INADEQUATE

Evening Post, Volume XCVI, Issue 18, 20 July 1918, Page 4

INADEQUATE

TEACHERS'. SALARIES DEMAND FOR AN INCREASE "That the Minister of Education be asked to instruct his department to draft, a,a a matter of national urgency, a new salary scale whereby it will-bo secured that the minimum salary shall be £150 per annum, and that all salaries not affected by this minimum be raised approximately by 25 per cent, on existing rates." The above motion was moved at a meeting of the Wellington Branch of the New Zealand Educational Institute last night by Mr. W. H. Foster, on behalf of the Management Committee. Mr. Foster stated that the Management Committee was in the position of a trade union appealing to its employers —the people of New Zealand. The teachers felt that the time was now opportune for such an appeal. The question of salaries, although it might seem sordid, was not really so. After all, it was a matter of efficiency, for with a contented, satisfied staff, there must be greater efficiency. Ho would make no apology for bringing the matter forward. Tho position of the teaching profession was at the present time acute. That was recognised- by the Minister for Education. The position was acute for three reasons. The first was that many young men had gone to tho front; second, many had .left the profession and had entered other branches of the Civil Service; and, third, nobody was coming into the profession. Why were teachers going outand no others coming in? Simply because tho salaries were too low. They must all recognise that. It was a simple business proposition. There was a timo when an unthinking layman tihought that the teacher's job was an easy one. The obvious hours worked were five per clay, but constituted one continual strain without any interruptions—without any breaks. He knew of no profession that made a greater demand on women than that of the teachers, and these points must be taken into consideration by the State when it drafted a new salary scale. Was the demand for a minimum of £150 for a trained teacher reasonable? The young teacher usually left the Training College at 22, a journeyman teacher,- and one who knew his trade. Mr. Foster compared the position of two brothers, one who entered the teaching profession, and another who entered the drapery trade. At the age of 22, aftdr eight years, the teacher would have earned £220, but' the brother's earnings, if paid at the minimum rate, would be £754. Compare the young -teacher with the young Civil servant. A boy entering the Civil service at the age of 16 received £65 per annum for the first year, £80 for the second, then £95, then £120—a- total of £360 for four >ears, as against £120 earned by the pupil teacher in tho same period. Would parents, under those circumstances, hesitate long as to what branch their boy or girl' should enter. After passing the cadet stage, the Civil servant went ahead by annual advances until he reached £?20. Mr. Foster said he would like to see the wages of .the lower grade teachers increased by 33^ per cent.- at the expense of the higher paid teachers, who, he thought, should be satisfied with an increase of.-20 per cent. The 25 per cent. increase asked for in tho motion would mean: —Salary of £120 increased to the minimum of £150; £150 salai-v increased to £187 10s; £180 to £225] £220 to £275; £260 to £325; £300 to £375; £350 to £437; £400, to £500. Such a request could not be: deemed unreasonable, especially in view of the relatively higher salaries paid to heads of. departments. In New South Wales a minimum of £156 had been granted teachers. Mr. Foster concluded by asserting that the time was opportune for putting the demands forward. Thanks to the campaign instituted by the New Zealand executive of the Institute, a greater interest was being taken in educational mattersgreater than foi more than 40 years. They had the press of the country with them, and also the Minister of Education. It was rumoured that a new Education Bill was on the stocks, and the present was the psychological time to strike for the new ealary scale. Mr. W. W. Rountree seconded' the motion, and said he agreed with every point Mr. Foster had made. He stressed one point—the efficiency of the service. Efficiency depended on content, and also on the personnel of those engaged. The personnel would never be satisfactory until the salaries were increased. Was it any wonder that there was a shortage of pupil teachers ? Mr. B. T. Blake stated that although the speakers had not stressed the sordid side, the public would see in the motion a demand for an increase in salaries. Some people would say that the country could not find the extra sum of money -which the demands would involve. Hr believed that there would be no difficulty in that direction. - ' Mr. D. Bodingfield submitted that the time was very opportune for the demand for an adjustment of the salaries. It was all very well to say wait until after the war. But it. would take at least six years to train a teacher, and therefore it was essential that the profession should be made sufficiently attractive to induce suitable young men and women to adopt it. The motion was carried unanimously, and will be forwarded to the executive for, it was hoped, favourable consideration. A copy of the motion will be sent to all the other branch institutes in the Dominion.