COST OF REFORM

Evening Post, Volume LXXXIV, Issue 9, 10 July 1912, Page 8

COST OF REFORM

TEACHERS' SALARIES, £71,000 EVIDENCE AT EDUCATION COMMISSION. Mr. H. A. Parkinson, he&dmaster of Newtojwn School, and secretary of the New Zealand Educational Institute, in giving evidence before the Education Communion to-day, was examined on a number of interesting points in regard to the recommendations of the Wellington branch for increased salaries. He said that the profession as a whole did not acknowledge distinction of sex in teaching. The pay for a certain position' should be the same for men or women. The whole question of salaries amounted to this: Was the community prepared to remunerate the teaching profession in proportion to the value of the work done for the community? It was undoubtedly a fact that if the present seal© of salaries continued the profession of teaching would fall more and more into the hands of women. Women could live on the present scale; so could men, but they could get better salaries elsewhere. ' Mr. Davidson : Do you advocate equal pay for the sexes? Mr. Parkinson : If you- ask my opinion as a citizen and member of the community, I say " No." ( But you see, I am in a somewhat official capacity. You think as a citizen there should be differentiation? — STes. ' ' The witness informed Mr. Wells that holidays were rather an expensive luxury for teacher*. Mr. Kirk : Has the institute considered the probability of State employees in other departments asking for the same hours of work and the same holidays as teachers, if the scale of salaries are equalised all round-?— I do not think it is the concern of the institute. COST NOT CONSIDERED. Mr. Davidson : Has the institute considered the cost of the increases it >ecommends? — I do not think so. , If I say that the first cost would- be over £71,000, do you think the country or the Government would agree to the increases? — I think it would, if the case for the teachers were put clearly before it . , And if the total cost came to double that, over £142,000 ?— Our business is to show" that, compared with other servicss, our service is not paid as it should be. Have you compared the salaries paid in New Zealand with salaries paid to teachers in other parts of the British Empire?— ln London, I think, salaries are higher than ours. You appreciate the difference between a revenue-producing department and a non-revenue-producing department? — 1 am not called on to do so. Well, you will be.