery
carriers recorded themselves as heartily
in support of the Dale bill.
Lehlbach's Statement.
In his statement today Chairman
Lehlbach said:
mo one is DESTROYS of enacting re-
tirement legislation at this session of
Congress more than 1 am. It is my
conviction that the new Lehlbach bill,
If considered on its merits, would have
become law just as soon as the Dale
bill. Upon the suggestion of new
legislation on the subject of retirement.
panic seized some who were interested.
They believed that consideration of any
retirement legislation other than the
Dale bill in the form in which it passed
the Senate would preclude the passage
Of any bill on the subject. The oppose
ton to the new bill, motivated by fear
of the postponement of legislation, was
based not on the merits of the proposed
measure but on eXaggerations. distor-
tons and misconceptions of its provi-
sions. am convinced that a calm and
dispassionate consideration of the pro-
visions of the new Lehlbach bill will
win for it the support of all who are
capable OF understanding
However, ii is useless to reason with
people who arc obscssed with a ground
less fear and it Is obvious that in the
present circumstances 4 fair considera-
ton OF the bill cannot be obtained
Consequently / withdraw the bill from
present consideration and will request
my committee at its next session to re-
port the Dale bill.
Later, will again submit the ew
bill. convinced that-once its provisions
are understood IT win become law"
Alcorn States Objections.
Opposition to the Lehlbach bill was
| voiced by several witnesses before the
committee yesterday afternoon. Chief
among them was Robert H. Alcorn,
chairman of the joint conference on re-
tirement, who expressed the opinion
that Congress at this time would not
consider favorably retirement legisla-
ton more liberal than the Dale bill He
gave as his chief objections to the
Lehlbach bill the tontine feature and
forfeiture provision.
Stating to the committee that "there
has been considerable dificulty in hay-
ing the Senate pass the bill providing
for $1,000 maximum annuity" Alcorn
said: WE have felt that it would not
be possible to get the Senate or the
House to look with favor upon a more
liberal annuity but we do know If the
sentiment of the House holds good, as
it did a year ago. they would pass the
Dale-Lehlbach bill II 1t was allowed to
go before them"
Alcorn stated to the committee that
there are desirable features of the Lehl-
bach bill, notably provision for lower
retirement age for mechanics and
laborers in the navy yards and stations,
but he suggested that the desirable pro-
visions be incorporated in the Dale bill
as amendments.
I'VE admit that the Dale bill is not
all that 1t should be in the matter of
retirement law" he said, but it is a
decided step forward and will give SUBJ
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