TEACHERS' SALARIES.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXXI, Issue 10139, 27 August 1904, Page 4

TEACHERS' SALARIES.

LOWER GRADES TO BE INCREASED

(From our Parliamentary Reporter.) WELLINGTON, this day. A lengthy debate on the present icvik of salaries to primary school teachers arose m the House, yesterday, when the estimates of the Education Department were -under discussion, other pliases of the edweatioa system being also touched on. Members of both sides of the House urged increases m the salarie- of the lower paid teachers, and the Premier, who is also Minister of Education, agreed that this was necessary. Mr J. Hanau opened the. discussion, moving the reduction of the vote of £457,000 for primary schools by £1, as an indication tliat the salaries paid primary school teachers are inadequate. Mr Hogg .urged tliat country teachers should receive larger house allowances, as Well a»s higher salaries. Mr Massey supported the amendment. The people m the out-districts suffered serious disabilities, particularly m regard to education. Many children were growing up m the out-districts absolutely without education. Many of the buildings were absolutely unfit for children to be m for five or six hours a day. He declared that since the; colonial scale, luid been introduced, teachers were m a worse position as regarded the aver-ago wages paid than before. Mr Wilford urged that primary school teachers should be better paid, declaring tliat they were, the worst paid of all the civil servants. Mr vSyones brought up the claims of the back blocks, considering that not a single technical or secondary school should be erected till every child m ,ba«k blocks had a school which -he could attend. Tliis roused Mr Baume, who pointed out that the children m the back blocks were not the only children who deserved aons|id | eration. ItJ was importanit that the children m cities should be taught to become skilful workmen. We heard a lot about pioneers, but it seemed to him, that the pioneers of to-day wanted all the advantages of town life- as well as those of the country, without the disadvantages of country life. He considered it a wrong principle that teachers' salaries should b© absolutely dependent *>n the average attendance — a matter which very often was altogether apart from the teachers' control. He urged the importance of taking action which would result m good male teachers going into the profession. - The Premier said tliat the gentle pressure brought to bear on him to increase teachers' salaries was much appreciated-, but while he was asked to do this he was continually being told tliat there was undue increase m expenditure. He went on to say that the teachers of the smaller schools were the ones who liad suffered most under the legislation passed with reference to teachers' salaries. The Inspector-General reported m May List that h© considered the salarie- too low, but they could not be raised without an all round increase. This could bo done by adopting the second schedule of the Act. In liis opinion tho sole teachers of schools of from 15 to 30 pupils were the worst off. He would favorably consider bringing the second schedule of the Act into operation if the prosperity of the colony continued, but lie- would not bring m that schedule as it at present existed, for the reason tliat an injustice would still be continued to the teachers of small country schools. The law would require- to be amended. Faults tliat he knew existed m respect to- salaries m these schools. Mr Baume : Do away with average attendance. The Premier : That will not do it. He proposed to bring down a Bill amending , the present scale of teachers' salaries m the direction of giving teachers of small schools of the class mentioned by the Inspector-General larger salaries than they at present received. The Premier went on to say that it would be a danger to the education! system if we allowed ma-le teachers to leave the profession as j they were at present. He warned members that ho would resist any attempt to i increase the salaries of the higlier paid teachers or to make a general all-round advance when, his Bill came down. . Mr Fowlds, referring to schools m the kick blocks, poiuted out that the cost of education pei- head m these districts was much larger tlian m the cities. With the- object of reducing the cost and increasing efficiency he suggested the establishment of central schools m country districts. Mr Fowlds further urged the importance of the immediate establishment of training schools and a teachers' superannuation fund. Mr Ja-s. Allen complained tliat many teachers after long terms of service had had their salaries reduced. He looked with, anxiety on the increasing proportion: of female teachers, and quoted the Mosley (America) Education Commission's reportin support of his contention that a large increase of female teachers m any country was detrimental. The object which Mr Hanan had m view, viz., having the matter ventilated, liaving been attained, the- amendment wag put and negatived on the voices. "