PROFESSORS’ SALARIES

Otago Daily Times, Issue 18510, 22 March 1922, Page 3

PROFESSORS’ SALARIES

GOVBRNMENT GRANT REDUCED. LEGAL QUESTIONS INVOLVED. An important discussion took place in the University Council yesterday afternoon on the question of professors’ salaries. The council is faced with the necessity placed upon it by Act of Parliament substantially to reduce these salaries, but after consideration the council laid it upon its Finance Committee to see if some way could not be found of avoiding this most undesirable contingency. The question was raised in a letter dated March 10 from the Secretary of Education, asking that the salaries be reduced as prescribed by section 66 of the Public Expenditure Adjustment Act, and stating that the grants would bo reduced by approximately £2OOO per annum. The Vice-chancellor, Mr T. K. Sidey, M.P., who presided, said that in this case the Act imposed an obligation on the council to make these reductions, so that the council had no alternative but to make them and to instruct the registrar accordingly. He thought, however, that the question as to what further steps might, bo taken by the council might be referred to the Finance Committee. The .reductions started under the Act from January 1, and-it might be rather a large reduction now to make it in one quarter. The only exception made was in cases where the contract was entered into outside New Zealand and during the period of its currency. If an increase was duo to bo made after January 1 it would still be made. Mr J. C. Stephens said there was another question that had a serious bearing upon this communication from the department, and that was whether the professors oame under section 5 or section 6 of the Act. Section 5 dealt with the case of members of the public service- and teachers in educational institutions whoso' salaries bad been raised in consequence of the allocation of £300,000 from the Government to the Education Department. It might well be found that the additional £SOOO grant, to the university had been got from the Government out of the £500,000. If that was so. they came under section 5, and reductions under that section did not take effect until regulations had been passed. Regulations had not yet been passed. It, seemed to him there wore so many difficulties in the matter that they wight to act under the advice of their solicitors. Mr L. D. Ritchie said he had asked the registrar to obtain a legal opinion. The putting of the Act into operation was going to bo a very difficult matter, and would lead to heartburnings. The council should certainly communicate with the Minister of Education and see whether something could not be done to lessen the burden on our professors whose salaries had not been raised on account of the high cost, of living and were less than those of their colleagues in northern centres. There were numerous other questions to be considered, such as whether, after the salaries had been reduced, they could be raised again. Mr Sidey said the question raised by Mr Stephens as to whether the professors came under clause 5 or clause 6 was a very difficult one. There was also the question whether a contract entered into in England but only signed out here would exclude the professor from the benefit of the section of the Act exempting contracts made outside New Zealand. There was a general clause with reference to undue hardship that might be availed of. It was unanimously decided that the matter Ire referred to the Finance Committee and the council’s solicitors, and the registrar was instructed in the meantime to pay the salaries in full.