The Washington times., 1936-12-12

Numerous Government workers
in the higher age brackets have
registered intense interest in the
radical" retirement plan pro
posed recently by E. Claude Bah
cock of the United Civil Service
Employees.
The plan in a nutshell would al
low employees to retire when they
pleased, taking whatever annuity
had accrued to them in the time
served, or would allow them to re
main at their desks until forced
out by charges of superannuation
preferred by administrative Of
ficers.
Some, however, have er
roneously concluded that under
the proposed plan the entire cost
of retirement would be borne by
employees. The plans author today
declared he had no such intention
and added he likewise has no in
tention Of favoring any plan which
would reduce the amount OF annui'
ties now receivable.
Explaining some of the intri
cacies of his proposal, Babcock
said:
"The reduction in gross Gov.
ernment costs would come not
from the reduction of the Gov
ernment's participation in any
one annuity, but by reduction
in the number Of annuitantS
on the roll, which reduction
would come as a result Of the
higher average retirement age.
''It is my opinion that this
plan, while increasing the posi-
bility of employees being retired
when they actually need to be
retired, only on a fair financial
basis, would also eliminate the
increased cost to the Govern
ment of the retirement of peO-
pie who have not yet become
superannuated in fact.
'Tt is obvious that any gov
ernmental cost due to the elimi-
nation of efficient personnel is
o waste, and l believe that the
amount Of this waste would
more than compensate for the
cost of permitting optional re-
tirement to employees who want
to retire, because they sense the
need for it, so that there would
result q saving in the gross ex'
penditure of the Government.
At the same time the benefits to
the employees would be in
creased"
The suggested plan brought this
letter to the U. C. S. E. office:
II read the article in tOday's
Times about you and retirement
and you are on the right track.
Ability and physical condition
should govern retirement, not
age. If a man wants to keep on
working, let him do so, provided
he can do justice to his job.
When the retirement act was
Just passed and twO-year exten-
siOnS were granted, the majority
of mechanics, such as the writer,
asked for and were granted ex-
tensions"
cline up Mr.. Riley and other
live wires who have the Govern
ment employees interest at heart,
and I am sure your ideas will
turn out all right at the next Ses-
sion Of Congress"
Recent election results reveal H
F. RAIDER as president of Lodge %
Of the A. F. G. E., centered at st,
Elizabeth's Hospital. E. P. Free.
man is vice president, Frank H.
Make Is financial secretary, Mary
r. CopSey is recording secretary
and Frank Locavaro is sergeant at
arms. Social events, of which
plenty are planned, are to be di.
rected by William E. Norris.
The new officers will take seats
In January to serve throughout
1887. The balloting also placed
Mrs. Anna Corbin, D. H. Seaton,
Robert r. Austin and Maggie I.
King on the lodges executive
board.
FIash-Lucien Koch, prominent
member Of Lodge IL, Labor. A. F.
G. E., got the limelight in recent
Liberty Magazine story.
Robert L. Johnson, personable
president of the Civil Service Re
form League, will hit Washington
again December 18 when he will
speak at luncheon at the Wash
ington Hotel.
Three vacancies have cropped
up in the Agriculture Orchestra,
Joe Cooper's Exchange" reveals,
due to other assignments given
WPA folk who were playing
within the group.
The orchestra's secretary, who
may be reached through Box 10
Of the South Building, is seeking
q trombone player wo can read
tenor clef, a string bass player
and tune expert familiar with
the intricacies of both the flute
and piccolo. 1t is not mandatory
that the latter's name be "Pete,"
however (pun).
Odds and endS-Thelma Bills,
late of the Treasury and now with
AAA, is requested to contact the
writer the A. F. G. E has two
new lodges, in Buffalo and Philly
:. one year ago today: the Ma