NOTES ON EDUCATION.

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 416, 27 January 1909, Page 2

NOTES ON EDUCATION.

(BvSocrates.)

TEACHERS' SUPERANNUATION

In a letter which appeared in the correspondence columns of The Dominion , of Saturday last, "Original' Member" states that, members of. the Teachers' Superannuation Fund, ■in accordance. with the provisions of the Superannuation Act of 1905, have to decide in a short time whether they will, continue under the fund of 1905 or become members of the neiv fund, in accordance with the provisions of the Public Service Classification and Superannuation Amendment. Act,. passed last year. Though moro than three months havo passed since the passing. ,of the new Act nothing : has been done either by tho Superannuation Board or the Teachers' Institute to throw light on'certain points. The following are a few of the'questions-that he thinks should be answered:— .. !

| - (1). According to Section .3 of Clause 12 of thO; scheme of 1905 an original, member's period of service will also . include .all the i years of v his service prior to the commencement 9 f. tlw' Act, What I should like to i know, is whether his service (if ..any) .as.-a | pupil teacher counts as a - part of his service under the old scheme?, r - i (2). If an original memlier of .-'the .old scheme comes under, the new ; scheme, will his service as a i pupil teacher prior to."the. commencement; of. the Act of 1905 be .taken', as roranng_ a pavt of his. back'service under, the Act of last-year?v ; f .-. '. . . ®';I? an • qrigiiul contributor" to: the' old. rund : joins tho new, will' any of his service prior-, to the ,of ■ 1878 be reckoned as a part of'his back- service? ' ;.. ■ , . . Tl >ero, is . certainly, something to be. said for . Original Member's"..cohtention;that the. teachers ■ Institute.-has-failed to realise lis duty in this particular matter, although in justice to that body—or, to be more precise, ti one:! St members—-it ought to be pointed out.that the, salient features, of .'both . superannuation schemes .were reviewed, by the secretary .of the JNew ; Zealand : Educational: Institute at one of the District Institute's meetings-held-during the year,, and the advantages of the ono were_ contrasted .with those .of the " other:. At- 18 r^lJ ow ? as subsequently ,published In . a . Notes. : "OrigiriaL Member,"-how-ever, is perfectly right; in.saying that there' are certain , points in the amended regulations which,\either the : institute, or , the teachers' on: the . Superanhuation'Board, ojgW:,to-have..elucidated. -Since "Original Member s letter-appeared I have been supplied with; a. very .clear-and : comprehensive analysis; of the- Superannuation -Act as it now-' stands. .The:statement which follows, aithStaTitef Clal ' may :-- b6 . rC - Sardcd SS

■■■ The.;. Public. Service :■ Classification - and superannuation Amendment Act, -1908--as,-to res first. part—-is,r an-,amending :Act .of'the teachers Superannuation Act;,.of 1905, and •S"®. raw.fowe on- October--10, 1908. - Under V J auso 24 of the amending Act, contributors to the Jund. established iby. /the .superannuation Act, 1905, have the. option or. remaining- contributors to that fund or of. becoming contributors; to. the new fund established by- the amending Act of' 1908 such option to expire on April 10, 1909.: :lf a contributor to the original -fund desires to remain as. such: he ; .must- notify, the Minister n? r - ?ducawon ;,or - the . secretary to ; the. teachers Superannuation. Board of su"h desire on or before the date mentioned; if, • J l ®-desiresto.--join the fund-estab-lished, by._the',. amending Act, there is •' /necessity for him :to any V notification

