The Hardin tribune-herald., 1934-08-10
SEEN - HEARD
around the
National Capital

~ oSV0AVA S&IO E4eH
National Capital
- CARTER FIELD
Washington.-A phase Of the econ.
omy program Of Budget Director Lew.
p Douglas which seems slated for the
discard. since 20 many senators and
members Of the house have gone back.
home. y that Of forcing the retirement
q All government employees who have
been on the pay roll for thirty years.
The protests against this plan began.
pouring into Washington some time
back. AZ first they only came from
people who were then over the thirty.
year period Or rapidly approaching It,
Government employees who still had !
few years to 60 before attaining thir-l
~ years service assumed that the rul.
Ing would be changed before it ever.
had q chance to hit them. :
But time has passed and the ruling
has not been changed. Beginning
about q month before adjournment. the
protest mail on this point began to
reach such Hood tide that it an
! peared to be organized. Employees
not only in Washington. but in yir.
tually every post Office, custom house.
internal revenue bureau and what-not
In the country clamored to their sen.
ators and members Of the house for
mandatory action by congress to force
Douglas to desist. It is quite likely
that II there had not been such a
hectic rush to adjourn, something Of
the kind would haye materialized.
But adjournment was reached with:
out action and then the senator's and
representatives for the most part went
home. In short, they got back where
employees fearing the retirement act
could get at them. And they heard
[ plenty. j., .fs
The employees attacked the plan Of
course because they are personally In,
terested In changing 1t. But they also
make an attack on two other grounds.
Many Of them In the customs Offices
and internal revenue bureaus, ct
cetera, entered the service when they
were very young-thousands of them
as young as eighteen or nineteen. I'm
der the Douglas plan they would be
retired when only forty-eight to fifty
years old. They point out that many.
OF them have fixed obligations. Some
are buying houses. Some are paying
high insurance premiums Very many
are, supporting families. The cut In
salaries was not 80 bad. The Is Der
cent bothered them, but did not Grip
pie them. But reduction to pension
basis, coming on the heels of what to
them has been tough time due to the
cut and coming just rs the cut is be.
ing partially restored, would leave
them high and dry. %$@
No Real Efficiency =
~ These old employees point out that
there Is no real efficiency in the plan,
although the government saves the DIFF
ference between the retiring salaries
and the salaries Of clerks just enter
ing the service. This II more than Of
set, they say. by the much greater e.
fciency. due to long experience, Of the
older employees. They make their
chief drive with respect to clerks who
would be retired around nifty to fifty
hve. No serious argument II made
against retiring employees whose eff
cheney has been lessened by advancing
years. j VII
The government makes the small net
saving Of the difference between the
tive classes Of salaries. It does not
have to pay the pensions. These come
out Of the retirement fund. = ~..
Aad right here lies one Of the real
grievances Of all federal employees
against the measure whether they be
in danger Of early retirement or not.
The point is that this plan by whole.
sale retirement OF. large numbers of
employees would cut heavily into this
retirement fund. The employees charge
that In two or three years 1t would
entirely use up this backlog built up
by deducting from each pay check Of
federal employees over long years dur
Ing which they have looked forward to
retirement. *,
The original retirement plan was
very carefully figured on life Insurance
statistics. The amount to be taken
from each employee was calculated
roughly on the idea of employees being
retired when well up In the sixties.
Also the probable length Of life during
which the pensions would be drawn.
The Douglas plan knocks all this gal
ley-west.
Campaign punch
81 Sugar and whisky are the prime In
gradients for . good punch. They
have been used lavishly In the punch
the Republican candidates intend to
ft,y.ro rnon THAR nov,n - @n,,,,o,,~,.x.