TEACHERS’ SALARIES

Lyttelton Times, Volume CXVII, Issue 18066, 5 April 1919, Page 8

TEACHERS’ SALARIES

PAYMENT FROM WELLINGTON. STRONG PROTEST BY EDUCATION BOARD. When the question of the payment of teachers’ salaries ■ direct from Wellington came up for discussion at yesterday’s meeting of the Canterbury Education Board, Mr C- H. Opie said there was a tendency on the part of the Department on overy possible occasion to encroach on tho rights of the boards. There had been a tendency to form a bureaucracy in Wellington and in consequence of this the boards were becoming more and more in disfavour with the public- It was quite time they took a stand against this sort of thing. The North and South Canterbury Education Boards had done surprisingly good work in tho past. Such work could never have been done by the Department in Wellington. Mr Opie then moved:— “That this hoard strongly protests against the proposal that teachers' salaries he paid direct from the Education Department in Wellington as being contrary to the previsions of the Education Act and would regard such action as a further insidious encroachment on tho rights of education boards, so characteristic of the present regime. The hoard trusts the Minister’s tenure of office will not be noted throughout the coming years as the period during which bureaucratic control usurped, the functions of democratic educational administration in the Dominion. That copies of this resolution be forwarded to the Minister of Education, also to the other education boards of the Dominion and Canterbury members of Parliament asking their co-operation in the board’s protest.” In seconding the resolution, Mr E H. Andrews said it was not the least bit too strong. Speaking on behalf of the local teachers, they had never desired any change from the present system. The change to Wellington would create a very difficult position for the board as a very large number of relieving teachers were irregularly employed and the Department coul'd not know the particulars concerning such teachers. The Teachers’ Institute would also resent such action as the board deducted on behalf of the institute the teachers’ small subscriptions. He wished to strongly protest against such purloining of the board’s rights. It was very questionable whether the Department had power to override the Act, which clearly defined that teachers’ salaries were to be paid by the boards. _ _ _ , Messrs Howard, Peverill, Hughes and Jamieson supported the motion, the first-named stating that ho hoped the hoard would be very emphatic in the matter. . , , u The motion, waa carried.