' The. tho Statutes 1 referring'.to .^.fand,are; : :will be / seen i n 1 stable of comparison :— h, i D , tnb nti°ns.-Th e ycontributions: to .™gote°.y!S!P ; art-«lik6-jna«wtf/caM';.''i... •. ffi^ar^. t -2S '^9 m c en : : •Wter-SO.years';service; or at SU, years ,or age. . .. •>,- ... .• •:,• '■ ; i:X Retiring .ago', (new.. fund);—lien: After % W ar ® ■ ■ .^r? i«vor 'at' 65. year's' • of/.age. TVoF ycar service; or," at 55 years' j 3. Benefits (a) annuities (original.scheme). —Under the', original schcme-:,thb: following basis is taken for. the computation of anear of "service" (dc~ : S iZ-—'4°^ as . between .the.:years 1878 and 190 d inclusive), . one-twentieth of the average salary received, plus, one-sixtieth of the average salary received -for each - year of • ser .™® ln and.after 190(3; 7 The; minimum' fa nuity for original members,is' £52. , .^Annuities!,(new. scheme).—One-sistieth of J received .by 'the contributor: during tho three \veirs ;next preceding ..his: retirement for each 'year of scnS dered.inj and after the year:lß7B.:-No :: mini- ; a . n ir U yls P roy under this scheme.: , W, A"?W<* to widow, of male,contributor (original annuity' ; of ■ £18 to widow .during her widowhood,vpius- the amount of deceased contributor's payments of thVS f ■widowhood'-rbr;-the amount ?L T* contributor s•• payments-. to ~- (c) Benefits'to children Jof a deceased contributor, (male or female)— These' are the same .under, both, schemes,. viz.. ss: per week' per: child up Jto? the age of 14 ye^sf' ;. .(d). Allowances' to - contributors ■' 'retiring ■ medically unfit—These . are calculated on the principles governing annuities as above in Paraph ,(a). i.. The 'minimum "of r£s2 per iTthU? r ' .°^ g . m ®i--®e?i b eM".vholds ' i v nli u nder..the ongmal .scheme. ~ (e)..Other.allowances.-—Other allowances to ■S T s retirement, di^ SS.I om J. l ie 3f? Ice i or provisions aptiv J™ m? 0 d l at \ a female 'contributor are the same m bbthyschemes;'" -■' W W^K! B • -S®®'^ 4 ,','• 150 noticed ' that vihilo the . ''service'?,qualification, fbr : ' retirement; is - the same in both .schemes'; the .. qualification is different. . Men may retire 60 years under the-original scheme, but must, wait, till they are 65 years if they join the new scheme.- (In the case of 'women the-, figures are 50, years and 55 < years) respectively.- This is one'- point -in - which the older, scheme has an.absolute advantage over the new, but. it'must be jnoted-that it. affects only those contributors who desire to'retire % "age . qualification "■ . These contributors are interested in 'a proviso to Clause 12 of tho amending Aot. , The clause :■ in question determines tho. '"ago": .qualification for • retirement,' which . reads "as follows':— "Provided, that' the board: (i.e., superannuation) may, with, the approval of .the Minister for Education, extend the provisions of this section, to any case in which the age of a . male, contributor ' is .-not less . than. 60 years,; or the age of a- female contributor is not less tht>n 50 years." ; ; . !• As a general indication of the. grounds on which the Minister will approve the'extension of the provisions of Section 12 of the Public Service Classification' and Superannuation Amendme.it/Act, 190S, the'following may b6 noted: — ; , (1) That the has a length of service as defined by .the Act of riot "less than thirty years, and such length ,of other similar service in some part or parts of the British Empire as! would make his total service so reckoned. not less than forty years (in the case of a female contributor, ',25 and 30 years respectively). (2) That in tho opinion of an approved medical officei and of an Inspectoij of Schools or other person named by tlie Minister the contributor, having a length of service as defined by the Act of not less, than , twenty years, shows; such a diminution of physical or mental power as is likely; to'unfit him permanently for,the. efficient; performance 'oftho duties his position or of a similar position, although he-.may. not then be'•medicallv of the Tct 101 Uty ,vitllill lli ®' moaning (?) ' n 4 ]! e o P' n ion^'-'of an approved medical officer, the contributor, havine- a length of service as defined bv this Aof „f not less, than twenty., years, is in ', s ich 1 physical or mental condition that ho'cannot perform the, duties of his position without the risk of serious injury, to his .health, although be may not then be medically. unfit for further duty within the meaning of tho Act; . i " e 6 al 'ding Clause 1 ?f the foregoing, iwhich I considerablo' importance to-: •those teachers who» having experience in Euglaud,

