SALARIES OF PROFESSORS

Evening Star, Issue 19844, 18 April 1928, Page 2

SALARIES OF PROFESSORS

DIFFERENTIATION DISAPPROVED DISCUSSION BY UNIVERSITY COUNCIL “That a differentiation be made between the salaries of married and unmarried professors ” was a resolution passed by the University Council on December 13. At the meeting of the council yesterday afternoon Mr J. C. Stephens moved that this resolution be rescinded, and, before reading a letter from the Professorial Board setting out its objection to tbo differentiation, he stated that the views of the Professorial Board had been placed before the Finance Committee, which, because the council had previously come to a conclusion, ielt a difficulty in dealing with it. In order that the "matter should be reconsidered, the resolution would have to be. rescinded. The letter from Hie board read: — “Tho Professorial Board understands that the council has. under consideration a modification of the scheme for professorial salaries which was adopted at a conference of representatives of university councils recently hold in Wellington. Instead of a uniform salary of £I,OOO, the modification provides for a standard salary ol: £9OO, and a marriage allowance of £IOO. Tho board decided at its last meeting to lay its views on the question before the council. Any differentiation in salary between professors who arc doing _ what, so far as can be estimated, is equivalent so far ns cen bo estimated, is equivalent work is liable to lead to a ;sense of injustice. Besides introducing this differentiation, the arrangement which the council proposes is bound to produce administrative difficulties. For instance, if the wife of a professor dies, is he therefore to have Ids salary reduced by £100? , If it be not so reduced on account of bis dependents (and this raises the very delicate question of their degree of independence on him), the board maintains that the unmarried professors, who may have similar obligations, arc also worthy of consideration. The case which would most frequently arise is that of a professor who becomes a widower after giving many years ol service to the University and whose family is grown up. In bis case, surely, no reduction of salary is justifiable. Ibe board is aware that such a scheme as tlio council proposes is in operation in the educational service, and the many difficulties that arise under it aro the .subject of discussion in the latest number of the official organ of the New Zealand Educational Institute. The amount that the council could save by the adoption of the proposal is a very small percentage of the total professorial salaries. The hoard feels that this small saving would scarcely compensate lor the inevitable raising of such difficulties. Further, beyond the dominion the inference would be drawn from each advertisement of a professorial vacancy that the standard salary paid to a professor was not considered sufficient to enable him to marry. Thus, the adoption of the proposal hero discussed would, in tlio opinion of the board, bo detrimental to the efficiency and prestige of the University.” Mr Stephens stated that the wbolo object of the conference was to adopt a uniform scale of salaries lor thc_ dominion, and when coming to a decision they should fall in line with the other colleges. Professor Bonham seconded tho motion.

Mr W. J. Morrell, in outlining the reasons in favour of the differentiation, which had been approved at ilie conference by quite a fair majority, stated that the proposal was adopted because of its being a logical sequence to other recommendations. Differentiation, which had not been introduced by the conned, was intended to apply to all other appointments; therefore many of the considerations now referred to by the board must have applied to others. Differentiation in some measure was right, and should apply to professors as well as to lecturers, and it seemed that differentiation had made no difference in the number of applicants from overseas. The expenses of single professors were not on the same scale as those of married men, and the speaker believed that, if a professor were married he was more valuable to the University, inasmuch as ho could take more pari in social life. In the educational services differentiation was carried out to a largo extent, and, believing that the conference look a forward step in making the recommendation'. he was convinced that that the principle would eventually find adoption. It was a question that deserved serious consideration, and in time it would come to involve the position of women lecturers.

The motion was carried by 6 voles to 4.