Evening star., 1948-01-24
Conferees Will Seek
Accord Next Week on
7 Retirement Bills
By Joseph Young

onclle the QluerenceS IN TWO civil
service retirement measures passed
by Congress,
A number of meetings between
the two groups apparently will be
necessary before compromise legisla-
ton can be worked out. But spon-
sors Of the legislation say they hope
final enactment of a satisfactory
measure can be achieved within the
next few weeks.
The Senate yesterday adopted the
bill sponsored by Senator Taft, Re-
publican, of Ohio, as an amendment
to the original Langer-Chavez
measure. And the Taft bill is con-
siderably different from the House
passed Stevenson measure.
Differ in Liberal Benefits.
The question of which bill Is more
liberal depends on which feature
Government employees are most in
terested in. The Taft bill Is more
liberal in survivorship insurance
benefits, while the Stevenson meas
ure provides larger annuity pay
ments on retirement.
Both bills provide the same an
nuity increases for those Govern
ment employees already retired-25
per cent or $500, whichever amount
Is smaller.
The Senate adopted an amend
ment to the Taft bill yesterday
which would have the effect OF limit
ing this increase somewhat.
The Senate adopted an amend by
Senator Williams, Republican, OF
Delaware, which states that no
retired employe could receive a
pension larger than the amount he
would receive If he retired now
under the new formula set up by the
Taft bill.
Amendment Unlikely to Stand.
However, there Is good chance
that the amendment will be stricken
hy the House Senate conferees
Senator Taft and the other Senate
conferees did not appear too enthu-
siastic about this provision and &C
cepted 1t only to expedite the bills
passage.
Here are some of the differences
In the two bills that will have to
be reconciled:
The Taft bill would provide about
q Is per cent increase in annuities,
with a limit of IS years of serv-
ice on which the annuities are to
be computed The Stevenson bill
Is more liberal in this respect, in
creasing annuities by about 1S per
cent, with no limit on the years of
service.
Beyond IS Years Uncounted.
Thus, the Taft bill would react
against employees who work for more
than IS years, because these addi-
tional years would not be counted
In computing their annuity.
In the matter of survivorship in
surance benefits, the Taft bill is
better so far as most Government
employees are concerned. 1t would
provide for benefits to the minor
children and widows Of deceased
Federal workers. When the chill
dren reached 18, their payments
would cease, but a widows bene-
fits would 60 on for life, unless
she remarries. In cases where
there were no children, q widows
benefits would start when she
reached 80.
The Stevenson bill contains no pro-
visions for childrens benef1ts-only
for widows with children, the bene-
fits to stop when the children
reached the age Of 1S. Widows woulc
resume getting the benefits wher
they reached the age of go. Widows
with no children would get an
nuities at go.
The Stevenson bill would give
widows lump-sum payments, con.
sisting of their husbands contribu-
tions to the fund when their
spouses died. And they also would
get annuities at the age of 90. In
this respect it is more liberal than
the Taft bill which would give
widows the option of taking the
lump-sum payments or choosing
regular annuity payments.
$500 Limit on Children.
Annual benefits for each depend
ent child, under the Taft bill, would
be $3.50, with limit of 5000 If there
were more than two children.
Under the Stevenson bill, retire.
ment would be automatic when an
employe reached 10, with at least
Is years of service. Under the Taft
bill, this would be cut to 10 years
service. The Stevenson bill would
provide that an employe involuntar-
lily separated after Is or more years
Of service could begin drawing a
pension at once. But in the Taft
bill, this provision is eliminated.
The Taft bill would allow Gov
ernment employees with five or more
years of service to withdraw their
annuity contributions, with inter-
est, at any time Or they could
leave the money in the retirement
fund when they left the Govern
ment and could get their annuity
at So. Under the Stevenson bill,
an employe with 5 to 10 years of
service would have the option Of
drawing out his contributions to
the fund when he left the Govern
ment. But If he served more than
10 years, he would have to leave
1t in the fund until he was 81,
when annuity payments would
begin.
Both Raise Payments.
In return for all these liberal
lied benefits, Government employees
in both bills would pay 6 per cent
Of their salaries, instead of the
present per cent rate.
Chairman LANCER of the Senate
Civil Service Committee and Sem
ator Chavez. Democrat. of New
Mexico, teamed up with Senator
Taft yesterday to gain unanimous
Senate approval. Although the bill
officially bears the Taft label. 1t is
really the combined work of Senator
LANCER. Chavez and Taft.
Senator Williams, who unsuccess-
fully opposed some features of the
legislation. charged that Warren
Irons, Civil Service Commission re-
tirement chief, had "propagandized'
on behalf of the bill. He said he
would present the matter to the