Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-02-19
Sponsor IntimateS Hoover
Prefers His Proposal to
DaIe'S Plan.
STEWARD SUPPORTS
MEASURE AT HEARING
Committeeman Grill Federal En-
ployes' Leader Regarding Speed
Of Legislation.

Chairman Lehlbach of the House
civil service committee declared at the
public hearing today on the new re-
tirement bill for Federal employees,
which he recently introduced and which
has become a storm center for diff
fering groups of Government workers,
that President Hoover favors his bill,
and strongly intimated that the Presi-
dent preferred it to the Dale bill al
ready passed by the Senate.
II have no hesitancy in saying" de-
clared Mr.. Lehlbach, that the Presi-
dent favors the principle of the Leill-
bach bill rather than a~mere extension
of the present retirement system, which
I think nobody will deny is unsound."
This statement was made by Mr..
Lehlbach while members of the civil
service committee were grilling Luther
G.. Steward, president of the National
Federation of Federal Employees, who
| favors the new Lehlbach bill. Several
of the members of the committee indi-
/ Gated that in their opinion the more
certain way of getting retirement legis-
latlon at this session was to pass the
Dale bill which has already been passed
by the Senate.
Steward FavOrs Measure.
After Steward had told the commit
tee that he was "unqualifiedly" in favor
of the Lehlbach bill, members wanted
to know why would not the more GER
tain way OF obtaining increased retire
ment Dement'S at this session of Cor
greSS be passage by the House of the
Dale bill. already passed by the Senate.
Mr.. Steward fell back upon a yelled
suggestion that President Hoover was
in favor Of the new Lehlbach bill. I'm
mediately, several members of the com
mittee bounced upon this suggestion IN
an attempt to find out what basis Mr.
Steward had for making it.
We have had several indications of
Mr.. Hoover'S attitude as favorable to
retirement legislation when he was Sec
rotary Of Commerce" declared Mr..
Steward.
LehIbach Interrupts.
This did not satisfy Representative
\ JefferS Of Alabama or Ramspeck of
Georgia. While Mt. Steward was try
ing to avoid more definite statement,
Chairman Lehlbach of the civil service
committee, author of the new bill, in
terrupted the testimony to give what
he said are the Presidents views.
/ Mr.. Lehlbach then asked Mr.. Stew
ara whether he thought the men who
control the House would be more
willing to permit consideration Of a bill
admitted to be stop-gap" rather than
a bill which, Ito some degree at least,
will take care Of the situation for some
time"
The latter presents the most favora-
BILE prospect" declared Mr.. Steward.
But" declared Mr.. LETTERS, "the
House has once already passed the Dale
bill at former session and the Senate
has passed it at this session. As a
practical proposition hasn't it a much
better chance of enactment than a bill
with which members are less familiar"
only in so far as getting something
Is better than getting nothing at all"
answered Mr.. Steward. But we should
not assume too narrow possibilities
should not be too tiEnid."
Pinned down to the. definite question
as to whether the Dale bill, carrying
some increases for retired employees, and
already passed by the Senate, did not
stand a better chance of becoming a
law than the new Lehlbach bill, Mr..
Steward finally admitted that there
was some possibility that this might be
true.
That would not prevent us from
taking up the larger question of remod-
cling the annuity system at a later date,
would it?" asked Mr.. LETTERS!
Well. I think we should pick retire
ment legislation out of the piece
class" said Mr.. Steward.
Mr.. Jeffers suggested that 1t could be
taken out of the piecemeal class later
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