Evening star., 1933-06-15
FUR[OUGHFEATURE
SEEN IN NEW BILL
Retention Expected if Veto
Requires Redraft of Office
Fund Measure.

If the Independent offices appropria-
ton bill Is vetoed because of the dis
pute over allowances to war veterans,
other sections of the bill setting up
new rules for furloughs and retirements
in the Government service probably
would be retained in the new measure
Congress then would have to prepare.
1t was pointed out at the Capitol to-
day that the provisions of the bill af-
fecting the furloughing and retiring of
Federal workers are not in controversy
between the two houses as the measure
now stands, and that If the veterans
issue leads to veto, it Is likely fea~
lures of the bill on which there Is
agreement would be carried forward
into a rewritten supply bill.
Rotation New Feature.
The new furlough plan in the pend
ing independent Offices bill provides
that when there are more officers and
employees In any branch Of the service
than are necessary for the requirements
Of that service, department heads are
authorized to place the personnel of an
Office on furlough in rotation in order
to distribute the work as far as practi-
cable among all the employees.
The rotative feature, designed to
spread available work to existing per-
sonnel, is the principal change in the
pending bill from the old furlough
clause of the original economy act,
which did not contain the words lin
rotation" The old furlough plan stated
that, in order to keep within the appro-
priations made for the fiscal year, the
heads of departments are authorized
and directed to furlough such employees
for such time as in their judgment is
necessary to avoid dismissals, the higher
salaried to be furloughed first where
possible without injury to the service.
Both the old and the new furloughs
provide that in order to furlough an
partment would have to comply with all
provisions Of the civil service law that
apply to dismissals.
Redraft More Probable.
OF course, if the pending supply bill
reaches veto and continuing reso-
luton is enacted leaving out all new
language contained in the vetoed bill,
then Government departments would
be governed during the coming year by
the old furlough provision. The belief
was expressed in Congressional circles,
however, that the more probable course,
in the event of a veto would be to re-
draft those features of the bill on which
Senate and House conferees have al
ready agreed
If this is done it would apply also
to the new retirement section Of the
bill, designed to give the benefits OF
the retirement law to employees with
80 years of service to their credit who
may be involuntarily separated from
the service during the next two
years through reductions in force. AS
the retirement law now stands, en-
ployes are required to attain certain
age limits, according to the nature of
their work, before receiving retirement
annuities Under the pending bill, If
an employe has been working for the
Government for 80 years and is let out
he could receive the retirement an
nuity, even though he has not reached
the retirement age, but would have to
continue to make his 3l2 per cent Of
salary payment into the fund until he
reaches the regular retirement age. The
Senate tried to broaden this clause to
permit voluntary as well as ''invol-
Lntary' retirements on this basis, but
in conference the voluntary, or op-
tional. feature was eliminatesd.