NO WORK FOR TEACHERS

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIX, Issue 21110, 18 February 1932, Page 12

NO WORK FOR TEACHERS

TOTAL OF 208 IN AUCKLAND. MANY GIVEN CASUAL WORK. PLIGHT OF EX-PROBATIONERS. The number of unemployed ex-Training, College students in the Auckland Education Board's district at February 1 was 208, comprising 49 men and 159 women, according to a report presented at yesterday's meeting of the board. The total number not permanently employed was 505, comprising 142 men and 363 women. Of this number, 26 men and 119 women were being employed as relieving teachers, in lieu of probationary assistants, for the whole of the current term, and 61 men and 51 women were, being engaged as relieving teachers for periods ranging from two weeks upward. The chairman, Mr. A. Burns, said the Education Department had promised to do its utmost to authorise the appointment of additional assistants, and it was hoped the board would obtain authority to appoint more teachers at an early date. The board recently decided to give employment at tlie rate of 15s a working week or £3O a year to the 21 qualified probationers who were unable to gain admittance to the Auckland Training Collego this year. The board asked the Minister of Education, the Hon. P. Masters, lo bring down validating legislation, if necessary, to sanction its scheme. Regulations Infringed. The Minister advised yesterday that the legality of the proposal was referred to the Crown Law Office, which stated that the employment of the probationers would be a bleach of the regulations governing the number of teachers for each school. The payment of any allowance was not authorised under the Education Act. A breach would also be committed if the teachers were employed in an honorary capacity. It was not merely a question of validating the payment, but also altering the st a fling regulations. There was also no provision in the Act for employing these ex-probationers, as the Government had decided to employ no probationers this year.

The Minister said he was considering extending the senior free place period so that ex-probationers could re-enter secondary schools near their homes to study for a university degree, 'those living near a university college would be well advised to continue their education along university lines. This would probably prove of more real value than spending another year in some nominal capacity as probationers. Even if validating legislation were passed it would not be advisable for the Auckland Board to pay a rate of £3O a year, while the Otago Board proposed to pay only £lO. To fix the remuneration at the suggested rate of £3O might be especially embarrassing to the smaller boards, and it was not desirable that any re-employed young people should be paid different rates. Too Many Teachers Trained. The chairman, Mr. A. Burns, said the board bad tried to help the unfortunate probationers, but the position seemed to bo complicated and was another setback to the teachers affected. The board decided to ask the Minister to introduce legislation sanctioning the employment of the probationers and fixing .uniform rates of remuneration. Applications were received from three ex-Training College students for permission to attend schools for practice in teaching. In view of the advice irom the Minister the board resolved to inform the applicants that they could not teach in the schools, but could only attend and observe. The secretary, Mr. D. Dunlop, reported that the number of children on the rolls of the 752 schools, including 36 half-time schools, in the board's area for the term ended December 31 was 69,191 and (he average attendance, 62.592. Compared with the figures for the same term in the previous year the roll showed an increase of 642 and the average attendance a deciease ot 500. Mr. Burns remarked that the figures revealed that there was still approximately tbe same number of children. L nemplovment among teachers was caused by the fact that too many had been trained and it was not due to any appreciable reduction in tbe number of pupils. - RATIONING OF WORK. OTAGO BOARD'S PROPOSAL. [BY TELEGRAPH. —PRESS ASSOCIATION.] DUNEDIN, Wednesday. The opinion that it could make a greater success of the scheme for rationing work among unemployed teachers, if the department gave it a free hand, was expressed at the meeting of the Otago Education Board to-day. It was reported that, in this district, work lias been found, during February, for 89 unemployed teachers, 46 as probationary assistants, and 43 in vacancies caused through sickness or resignations. By filling these posts at salaries of £IOO a year, the saving was sufficient to have warranted the employment of an additional 23 relieving teachers from February 1.

SCHEME FOR MARRIED MEN

ADVISORY COUNCIL'S VIEW. PROTEST TO GOVERNMENT. The Government's proposals to send married relief workers from the city to country camps was considered by the Auckland Labour Advisory Council at the Trades Hall last evening. A statement on the organisation's decision was issued later. It was pointed out that the council was formed of representatives of the Alliance of Labour, the Trades and Labour Council and the Unemployed Workers' Association. It considered that the new relief proposal was "a home-wrecking fine, calculated to destroy family life," and it decided to protest to the Charitable Aid Board against the threatened refusal of sustenance to married men refusing to accept country work. In the opinion of the council, it would be impossible, on the wages offered, for a married man to maintain himself and leave sufficient for his wife to pay rent and maintain the family. The reduction of the remuneration for relief work was regarded as a menace to the standard of wages paid to employed workers. A protest also was made against (he action of the Labour Department officers in visiting relief workers at their employment, singling out individuals to report to country work, and informing I hem that, upon refusal, they would not receive further relief employment or assistance from- the Charitable Ajd Board. Opposition to the Government's scheme was expressed at a large meeting of unemployed in Quay Street last evening. Some' 500 met) and women subsequently took part in a march in Queen Street as a demonstration against the proposals. A motion that it would be. against a married man's duty to his wife and children to go to a country camp on the terms offered was carried unanimously.