SALARIES OF TEACHERS

Press, Volume XCVI, Issue 28447, 29 November 1957, Page 14

SALARIES OF TEACHERS

Cabinet Action After Election (New Zealand Press Association) AUCKLAND. November 28.

Cabinet approval for a scheme affecting teachers’ salaries would be sought just after the election, said the Minister of Education (Mr R. M. Algie) in Auckland today. He emphasised, however, that this action represented merely the culmination of long negotiations and was “normal administrative routine” which had nothing to do with electioneering or party politics. No details of what is proposed were released by the Minister. ‘Some Opposition speakers have been making frequent references of a prophetic nature to the question of the improvement of salaries of our teachers,” said Mr Algie. “It has even been stated that it was the Government’s intention to publish a new salary scale right on the eve of the election. Guesswork of this kind tends to be very misleading.

“Neither the Government nor the representatives of the teachers would wish that a matter of this kind should be made the subject of electioneering tactics. “It is correct that negotiations regarding salaries have been proceeding for quite a considerable time, but there have been many difficulties that have called for long and protracted examination. "Within the last few days we have succeeded in making what I regard as considerable progress and it is my intention to seek Cabinet approval for our efforts at the first Cabinet meeting after the election. This kind of thing is normal administrative routine ■ —it goes on from month to month —and has no relation to, nor is it affected by, questions of party politics,” he said.