Evening star., 1955-07-30
Increased Annuities

So Civil Service annuitants
may be given an increase of
go. That will come to about
50 a week. Isn't that some
thing? Any self-respecting
labor union leader would be
insulted at such an offer. Re-
Gently truck drivers in New
York got a $14 weekly in
crease. Auto workers got
around $40 a week raise. Even
the Capital Transit employees
turned down an offer of 81 a
week, twice that being sug-
gested for annuitants.
Raises for labor unions come
practically every year. Federal
annuitants haven't had a boost
in almost a decade.
And there is this big further
difference. Every nickel in
crease labor unions get comes
out of the hides of the rest of
us in higher living costs. Fed
eral annuitants have paid a
high levy, six per cent of sal
aries. in order to have a sub
sistence income in old age.
Money now in their fund will
support a raise considerably
higher than this piddling 80.
And it will cost the taxpayer
nothing or next to nothing.
Certainly no Congressman
can justify an increase for
Federal annuitants of less than
$50, at the minimum. This
will mean, for most of these
pensioners, a. total income Of
not more than 81 500, which is
certainly not far above bare
subsistence in these days of
spreading imitation.
One of Them
II \ X
For the transit strike to
have lasted this long is a COM
plete and unequivocal outrage.
For The Star to take a
charmingly philosophical atti-
tude in its July 81 editorial
is almost equally outrageous.
The life of every single fam
lily in this city has been dis
rupted to the point of distrac-
tion; thousands of individuals
must walk miles to work and
back in intense heat at the
risk of their health; other.
thousands are deprived of
their means of livelihood; yet
The Star can talk as if this
were an academic question to
be leisurely considered in an
effort to get the best and fair
est solution.
There is no more time for
quibbling. Not a soul I know
gives a hoot whether the
Morse proposal or the Broyhill
plan is adopted. We want the
other is adopted. We want the
city to take over running the
transit system today, this
hour, this minute.
We don't care if the COM
pany or the union is to blame.
We don't care If the sacred
right of either labor or cap
ital are invaded. All that can
be settled later. We want
transportation.
Jane X. Schwartz.
* y X
/ know every retired per-
son in this country will be
deeply grateful for the great
generosity" shown them by
this administration in back
ing an 8 per cent increase in
their pensions. Surely they
do not have the unadulterated
gall to call this a "cost of liv-
ing" raise. With the average
retiree drawing about $1,000
per year, and some as low as
$500 per year, this would
afford them wonderful" re-
lief, wouldn't it? They gave
the active Government en-
ployes, and others, who are
drawing their full salaries
regularly a very sizable in
crease in salary because they
realized that they needed 1t
to meet the present high cost
Of living. How do they justify
the marked difference in the
increase they are backing for
the retirees who have to meet
the same high cost Of living
on about one-third the in
come?
I am not a retiree but I
am astonished at the shocking
attitude being taken by our
top officials, and Congress. in
regard to this group Of people.
1t is hard to believe that these
people that have grabbed"
everything that they can from
the taxpayers to make living
more plush" for themselves,
their families, and their big
wig friends. would be so cold
and Indifferent to the plight
of others. The majority of
these retired people are too
old for active duty, but they
are still taxpayers and are not
too old to vote. I sincerely
hope that each retired person,