Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-01-05
BY DONALD A. CRAIG.

six months appear distinctly probable
after survey Of the present situation
at the Capitol.
The way is open for the passage of
the needed legislation. All that remains
| 10 be done. apparently, is to guide
the measure stiilfuiiy on its charted
course avoiding few rocks dinly Wis
lpie ahead, which may vanish entirety
| when the time for action arrives
Unless determined effort should be
MADE to change radically the Dale
/ Lehlbach bill, pending in the Senate
and House, or an unexpected contro-
| Versy should arise over details, there
is every indication that Congress will
provide increases in the retirement an
nuities and otherwise liberalize the pres
| ent civil service retirement law before
the end of the present long session.
Would Apply Equally.
The increased BENEFITS proposed III
the Dale-Lehlbach bill would apply
equally to employees already on the re-
| tired list and those who may hereafter
retire.
| Proposals for additional liberalizing
| features have been made by certain Oh
| ganized groups of employees and by ia
| dividuals, on the ground that the Dale
Lehlbach bill does not go far enough, or
| that it is unfair to this or that class of
| employees In some instances these pro-
| posals have been embodied in separate
bills and introduced in the House anu
| Senate.
Whether they will develop into serious
| obstacles in the path of more conServa-
tive retirement legislation, intended To
| liberaliZe TO some degree the present law,
| still remains a matter for conjecture.
| Their advocates do not think so.
But, If any of these proposals should
| lead to n serious controversy between
different groups of employees, or arouse
congressional opposition, the enacL-
ment of retirement bill at the present
session might be teopardized in conse-
| quence. That is the apprehension or
congressional sponsors of the Dale-Lehl-
| bach bill, upon which the hopes OF
most of the Government employees for
increased annuities are mainly conferred
! at this time.
Outlook Now Bright.
! At present, however, the outlook is
bright. The Dale bill was introduced
April Is, 1929. by Senator Porter H.
Dale of Vermont, chairman of the Sem
ate committee on the civil service. 1t
was approved without amendment by
! that committee and reported to the
! Senate by Senator Dale on May Is. It
| now occupies a position near the top of
| the Senate calendar. 1t may not be
reached, however, for some time on ac-
count of the tariff bill and other meas
ures which may be given the right of
| way.
Everything indicates that the Dale
| bill will be considered and passed by
the Senate before the session ends some
time in the Spring or early Summer.
No squall has yet been diseerned in It's
path.
The Lehlbach bill was introduced in
| the House by Representative Frederick
r. Lehlbach of New Jersey, chairman
of the House committee on the civil
service, April %, 1929. His committee
was not one of those organized during
, the special session Of Congress and ac-
/ ton, therefore. had to await the regu-
lar session, which began in December
Made Special Business.
At its first meeting, just before the
| Christmas holidays, the House commit
| tee decided to make the retirement
bill the special order Of business. to be
| taken up by the committee soon after
| Congress reconvenes January 6. The
Lehlbach bill, If not radically changed,
| is expected to pass the House with only
few negative votes.
AS the Dale and Lehlbach measures
| are the same, they are usually spoken
of as one-the Dale-Lehlbach BILL
| They agree with the measure which
was passed by both branches of the
! low because President Coolidge left it
! Unsigned, letting it die as the result
/ Of pocket veto"
! Although none of the employees or
carnations or the congressional Spon-
sors of more liberal retirement legisla-
! ton claim to have any knowledge of
| President Hco,.re attitude toward the
TNala T Ill abb 1Nin ftnxy F.nlIx
| him to sign 1t. His attitude toward
Government employees, they point out,
has always been liberal. They are
basing their hope on the impression
| they have gained heretofore of the
| Presidents views on the subject, with
out having any specific information as
| to his wishes or intentions.
| Senator Dale has submitted to the
Senate a written explanation of the
/ purposes Of his bill in the form Of a
report from the civil service commit
| tee.
Proposes New Method.
"The BILL" says Senator Dale. pro
poses to change the method of COM
| putting the annuity and to increase the
maximum annuity from 81 900 to 81 200.
AT present the annuity Is arrived
at by multiplying the average pay, not
to exceed $1,000 per annum, received
4
OF allowable service, by the number Of
years OF service, not to exceed 30 years,
and dividing the product by As, which
method is intended to produce an an
nuity which shall be two-thirds of the
average pay for the stated period, not
to exceed $1,000, which is an average
annuity Of $740.
by the proposed bill the annuity is
computed by multiplying the average
pay, not to exceed 81 500 per annum
received by the employe during the
| last fiVe years of allowable service, not
to exceed 80 years, and dividing the
product by 40, which method is intend
ed to produce an annuity which shall
be three -fourths of the average pay for
the stated period. not to exceed 81 200,
which is an average annuity of $780,"
Under the proposed bill. Senator Dale
points out, the additional cost Is esti-
mated at $3,504 ,663. He says it is
anticipated that after approximately
% years all the cost to the Government
will be completely liquidated.
Contribute to Fund.
Under the present law the employees
pay 3i2 per cent of their salaries into
the civil service retirement and disa-
hility fund. No change is proposed in
this rate. Senator Dale says that un-
der the present law 1t Is estimated that
the Government pays 4s-l00ths of i
per cent on the pay roll, while under
the proposed bill the cost to the Gov
eminent is estimated at still less than
per cent of the pay roll.
In submitting his report on the bill
last Spring, Senator Dale referred to
ury Department and the Bureau of
Pensions with regard to the fund.
Under these revised figures" he
added, with the estimate based upon