TEACHERS' INSTITUTE.

Evening Post, Volume LXIV, Issue 132, 1 December 1902, Page 7

TEACHERS' INSTITUTE.

REPORT ON SUPERANNUATION SCHEME. The Wellington branch of the New Zealand Educational Institute met in the Technical School on Saturday. Mr. G. MacMorran presided. The following report of a committee set up to consider • superannuation schemes was adopted : — After making a careful comparison of the chief features of the Railway Superannuation Scheme, the Police Provident Fund, and the proposed Teachers' Superannuation Scheme, your committee beg to report that the first is by far the most liberal. In the first place, all teachers under thirty years of age are required to pay 66 per cent, more per year than railway servants under the same age, while the contributions at other ages vary^ between 10 per cent, and 50 per cent.' more. As the proposed 5 per cent, contribution will be the ruling one in a. few years, it is suggested that it be brought more in line with that payable under the railway scheme — viz., 3 per ccn f In order to meet the case of the tt ir over fiftyfive years of age, it is suggested that a clause be added to the Bill to enable him to purchase status in the fund by a payment equal to a year's contribution for each year by which his age exceeds fiftyfive years, such payments not to exceed the amount of five annual contributions. "X similar privilege should be granted to women teachers whose age exceeds fortyfive years. With respect to the method of computing the retiring allowance, your committee is strongly of opinion that the male teacher should receive onesixtieth of the average rate of salary for five years previous to retirement, thereby placing him on an equality with other Government servants, and they also urge that the maximum pension should be greater than one-half of the average annual rate, seeing that the railway servant receives two-thirds and the member of the police force three -fifths. In this connection, attention is drawn to clause 12. The substitution of "or" for "and," so that the clause would read : " That a contributor before retirement must serve thirty-five years or must have attained the age of sixty years, would be an improvement, and would meet the case of those teachers who would have to retire at the ago of sixty years, but who would not receive the full benefits of the fund, as they could not fulfil the other condition of thirty-Sve years service. The proposals made -with regard, to (1) voluntary retirement or dismissal, (2) retirement through medical unfitness, (3) death before retirement, arp fully as liberal as similar proposals in the railway and police schemes. Your committee, " however, favoured the addition of a sub-clause to clause 14, which would secure a smaller annual payment to the widow, and a weekly payment of, say, 5s for each child till it reaches the age of fourteen. Some dissatisfaction has been shown regarding clause 11, which provides that no payment shall be made from the fund till 1908, but, unlike the railway and police schemes, the teachers' scheme has no nucleus to start with, and this is probably the reason for the regilflatiop. The Chairman said the report would serve as a guide to the annual conference of delegates of the Institute, which is to be held at Napier early in January next. The committee was thanked for its services. On the motion of Messrs. Bethunc and Grundy, it was resolved—" That this institute urges upon the Education Board the desirability of appointing a truant officer." In response to a communication from the Wairarapa sub-district, the Presi' dent and Secretary were directed to write to the Education Board asking it to approach the Department with a view to getting one of its instructors to give a course of lectures on handwork to the teachers of IJie Bush district.