European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - June 24, 1977, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Friday june 24,1977 the stars and stripes Page 7 for outpaces living Cost Rise cushy Congress pension growing by Brooks Jackson Washington a William fish bait Miller retired doorkeeper of the House of representatives gets a pension of nearly $37,000 a  House speaker Carl Albert gets an estimated $48,500. Former Senate re publican Leader Hugh Scott gets an Esti mated $41,500.As of last june 30, the average retired senator or congressman was getting $20,-814 and the average retired congressional employee was getting $10,548.these congressional pensions Are More generous than regular Federal civil serv ice pensions. Statistics supplied by the civil service commission at the request of the associated press show the yearly Cost of pension for retired senators congressmen and con Gressional employees Rose from $2.1 million in 1957 to $40.5 million last year. That s an increase of More than 1,800per cent which is 2v4 times faster than the Rise in other congressional costs and 17times faster than the increase in the . Cost of living  of the full pension Cost is reflected in the legislative budget which has topped$1 billion this year for the first time. Part is paid by the employees and members of Congress themselves and part is hidden in the civil service commission  Rise in pension costs is due mainly to a relatively generous Benefit formula an to swelling numbers of congressional employees covered by the special pensions. Inflation also has pushed up costs of the pensions which Are increased automatically to compensate for the rising Cost of  congressional pension system is a More generous version of the Federal civil service retirement system covering fed eral civilian  the congressional formula Mem Bers of Congress and employees May qualify at age go for a pension of half the average of their highest three year s pay after 20 years of service including any time spent in military service. Other Feder Al workers need nearly 27 years to qualify for a half pay pension at age 60.congressional pensioners May qualify for a pension of 80 per cent of their average High three years pay after 32 years serv ice instead of the 41 years Lovi months required for other Federal workers. In 1969 the pension Law was changed to boost each new pension. It changed the base on which pensions Are figured fro the average of the highest five years pay to the average of the highest three years pay. The number of persons covered by the congressional pension system has expanded along with the numbers of employees working for the House Senate and the architect of the Capitol. Civil service com Mission figures show that last june 30there were 11,383 congressional employees  is an increase of 18 per cent Over the previous three  newly covered employees Are not Only those who Deal with legislation or constituent complaints. In recent years con Gress passed special legislation providing pension benefits to photographers who take publicity shots of senators and con Gressmen to Capitol guides who show tourists around the building and to House and Senate  far however Congress has not give pensions to employees of the House Beauty shop although there have been complaints that it is unfair to favor the Barbers Over the hairdressers and manicurists. The House now is considering a Senate passed Bill to give several congressional employees up to 10 years Worth of special credit toward their pensions As a Reward for service As democratic and Republican political fund raisers for congressional candidates. Welfare fraud Laid to Public employees Chicago a hundreds of government employees in the Chicago area have used in order to get millions of dollars in welfare payments Federal authorities said wednesday.. Atty. Samuel Skinner announced the indictments of 92 persons he said accepted monthly welfare checks and other welfare payments while drawing government salaries. He said he believes such fraud by government employees May be occurring  had Cross checked lists of welfare recipients with lists of Public employees and found 3,183 cases to investigate. Of these Skinner said 62 per cent bad irregularities Many of them  than 700 of these cases will lose their Public Aid be said and More than 100 will be adjusted in favor of taxpayers. From the cases examined the department of Public Aid lost an estimated $10 million. Skinner said. Skinner said indictments were sought in the most aggravated cases which be said showed an astonishing Lack of re Spect by Public employees for the  the coming months 4,500 More Public employees will be  indicted included persons drawing annual salaries of up to $17,500, Skinner said. They worked in civil service jobs with local and Federal governmental agencies. Including the internal Revenue service the . Postal service the .general services administration the Chicago police depart ment Board of education Library system sanitation de the never seen anything like it Skinner said. It is the most serious Law enforcement problem i be seen and i be been around the . Attorney s office for nine  said he will recommend to . Atty. Gen. Griffin Bell and Joseph Califano Secretary of health education and Wel fare that similar investigations be started in every metropol Itan Center. A similar investigation resulted la More than 30 indict ments in Detroit recently. We re hitting two for two Skinner said. In Detroit they did it the investigation and found a major problem. In Illi Nois we did it and found a major problem. I think there could be a problem in every major Day in the  one of those indicted held a government Job for 21 years and collected welfare payments for tvs Yean. Another had a master s degree a salary of More than $15,000, a savings account with $21,000, was employed for More than 11 years and collected welfare for More than three  said those indicted Are charged with mall fraud violations or making false statements. They Are accused flying to the Public Aid about their employment status and salary  convicted each count carries a maximum sentence of five Yean in prison and a Fine of several thousand dollars Skinner said. Photos possible link to girl scout Case escaped con sought in slayings Locust Grove okla. A them ayes county District attorney said thurs Day he is preparing a first degree murder warrant for the arrest of escaped rapist Gene Leroy Hart in the killing of three girl scouts at a summer Camp near he re. Sid Wise said the warrant will be sough by sheriff Glen h. Pete Weaver who feels there now is probable cause to re quest the  the warrant will charge Hart with first degree murder in the death of 8-year-old Lori Lee Farmer one of the scouts said Wise the Oklahoma City times quoted investigative sources earlier in the Day As saying that authorities were trying to Lin two photographs of three women found near the bodies of three slain girl scouts to Hart who escaped from the Mayes county jail in Pryor in 1973.the sources said that Hart might have developed the photographs snowing three women at a wedding while he was serving time at the Granite reformatory in West pm Oklahoma from 1967 to 1969. Hart was convicted in the rape of Tulsa woman in 1972. He broke out of the county jail at Pryor. Okla., several month Slater. He had sentences totalling More than 100 years for the rape two counts of kid Naping and four Cotts of first degree Bur the women in the pictures were identified wednesday after television stations and newspapers throughout the state published the photos. Director Jelf Jeff Laird of the crime Bureau emphasized that the three women Are totally innocent of any complicity in the slayings. The three women were friends of a couple married in 1968. The three scouts aged 8,9 and 10, were killed june 13 during the first night of a camping trip near Here. Two were beaten to death and one was strangled. Their bodies were found several Hundred Yard from the tent they had shared. All three had been sexually  Dally oklahoman identified two of the women in the wedding photographs a Peggy Walker and Ginger Cypret both of Mangum. The third woman asked that he name not be released. Pictures May be clues but the women Are declared totally innocent in slayings. Up Kaaa backs Sale of saccharin with warnings san Francisco a the Ameri can medical association decided on wednesday to support the Sale of saccharin if it carries a Label warning that the artificial sweetener May cause  Ama s House of delegates also vowed to seek changes in the Law under which the government plans to ban the  physicians feel that the food and drug administration s proposed removal of saccharin from the Market recently delayed until sept 1 would leave the without an important tool in controlling diabetes and other  adopted Resolution said that the Ama would support measures to permit the marketing of saccharin As a food Addi Tive or an Over the counter product with la Beling warning of the potential increase in the incidence of cancer in animals an humans based on the currently available  related part of the Resolution was aimed at the food additive act known Ashe Delaney amendment. The Delaney amendment says that if a additive is shown to cause cancer in Ani Mals no matter How much the Anima must consume to cause the disease it must be removed from the  Delaney amendment should be changed to require evidence that cancer could result from taking the additive in amounts equivalent to Normal daily con sumption Tor humans before the sub stance could be banned the Ama said