THE SALARY “CUT”

New Zealand Times, Volume XLIX, Issue 11255, 6 July 1922, Page 10

THE SALARY “CUT”

SECONDARY SCHOOL STAFF LETTER TO MEMBERS OF PARLIAMENT. TEACHERS' 1 ASSOCIATION OBJECTS. Th© following letter on the proposed "cut/’ in salaried of teachers has been forwarded by Mr F. Martyn Renner: — Dear Sir, — My association, comprising the secondarv schools' assistantt teachers of New Zealand, desires to bring under your notice certain reasons against the Government salary retrenchment policy with regard to the first cut and all future cuts as applied to teachers in gene* ral and secondary school teachers in particular. (1) Up to 1920 the salaries of secondary school teachers were in general deplorably bad, and the whole system of remuneration of these teachers was chaotio and anomalous. (2) Being men and women of academics status, secondary school teachers in their claim for better conditions and better remuneration, did not bring forward “cost of living" as their main argument, but claimed that their services to the State and educational qualifications entitled them to recognition as a profession. (3) Secondary school teachers were the last to get any measure of relief from pecuniary hardship; namely, in 1920. Having enjoyed this relief for one year, they, ; in common with Government employees, though not Government employees ithemeelves. were deprived of portion of their salaries, the increases to which were gained only at the cost of great effort and only after a long time INCREASE NOT A BONUS. (4) The Minister for Education was unable to give even a bonus by way of re* lief until the middle of 1920, the reason being that secondary school teachers were not Government servants, and that special machinery was therefore necessary. Civil servants and even primary school teachers obtained a bonus long before the secondary school teachers. (5) The Minister for Education, when he introduced the 192 J Education Act amending bill, stated definitely that the increases which the bill proposed to make, were not in the nature of a bonus. As a recognition that the teaching profession had been hitherto a poorly paid profession, all increases proposed were increases to shlary. Consequently, when in December, 1920, the Education Bril and its regulations came into operation, every secondary school teacher received increase retrospective to April first, but all bonuses already paid since that date were deducted from the increases given. The ooet of living had nothing to do with onr increases. With us it was a question of adequate remuneration for profssional services, and a desire to attract to an admittedly dying profession men and w&nen of character and ability.

AN ANOMALOUS CONDITION. (6) The apparently anomalous condition in which secondary school teachers now find themsrfvee—-in that the bonus vas deducted and that thereafter their salaries were reduced, that the Government found it difficult to provide a bonus for them because they were obviously rot Government servants, but found it easy to reduce their salaries, because they equally obviously were Government servants —must have a had effect ou the profession as a whole. My own invest igi«tions show that there is at the present time an actual shortage of teachers, which will become more acute, if further retrenchment is broo'ht into operation. (7) Finally, my association desires to point out that the conditions of secondary school teachers in New Zealand while much better than they were a i,; cade ago, are not equal to the conditio- v prevailing in other parts of the Bmpis, A. few months ago the Geddes report 1 .i vocated a reduction amounting to millions in the salaries of teachers Great Britain. The Government refuci.J to put this reduction into effect; for felt that it could not break faith wi“ the teaohers, because of the promises V had made to the local authorities. do not for a moment wish to imply tl.il the New Zealand Government has Imo-ii ingly broken or been guilty of a hreat> of faith; but we wish to apprise you. q, the true facts of the case. In view of the above facts my avo tion would most earnestly psk’’ you tyour support against the application any further cut in .the salaries of tead,* era