REMOVAL EXPENSES.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XLVII, Issue 166, 13 June 1927, Page 4

REMOVAL EXPENSES.

BURDEN ON TEACHERS. HANDICAP GENERAL. The handicap teachers suffer through having to pay their own removal expenses —that is, when they seek promotion on their own account—was complained of to Messrs J. A. Nash and J. Linklater, M.P.’s., on Saturday afteinoon at the meeting of the Manayvatu branch of the Educational Institute Mrs Eggers, president of the local branch of the Women Teachers Association stated that some years ago teachers did not shift around very much, but nowadays things were changed and not only were promotions sought in one district from another, but ffoni the south of tho South Island to the north of the North Island. “If a teacher wants to get on he has to buy his promotion. The cost is very great. A married teacher, particularly, has to remain in a schoool and, perhaps, a more inefficient master, but one unencumbered, gets on, but to the detriment of the school he goes to. The man who stays at home goes down in the grading list, leaves the service at a low salary and receives two-thirds of his superannuation.” » Mrs Eggers pointed out that other civil servants had their expenses paid, and she produced statistical evidence to prove her case as regards the teachers. There was the case of a man who went from Christchurch to Masterton at a cost of £BO. He had property he could not dispose of before he left deteriorating in Christchurch. There was also another case wdiere a man had gone to a school at a cost of £BO apart from all personal expenses. "It takes quite two or three years at the least to overcome these removal costs,” concluded Mrs Eggers. Mr Nash stated that ho sympathised with the teachers, but he pointed out that, when members of other Government departments made application for a transfer, no expense were paid. The Mastertoij case referred to the speaker was cognisant of. It had taken the teacher two years to'make up the cost of removing.