WORK RATIONING

Dominion, Volume 27, Issue 69, 14 December 1933, Page 13

WORK RATIONING

Scheme for Teachers ABOLITION OPPOSED Education Board Decision A resolution contending that the scheme inaugurated last year for the rationing of work among unemployed , teachers was not iu the interests of the lower paid section,' and therefore the Education Department should be urged to abandon it, was. the subject of a notice of motion which was defeated by 3 votes to 4 at the monthly, meeting of the Wellington Education Board yesterday morning. Embodied in the motion, which was \ moved by Colonel T. W. McDonald and seconded by Mr. F. C. Meyer, was the proposal that the following system be adopted lu lieu of the rationing scheme: — “(a) That the highest graded unemployed ex-training college students be selected to fill nil probationaryassistantships for the. full'period of one year. . ‘‘(b) Thjit all other temporary and rel(evipg positions, including additional assistantships, be allocated among the teachers remaining on the unemployed list, in the order of their grading, and be paid accordihg to the relieving teachers’ schedule.” The effect of the motion, it was contended, would be to stabilise the school staffs for the full year, where probationary assistants- were authorised instead of there having to be the three changes required under the present ■ system. • //■'. . Colonel McDonald said that when the scheme had been put forward, it had been stated that the department, bad hot wished to save any money, but had had to keep within the sum voted for salaries. Jt had definitely been given as the reason for reducing the salaries to £lOO per annum, that a greater number of teachers’ positions (76). would be provided. . No Additional Positions. ‘‘We find that not one additional position has been provided, but that salaries of-teachers below grade II have been reduced by a total sum of about £2200 per annum,” said Colonel McDonald; “Under the rationing of work scheme under this board about 104-positions are affected, of which number about 76 teachers are filling what hitherto were probationary assistants’ positions; 16 are filling additional assistants’ positions; and about 12 tye filling relieving teachers’ positions. Before the rationing scheme Came into force all these positions were filled by teachers who received pay according to their respective grading.” The whole of those below grade II actually employed in' relieving work, subsequent to the change coming into force, had had their salaries reduced to £lOO, and the legal scale of salaries for relieving teachers had been overridden by a departmental circular letter; the promised 76 new additional assistants’ positions had not eventuated, and the so-called rationing ol’-work scheme had resulted in a deliberate rationing of pay scheme. “Of all the instances of government by. Order-in-Councll,” said Colonel McDonald, "I venture to assert that not any of them can surpass what is happening in the.administration of the education system. The Act may. be overridden by a regulation, the regulations are over-ridden by a departmental circular, salaries are fixed in part by regulation, in part by memorandum, and iu some instances by a single inspector of schools.” Mr. Meyer’said that Die changing of teachers had had a general effect on the efficiency of schools. The. department had used the scheme to the disadvantage of the lower grade teachers.. ■ Mr. J. J. Clark thought that teachers receiving £lOO should receive the full amount of salary attached to the positions they' were holding. The motion, however, would mean that 70 or 80 teachers would .receive permanent employment, while many others would have no employment at all. 1 Mr. A. C. Blake considered that salaries formed a question apart from that before the board. The rationing of staffs, he maintained, was not affecting the efficiency of schools to the extent already mentioned. It did disorganise staffs to a certain extent, but the opinion of headmasters he had spoken to was that it. was worth it to assist the younger teachers. gpme had objected to It without going fully into the question. He considered it would be better to let things go ou as they were. They might., however, do something in the directiou of increasing salaries. System Working Well. The senior Inspector, Mr. D. Macaskill, considered that the rationing system was working, as well as any system might be expected to work. It was bls opinion that as many teachers should be maintained in employment as was possible. He had a great regard for the Director of Education, and he had assured him that the department was not saving one penny. If perman-, ent work was given to certain teachers, the board would be doing a distinct unkindness to the remainder whom it would be unable to employ. The posiiton was that there were 14 teachers employed something over two terms. They, however, were securing positions demanding either special qualifications or outstanding teaching ability. In most cases the positions they filled were not rationed positions. One hundred and fourteen teachers had had two complete terms. Of those who had had less than two terms only 13 had had less than half a year’s work, and of these many had had considerably more than one term. In some cases the teachers were not prepared to take the work that was offering to them. In some cases they were in districts remote from where teachers were required, and in other cases illness prevented them from taking the.work that was offering. \ ■ Allocation Most Equitable. “I consider that as there is an uneven number of terms in the year, the allocation of the work , among the rationed teachers has worked out very equitably. In those cases where they had less than two terms, no doubt special consideration will be given in allocating the work for 1934. “With regard to the effect of the rationing scheme on the work of the schools, it must be admitted that repeated changes will cause some dislocation, but, on the other hand, it must be conceded that as the rationed list contains now many highly-graded teachers of considerably more than one year’s experience, the schools are getting strong teachers in place of the probationary assistants that they would get if all probationary assistant&hiw were

filled by trainees straight from the training college, as was the practice in the past.” . Mr. C. H. Nicholls opposed the motion on the ground that it was an attempt to give a number of teachers permanent employment, while others would be out of work. He considered that the teachers had not much to complain about unemployment, as compared with many others, and he did not want them to abuse the privilege of having boards to place tbelr position before the Minister. \ Mr. A. Donald considered that In a rationing scheme of the type in use, the department should not be saving money. Colonel McDonald had stated that the amount was £2200. It was contended by Mr. P. Robertson that, despite the times, teachers should be paid fully for their services.

Careful Thought Necessary. The chairman, Mr. T. Forsyth,’said that he had interviewed the director, and he had definitely stated that not one penny was being saved. He thought that before the board asked the department to throw over the scheme, which had worked very efficiently in the Wellington district, the question should be very carefully considered. The Dominion was not-out of its difficulties yet, and all - the teachers should be helped as much as possible. The motion would mean picking out a few and leaving the rest to find employment as best they could.

Colonel McDonald, in reply, said that his motion meant an extension of the present scheme. He did not agree with members who were of the opinion it would mean work to some and none to others.