§ 189. Qualifications of armory employees; membership in New York state employees' retirement system. 1. The employees authorized by this section shall be residents of the state who shall by employed by the adjutant general upon the recommendation of the officer in charge and control of the armory.

2. All persons employed under this article on or after the twelfth day of April, nineteen hundred twenty-four, will be required to become members of the New York state employees' retirement system in the same manner as if such employees were in the competitive class of the civil service, provided that the foregoing shall not apply to persons who are eligible to retirement with compensation under this chapter upon reaching the required age and having the required service.