SUPERANNUATION BILL

New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIX, Issue 21347, 23 November 1932, Page 13

SUPERANNUATION BILL

TEACHERS' OBJECTIONS

CONDITIONS OF SERVICE

EFFECT UPON EFFICIENCY

[BY TELEGRAPH —SPECIAL REPORTER]

WELLINGTON, Tuesday

Numerous objections to the Superannuation Eunds Bill were voiced on behalf of the New Zealand Educational Institution, the chairman of which, Mr. W F. Abel, gave evidence before the Parliamentary Committee to-day.

"Our executive claims that intimate knowledge of the education system enables it- to speak with authority on the inevitable effect the bill will have if it becomes law," said Mr. Abel. "There will certainly bo a definite falling off in the efficiency of schools. Not many men teachers retain their full efficiency to the age of 65 years, and a considerable number of them will, under the provisions of the bill, have to continue in the service to that age. Even at 60 years, most men have passed their prime, and their retention at and after that age will mean that in many cases they will be occupying positions that could be better filled by younger men. Majority of Women

"But the education service is different from other services in that about twothirds of its members are women. Tho executive asserts with a due sense of responsibility that for the majority of women 30 years of service is as much as the conditions of their service enable them to give if efficiency is to be maintained. Somo are able to go on a few years longer, but if all are required to continue in the service until the age of 55, it is certain that many of them will be carrying on under stress that will be reflected in tho quality of their work." Mr. Abel said that the passing of the bill would stop all promotions for approximately five years, and, generally speaking, the whole of the service would have to mark time for that period. It would be serious for men, but doubly serious for women, as the range of promotion of tho latter was by reason of tho fact that all the higher positions in the service were in practice reserved for men. Basis of Salaries

A peculiarity of the education service was that payments were based 011 the average attendance at schools. Salaries were allotted to positions and not to teachers personally. Promotion usually involved removal, and in the education service, as distinct from the Public Service, the expense of removal had to be paid by tho teacher except in a few special cases. It not infrequently happened that a teacher could not apply for promotion because he could not afford the expense of removal, and the obvious consequence was that he was often obliged to remain in a lower position than that to which his efficiency entitled him, and he suffered in superannuation allowance for the rest of his life-

Under the Finance Act, 1932, which mado a second reduction in salaries, teachers were given the option of electing to continue to pay contributions on the unreduced rate of salary. Before the period of option had expired the report of the National Expenditure Commission was issued, in which the changes now embodied in the bill were indicated. This made exercise of the option a very difficult matter to decide, as it made a radical alteration in the conditions of service. In effect, the option had to be used under one set of conditions, and it would operate, if the bill were passed, under quite different ones. Further evidence from teachers' organisations will bo heard by the committee tomorrow.