UNFORTUNATE SCHOOL TEACHERS.

Taranaki Herald, Volume LIV, Issue 13488, 31 July 1907, Page 7

UNFORTUNATE SCHOOL TEACHERS.

i» (Telegraphed by Our Parliamentary ' Reporter.) WELLINGTON, July 31. What appears -to be a, legitimate grievance in respect to the exclusion of certain teachers from full participation in the^teaehers' Superannuation Fund was ventilated in'the House yesterday. Ellen" Astley and Mary Novat, both of Auckland, petitioned the House a little while ago tmy were school teachers'/^0 for a number of years had' servedr^tf^ate^.^^Dwing to overwork and tffe" necessity for a rest they did not happen to be employed when the Teachers' Superannuation Act came into force on January Ist, 1906, and consequently they: were shnt out from the beneji£§; a^^iiv^e^e^J^t^acking under the Reject original members. They prayed for admission to the fund on ther status of original members. The petition was considered by the Educatidnr^Committee O/f the House, whose Chairman yesterday presented a report recommending the petitions to the Governntent tor cdp^ideration. This was evideiitly considered ! too . lukewarm. Several member wanted the word "faiwM'able*' inserted.bfefore consideration /Cases were' quoted of teachers whb^. -about the tima the Act came into force, had temporarily ceased work, perhaps because of illness or perhaps prior to taking up service with an Education Boated .after having left the service of another board. This brought out a reply from^he'Minister for Education. Mr Fowids mentioned in ..the first place that one of the teachers quoted had been a friend and neighbour of his own for many years. He twitted Mr Bollard (who had mentioned the case and advocated the teachers'- claims to be placed on the fund as an original j member) 4 with inconsistency in urging that more teachers should be put on the fund after having impeached its stability and aotuarial soundness. Mr Fowids went on to say that it would be impossible to admit every person who had been, in, the service, of Education Boards prior to the passing of the Act, To take that position would be ridiculous. He admitted that there were cases of hardship, but the difficulty was to find a stopping -place. If it was only a question of say fifteen or twenty cases, he. believed the Government ' would be prepared to deaj with them as some members had suggested, but there had already been some thirty or forty applications from teachers, and on looking up the records of Education Boards he , had found that there were a great many more persons similarly situated who would have to be similarly treated once a concession was made — scores and scores of them. Mr Rutherford suggested that, if these could not be' put on the fund, the Government could make some other provision for them. Mr Hanan stated that all the members of the Education Committee were sympathetic with the petitioners, recognisr ing tllat they were hard cases — (laughter) — well, cases of hardship. The Committee had referred the petitions to the Government, hoping that something Would be done for the petitioners. The Committee's report was then authorised by the House to 'be tabled. Another section of the report which contained a similar recommendation in regard to a petition from Geo .Wilmot, of Christchurch (an ex-school teacher), for a compassionate allowance was referred by the House back to the Committee. With this issue Herbert's Up-to-date issues an inset announcing the annual " splash " sales. The prices speak for themselves. ! A reminder is given of the unreserved sale of dairy cattle, etc., to be held at Carrington. Road on Friday by Mr. Newton King, on account of Messrs. R. Findlay & Son. Messrs. Spurdle Bros. & Allen, coach builders and general furnishers, Inglewood, have shown considerable enterprise in supplying the immediate dis.trict with a new- and up-to-date heajse. The vehicle is of handsome design. The wood-work and other fittings have been built entirely by the firm.