Scotland, ■ or. the Australian colonies. cam« J z .e? lan d'shortly; after the passing oi; ■- the Education Act of 18i7, the condition (for lii, ca ? be .called a "regulation") is a ■ liberal ono If- the applicant for retirement can prove thirty years' service in New. Zealand since 187/ then ten years' service in tha education any part of the Empire V; .-. allowed to make up tne forty years' serretirement: It must be noted first that'the pension will be calculated hv c. rty ycars . of "service" as defined oy, tho Superannuation Act,, and, secondly, XT '," New -Zealand prior ;to 1878 will be allowed in computing-the "ten years" lfttlTlV •* these conditions there is - nro4w?T the benefits v Km!ntT ~ BS comm^ii 05 '"! 1 *^ wi! f^J? ihe detailed v/. 'nortant l that there is ,a' very : im- :'.C the'an- ; .y amhlfl wnf r t n^.' sclieme - A concrete ex,early-' £180 a'vp-> ■ f v® ln and averaged 3 TTI X ' WCe-tho opera- A, thereafter I ° Superannuation' Act; -the IW' fir avorage s £m a year till 1918 is in^charp-o"ll say he ; of £300 : C sclipol g lv^n g him a : salary ' M yeal? ' : J-:- • • •?* IP- 11 * IIIS - pension be? • ••.•v -' •p. original. scheme.,he receives -\. :m r eSl4 | nor^^9o6^B-120ths-or-:: ; T^ e ,difference . arises thus:—(l'V "RarV ' ; service.. is allowed for at the rate of 60ths the o'ld °^ e TI Aqt ' in ? t<!ad , 0 f ISOths as .in ' last'thr'Ji last years of service is taken in'-thn whnl °f ayerage_salary over'/' i„ ? f len Eth of servico as-Mri the- old act;. eases a man will bo at hiaV : W x ™um ; earning, -power: during7,th© of" course. S ° rVlCC ' bUt ***. ar^'-^eption ? ,; h^^ 6tS i : fr: has the, advantage,- -.Under, it the^idoW/aeE'T husband s : contributions,. less.Vaiiy sums-'he -Vv may ; -have received from the fund.' . 'Under tho X- ■ new, Act she; gets: either -the annuity- of £18 Z return of her late husband's contrjfcn- 1. ,^ 13 I s ; aQ ' undoubted .advantage• £or We . older; scheme.; And this" together -with*' . the., minimum, annuity" of . £52 \which':th' 9 - older Act-secures to "original members"P°tn;.wjien they.iretirejpn pension".'or 'Mmedl--" eally unfit constitutes the claim whicfr .tha . : hrst Superannuation Act has in advantaeeT--' ine advantago of the £52 Minimum , a» : V;. muty in the-' older v scheme almost'; vanishes -C 4 when one .considers the. much more liberltr ; •? of, annuity-.secured -.by; the.. new' v v, ; •. One question asked by "Original Mem/ per .m lire Dominion of. January 23, 1909, .'-'. is . important _ — that referring to ' piipilfeachers. Y-It-is ..asked:.,"Does such service ' count i Although a ..pupil-teacher: does not.. ... come tinder the definition of'' "teacher"- 1 in : v. o .Education Act, 'yet \a pupil-teacher' and ; a student of a: Training ~ College. (if " in' re- • ceipfc o.t a salary) como under the-"term ; ' tJ other person engaged; in... any capacity for ■ ' not less than ; 20 ;hours in a week, under aa ■Education :Boaid." Tho answer v. to'- this ' question. therefore, is :,'; Yes, -such; - service ' counts under both Acta. ' ■ ' ■ ■ ■ m -:'' '..