SALARIES QUESTION

Otago Daily Times, Issue 27079, 13 May 1949, Page 8

SALARIES QUESTION

PA WELLINGTON, May 12. Having checked up on a local minister, a bank manager, a stock and station agent, and the headmaster of a Southland town, said Mr A. E. Farrant at the meeting of the New Zealand Educational Institute, he had found that the schoolmaster was best off in salary. Mr Farrant was speaking to a remit urging that the institute make a major effort to have teachers’ salaries raised to a high professional level, with a greatly-lessened service qualification. He said the teacher had not been treated unfavourably in comparison with other sections of the community Mr J. M. Grant said that if he were suited for his work, a teacher with eight years’ experience would be teaching as well then as when he had 21 years’ experience. Why should he have to wait that time to get the full salary? The -emit was carried. The conference approved a remit that much more inducement should be offered to teachers to serve in country districts by a more liberal policy in approving the payment of a substantia] increase in country salaries; by provision for constant review of the position and a review of the list of schools graded for country service.. The Session Committee on the subject was of opinion that increased accommodation was of equal importance with increased salary in staffing country schools.