European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - April 29, 1992, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Wednesday april 29, 1992 the stars and stripes a Page 3early retirement has Little Appeal older Federal workers opting to keep jobs by Mike Causey the Washington Post Washington a one in every four Federal government workers could retire today. That plus Normal turnover ought to mean that agencies should be Able to slim Down through attrition rather than by firing workers who have just started their careers. But attrition by retirement Hasni to been the Norm since the private Job Market got tight. The defense department with nearly 90,000 civilian and 65,000 military workers in greater Washington is the areas biggest employer Ana is downsizing. It had hoped attrition would take care of most of the civilian cuts it plans to make in the next three years. But it Isnit working out that Way. Andrews fab md., for example just got authority to offer Early retirement at age 50 with 20 years service or to anyone with 25 years service because it is moving 500 civilian jobs to Dayton Ohio. But if old timers decline the offer As officials fear that Means newer younger workers will be Laid off. In february the Senate government service subcommittee asked the defense department about offering Early retirement incentives. It responded last week. Generally the Dod says the incentives arc too costly ineffective or counterproductive. Here is its official response to chairman David Pryor d-ark., based on his question about retirement incentives a before considering incentive programs. We must first exhaust All other voluntary reduction tools. Attrition must be allowed to work. We Are concerned about paying employees to do something retire they already plan to to and would add a word of caution particularly about incentives for retirement Clig Iblis. A since the departments draw Down relies heavily on attrition and capturing vacancies talk of retirement incentives Only causes a a wait and see approach. This destroys attrition and causes More reductions in Force rims actions. A in the past we would anticipate approximately 18 percent of defense a eligible a would accept voluntary Early retirement. Last years government Side acceptance rate for Early retirement was 5 to 6 percent. At Mare Island naval shipyard san Francisco where rep. Barbara Boxer a Calif introduced retirement incentives the a take rate was nearly Zero with eligible a holding Back to see what Congress would provide. This led to More involuntary separations than ordinarily would have been necessary. A with limited resources to assist employees. The focus should Center on target areas and or employees who do not have placement options. Because incentives arc. Paid for from salary accounts offering them May Force us to if More employees to offset the Cost of the incentives. For this. Program to be effective it must be limited strictly controlled and targeted Only at employees who Are excess to the needs of the department. Legislative change would be  translation there is no administration support for any general or across the Board retirement  chorus girl Steps into speaker s role London apr the House of commons broke a 700-year tradition monday electing Betty Boothroyd a labor party lawmaker and former chorus girl As speaker of the House. Boothroyd 62, the first woman speaker celebrated by going right to work crying out a order order a As lawmakers in the traditionally turbulent and Lively House of commons clamoured to offer congratulations. Boothroyd was elected when the House met for the first time since the conservative party won a fourth consecutive Victory in National elections april 9. The party a majority was slashed from 88 to 21. In a 372-238 vote Boothroyd Defeated the former Secretary of state for Northern Ireland Peter Brooke a conservative lawmaker. Boothroyd is the first speaker from outside the governing party since world War ii. The powerful Post dates Back to 1258, and the uniform has not changed much since then full wig Black Robe breeches tight stockings. Officials said the new speaker would Wear the wig and Robe but Boothroyd had other ideas. A i wont be wearing a wig a she said. A i want to be comfortable in what i Wear and i done to think ill be comfortable in a  Boothroyd said she would forgo most of the other ancient garb As Well. She said she would Wear a skirt under her Robe. A i cannot deny my sex a she said. Boothroyd is one of 60 women in the 650-member House of commons. Her new Job pays 65,000 pounds $115,000. She had total backing from labor and picked up key support from about 70 conservative rank and file lawmakers who liked her style As a Deputy speaker in the previous parliament and who liked the idea of having a woman and a Laberite in the position despite the party a defeat. Boothroyd who mixes humor with the no nonsense attitude familiar in her native Yorkshire urged lawmakers to vote for her on Merit. A while having a competent woman As speaker May be a Good thing having a bad woman speaker would be disastrous a she said. A it would be a tragedy for this House. It would be bad for the cause of women  then in a reference to her Days 40 years ago As one of the Tiller girls a nationally famous line of High kicking dancers at London a palladium she joked a it is True that in the past i May have been granted physical agility but my Carriage Isnit All that Majestic  a it seems to me Why you have made history is relevant a said prime minister John major. A you have become our speaker elect because the House trusts  major did not vote in the contest for the strictly impartial Post. But published reports said he had wanted Brooke. Boothroyd of labors right Wing comes from a working class family. She joined the party at 16 and began As a Secretary in a labor party office. She was elected to the commons in 1973 for the District of West Bromwich. Betty Boothroyd of the labor party has become the first woman speaker of the House of  undergoes skin grafts for Burns from fire in . Raf Lakenheath England a amps doctors performed surgery tuesday to replace injured skin on a 2-year-old american boy who was burned in a Quot fire at his Home last week according to a base spokesman. James of Reilly had skin grafted to the Back of his right leg at Norwich Norfolk Hospital in Norwich according to tech sgt. Rick Shick of the Public affairs office. Shick said that James is slowly improving each Day and that doctors Are closely monitoring him. His injuries Arentt considered life threatening said maj. David Cannon another Lake health spokesman. Shick said James parents have asked that base officials release no further information on their songs condition. James received Burns covering 15 to 20 percent of his upper body during a fire april 20 at his family a Home in the Village of Chedburgh. His parents capt. Thomas and Teresa of Reilly received slight Burns to their faces when they pulled James from the burning garage according to a Suffolk police report. The cause of the fire is still under investigation. There Are no details available on the Cost of damages to the Home. Services held for Heidelberg civilian Heidelberg Germany a amp a a Trust fund has been established for Keith r. Denning supervisor of seven defense communications Sites in Germany who died april 14 of an apparent heart attack at his Home in Bockenheim near Heidelberg. Friends of the family established the fund at merchants National Bank in the name of his wife Brenda Denning. The account number is 051895838. A memorial service was held april 18 at the Patrick Henry Village Chapel. Funeral services were held in Idaho Falls Idaho on tuesday. Denning 45, was a native of Idaho Falls and worked for Federal services International corp. He is survived by his wife of 28 years Brenda and five children Amy 15 David 14 Rachael 12 Kristy 10 and Daniel 7, and other relatives in the United states. The family plans to return to the Idaho balls area to live after the school year ends. They lived in Germany for 12 years and in the Heidelberg area for the last seven years. An Active member of the Church of Jesus Christ of latter Day saints Denning participated in numerous Heidelberg Community activities. British artist Bacon Dies in Spain London apr British artist Francis Bacon whose Large paintings of misshapen or screaming figures explore human misery Ana isolation died tuesday in Spain his agents said. He was 82. Mary Miller at the Marlborough Fine Art gallery in London said the reclusive Irish born Bacon died of a heart attack. She said that the artist fell ill and was hospitalized while vacationing in Madrid and that a Friend notified the gallery of Bacons death. Bacon was born oct. 28, 1909, in Dublin and moved to London in 1925 after spending time in Berlin and other european cities. He started to paint in 1929 and was completely self taught. He lived alone was difficult to approach rarely gave interviews and restricted himself to a Circle of close friends. Bacon said that he disliked a lot of what he had painted and he destroyed much of his Early work. What has survived shows the influence of Pablo Picasso. Bacon had a highly personal style of smeared Brush work. He chose bizarre subjects for his paintings such As carcasses of dogs and men that he horrifically distorted sometimes showing the Bones and blood beneath the skin. Lumps of meat appeared in some of his pictures