The Evening Star SATURDAY, OCTOBER 24, 1908.

Evening Star, Issue 13090, 24 October 1908, Page 6

The Evening Star SATURDAY, OCTOBER 24, 1908.

As the departmental interpretation of subsection 3 of section 7 of the Th# Education Act Amendment EdneatUn Act Act, 1908, is causing not a Amendment Aft. little uneasiness among our primary school teachers, we purpose following our usual practice of setting out as clearly as we can, in tabulated form, the scale of salaries that will come into operation on the Ist January, 1909, Before doing so, however, it will bo necessary to refer to the query sent out by the North Canterbury Education Board to the Inspector-General of Schools,

and the reply thereto. The question having arisen in connection with the appointment of a teacher by the Board whether the appointee would receive calory at the rate provided in the present scale or at the rate provided under the new Act which comes into operation on the Ist January next, the department was asked whether all teachers now in the Board’s service would, at the coming into operation of the new Act, receive the minimum salary attached to their respective grades provided for in the new Act, or whether thesalaries provided in that Act would bo paid only, in the case of teachers appointed after the Ist January, 1909, leaving all other salaries under the existing scale, plus increments of £5 per annum. The following reply has been received from Mr G. Hogben, Inspector-General of Schools:— With reference to your memorandum regarding the salaries under the Education Act Amendment Act, 1908, to teachers now in the Board’s service and of those appointed after the Ist January, 1909, I have to inform you that the position is correctly stated in the first paragraph of your memorandum under notice. In making the appointment of first assistant at the Richmond School the Board will doubtless take into consideration the important character of the position if-the appointment is made after the Ist January next. In the case of the appointment referred to, the teacher, if his appointment date from this year, will not get the minimum salary provided by the new Act until the expiry of five years. Just now, however, wc are not dealing with assistant teachers, hut with sole and head teachers, and the manner in which their salaries will be affected by the new scale. Salaries to be Paid from Ist January, 1909.

It will be seen from the above table that the only teachers seriously affected will be those in charge of very small schools (9 to 15) in Grade I. It would certainly be an anomaly and an injustice if a teacher appointed prior to Ist January, 1909, were to be paid £59 per annum, while one appointed after that date should receive £9O. It may bo argued that since, under the present Act, schools having an average attendance of 9 to 15 are in Grade 0, and under the new Act they will be in Grade 1., the teachers of such schools are not “ in the same position,” and that therefore they will be entitled to the salary under the new scale. We should be pleased if this could be shown to be the case. But then an assistant in a school with an average attendance from, 501 to 750, and receiving £240 a year, might just as well argue that under the present scale ho is not graded at all, while under the new one his position is graded 7a, carrying a salary of £270 to £290 per annum, to which he is entitled. In the grade where the attendance is 26 to 32 it will be impossible to raise the salary by equal annual increments of £5 from £144 to £IBO. At the grade 36 to 40, the present occupant of a position will receive from Ist January next £165 per annum, while his successor will start at £IBO. We are, of course, well aware that it is exceedingly difficult, on the introduction of a new scale of salaries for a large body of public servants, to avoid some individual hardship and some apparent injustice, but we think that if all teachers except the few already receiving the maximum received an increase of £5, and where this increase did not bring the salary up to the minimum allowed under the scale, such minimum should be the starting-point for 1809, fhe result would prove much more satisfactory to all concerned. We purpose looking into the scale to ascertain in what way it affects assistant teachers, and if we find the anomalies warrant us doing so, we shall devote another article to this special phase of the question. It must not be forgotten that Boards have in their own hands the power to remedy any injustice, for they may give any teacher notice of dismissal and reappoint him; or they may transfer a teacher, thus entitling him to the increased salary. If we are not mistaken, the teachers under the Marlborough Education Board are appointed from year to year, and at the beginning of January next the whole of them will come under the new scale. Education Boards will do well to look carefully into the whole matter.

7J 3 71 0) 3 2 '/} V "o a <o O . ■wen H -w rt 8 Eh Average S-B p H O 4) -v Attendance. b > ••3 3 a 3 9,2 a s a ag in a aa £ £ £ £ 9 59 to 120 90 to 120 10 65 to 120 90 to 120 11 71 to 120 90 to 120 Vd 77 to 120 90 to 120 lo 83 to 120 90 to 120 14 89 to 120 90 to 120 16 15 95 to 12,1 90 to 120 to 20 115 to 150 120 to 150 21 to 25 135 to 150 120 to 150 26 to 32 149 to 180 ISO to 180 33 to 35 165 to 180 150 to 180 36 to 40 165 to 210 180 to 210 41 to 50 170 to 210 180 to 210 51 to 60 185 to 210 180 to 210 61 to 75 200 to 210 180 to 210 76 to 80 215 to — 180 to 210 81 to 90 215 to 240 210 to 240 91 to 120 225 to 240 210 to 240 121 to 150 2A0 to 270 240 to 270 151 to 200 255 to 270 240 to 270 201, to 250 270 to 310 270 to 310 251 to 280 280 to 310 270 to 310 281 to 300 295 to 310 270 to 310 301 to 330 295 to 340 310 to 340 331 to 390 305 to 340 510 to 540 391 to 420 515 to 540 310 to 340 421 to 450 325 to 540 310 to 340 451 to 480 325 to 370 340 to 570 481 to 510 535 to 370 340 to 370 511 to 570 345 to 370 540 to 370 571 to 600 555 to 570 340 to 370 601 to 660 365 to 400 370 to 400 Over 660 370 to 400 370 to 400