permissions bug w/ --backup-dir or --backup option?

[Carey Jung]

Running rsync 2.4.7pre1, using the --backup-dir option, I just realized
today that file ownerships and permissions of backed up files are not
preserved.   In other words, if rsync moves an obsolete file to the backup
dir, it's ownership seems to revert to root:root, and permissions change, as
well.  We are also using the -a (archive) option, by the way, which should
mean "preserve everything".  This loss of ownership/permissions seems like a
definite bug to me.  What do you think?

Regards,
Carey Jung
IT Freedom