SCHOOL-TEACHERS' SALARIES.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 12991, 4 June 1904, Page 14

SCHOOL-TEACHERS' SALARIES.

• TO t'HR EDIXOH. . Sir—About- 'tjiree years ago you took the initiative in pointing out that better .remuneration would, havp.to.be :given if a. good 'class of brainy lads-was to be : _ got. as teachers. . For a. time your warning was : unheeded, but what yriu v preciicted:has come i about, and 'other' journals .aro now taking-up the staiu.l you' took theiu The Schoo .Committees'iOonforenoD- last week ably backed up'what you ha'vo" been contending-for so i ' °Thc same dearth of teachers is experienced ■ at-Homeland mainly for the .same, reasons— ,"Eogrpay and-.poor prospects, and I have > I 'ventured to send you a'cutting from the i 1 Schoolmaster of April 9, .which yon-ifiay;be i! sbie to-see your way to, publish. Leaving ;', out the question of diftcrentiatmg between i -provincial and : metropolitan teachers, it m\\ ■ be seen that tlie .principle of annual lncre- ■ ments is spoken of: This is already an i active principle in many parts of Lnglaiid E ■ and Scotland. .Annual increments, witlun 5! cortain limits, obtain in various branches t ''of the cjVil sch'iee-here. ■ Why should 1 'teachers'-salaries not come under/this line of ■: action-I am, etc., Teacher, 1 '•' [ Salaries op Teachers. '. • [ Mr A. R. Pickles,-B.A. (executive), having I obtained the consent of the conference to an aUcralipn in the form of his josohition on the' ' aubjeot oi teachers' salaries, moYed:—-"That I conference considers that there can be no wiser j nor more ■ economical expenditure, of public " • money than in thoroughly educating tho child- } i'ren. in primary schools, by imparting know- ; I ledge, developing intelligence, and building yp 1 ■ character; it'is therefore desirable in the in--7 terests of the Stete and the localities tn obtain * tlie.best possible teachcrs-for the schools. But f ooiiference calls, attention to the unprecedented ' dearth of qualified teachers, arising from the * fact that for most of the class teachers there- ■ • n no chance of promotion, and that in many " cases even grossly 'inadequate salaries 'are J offered. Conference therefore desires to point e out that the position of the certificated- class Y , .teachers should be regarded'as generally pert nmnent, and that the salaries should be made

more in keeping with the dignity and responi siljility.oE Hie-work, and nttiactive to a good ' class of teacher. ..Tho following is therefore ' adopted as a standard scale of salaries for ceriificaietl class teachers in all primary schools: "Provisional' Class Teachers.—Men: Mini.lnntn J290, maximum £180, by annual oiltomatio increments of £'5 to £100, and then by annua-l automactic increments of £10 to the maxinvum. .■Women:'Minimum £80, raa-rinurni £145, by . annual automatic increment of £5 to £115, and theu by | annual automatic increments of £10 . io the ln'nxiniiim. " Metropolitan and Extra-Metropolitan Class Teachers:—Men:' Minimum £100, maximum £220, by annual automatic increments of £5 to £100, and then by annual automatic increments of £10 to'the maximum. Women: iMinimuin £90, maximum £165, by annual automatic increments of £5 to £125, and then by annual automatic' increments of £10 to the maximum. In determining tho initial salary to be paid to any teacher under this scale, regard shall bo bad to years of service rendered by eiich.teacher under any local authority." He remarked ■thai" no dobut they would 1)6 ready to 'iboufc agreed to the -whole icaolution, but as this was tho first and essential step to real educational- advance they -would no doubt wish .to emphasise, it. They might organise education as they please, schjdule aud certificate teachers as'they would, and appoint directors and inspectors without end, but unless they got as teachers tho men and women they needed—of .capacity and trauiißg—the educational system -would remain rotten at the core. —(Applause.) Educational authorities were 'finding out-, that no problem was more- pressing than this, They wero faced by the startling dearth' of teachers. The act of 1902 bud shown up like a searchlight the deficiency of teachers both as-regarded quality and quantity. 'Whilst the avcrar'"' school attendances had increased by 137 iv cent, the number oi girl pupil teachers had decreased by 18. and of boy. pupil . teachers .by 34 ,per cent. Out of 867 assistant iiteachers of.all grades in Hampshire, .over 700 were imcertificated, and in Wiltshire, out of 520 only 34 were certificated.- 'The causes were • patent—poor pay and poor pr.ispects.—(Applause.) -Headships of any kind had now come . to be like the proverbial marshal's baton in the soldier's knapsack. The last Blue Books showed'.that"ovijt 5000 masters received less thau'JElOOayear, and that close upon 1000 certificated class niistircs3P.s were working for less than £50, a .year." There were /some enlightened places which wanted good teachers, and were prepared, to pay for them, and. even some provincial authorities wore looking up. But what about"Fahnouth and Moseley.wiih about £70 and £90 as the maximum respectively > for mistresses' and masters? It was better to be an attendance officer in Tottenham, than an assistant master in Portsmouth.—(Applause.) In Darwen the .scale was a. maximum of £100 for men and £85 for women, with annual incre'.merits 0f:.(2 Out of 42 assistants of all grades 20 left in six months,—(Ap-

plause.) Then the Education Committee advertised in the local papers for " suitable young women."—(Laughter.) They got about' GO up Jjlicants and decided to give.them a simple test. Thirty of tho young women failed to put in an appearanca'at the test, and of tho 30 who aat tho examiner recommended three as

■•doubtfully proficient."—(Laughter and applause.) One of the town councillors said they had all England to go to/ but they were now trying Ireland and Scotland, arid i! they could translate their advertisement into Chinese per]mps they -would be looking to the far East next.—(Applause.) It -was not the working man at all who objected to pay Jd more on the rate to have a fully trained and properly qualified teacher instead of a makeshift lor ihis children, but the larger ratepayer, who put the working man. forward as a buffer and went in piling ■up flic profits.—(Applause.) A , country that could.spend so many millions on its navy and army, and had a drink bill of £134,000,000, must not say it had got to the bottom of its purse for the schools.—(Applause.) The claim set out in the resolution was a modest.one. If they .were to maintain a sound educational system they must make the profession worth entering. They anight establish their scholarships and bursaries, and put training colleges at every street comer, but what- profited their open door if only the lean and starving: might enter?—(Applause.) Both ior the sake of the children and of the country better salaries were needed. Then years of hard struggle, .rath a certificate at the end, and even a degree' later on, and then to start at » salary" which no Southern League footballer would look at.— (Applause.) Plenty of compliment upon the platform but little , consideration in tho committee loom. Serving in single -blessedness &s long as Jacob did for Eachel, and % pension oE 253 a week at the end of it, mostly contributed liy himself.—(Laughter and applause.) It was because the olasa teaohers of the'eountry'were engagedinagresiinational work that homoved that resolution, asking for them more adequate remuneration ond better recognition.

Valuable Discovxßr ion the Hair.—lf your hair is turning grey or white, or falling o'f, use "The Mexican Hair Renewer," for it mil positively restore in every case'. Orey or While Mir to its original colour, without leaving the disagreeablo smell of most "Eβstorcrs." It make* the hair •charmingly beautiful, as well ai promoting the growth of the hair on' bald spots, where the , glands lira not decayed. Aik your • Chemist for "Thb Mkxioan Haib Kenewer," sold by Chemists aod Perfumere everywhere. Wholesale depot, 33 Farrington road, London, England. . .-.-...

— Plants, like animals, have periods of activity and rest, some being active during the day and sleeping at night, and others vesting during. the daay and working at night.