TEACHERS’ SUPERANNUATION.

New Zealand Times, Volume LXXII, Issue 4826, 2 December 1902, Page 2

TEACHERS’ SUPERANNUATION.

REPORT OF A SPECIAL CO-M----iim'KK. Tho Wellington branch of tbo Now Zealand Educational Institute haa adorned the following report, drawn up by a special committee appointed Ivr tin; purpose:—After mu king a careful eau;i>.a'i;..ia of the chief features of the railway .■'uperauauatiou scheme, lhe Police Provident Fund and the proposed teachers' .-nperanuuatiuu scheme, your onunuiiico hogs to report that Wio iirst is by far tae most liberal, la the iiisu ph.ee. ail teachers under thirty years of age are required to pay bid per cent more per year than railway servants under the same age, while too contributions at other ages vary between 10 per cent, and 50 per cent. more. As the proposed 5 per cent, contribution will be the ruling one in a few years, it is suggested that it bo brought mere in lino with that payable under the railway scheme—viz., 3 per cent. In order to meet the case of the teacher over lifly-iive y*trs of ago, it is suggested that a clause be added to the Bill to enable him to purchase status in tho fund by a payment equal to a year’s contribution for each year by which his age exceeds fifty-five years, such payment not to exceed .the amount of five annual contributions. A similar privilege should bo granted to women teachers whoso age exceeds fortylive years. With respect to the method of computing the retiring allowance, your committee is strongly of opinion’ that the male teacher should receive one-sixtieth of tho average rate of salary for five yours previous to retirement, thereby placing hint oil all equality with other G-overiiinciit servants, and it also urges that tho maximum pension should be greater than one-half of tbo average annual rate, seeing that tho railway Servant receives two-thirds and the member of tho polico force three-fifths. In this connection, attention is drawn to clause 12. Tho substitution of “or” for “and,” so that tho clause would road; “That a contributor before retirement must servo thirty-five years or must have attained the ago of sixty years," would ho an improvement, and would meet tho caso of those teachers who would have to retire at tho ago of sixty years, but who would not receive tho full benefits of tho fund, as they could not fulfil tho other condition of Ibirty-fivo years’ service. Tho proposals made with regard to (1) voluntary retirement or dismissal, (2) retirement through medical unfitness, (3) death before _ retirement, aro fully as liberal as similar proposals in the railway and police schemes. Your committee, however, favoured the addition of a sub-clause to clause 14, which would seettro a smaller annual payment to the widow, and a weekly payment of, say, Cs for each child till, it reaches the ago of fourteen. Some dissatisfaction lias been shown regarding clausa 11, which provides that no payment shall bo made from tho fund till 1008, hut, unlike the railway and polico schemes, the teachers’ scheme has no nucleus .to start with, and tills is probably the reason for tho regulation. The report will probably he considered at the annual conference of tho delegates to the institute, which is to he held in Napier early in January.