TEACHERS' SALARIES.

Timaru Herald, Volume LXIV, Issue 3551, 25 April 1901, Page 3

TEACHERS' SALARIES.

- Per Presa Association. WELLINGTON, April 24. The Inspector General, Mr Hogben, states that his reason for supporting a colonial scale of salaries is primarily the sense of injustice of the system under which a teacher in one district is paid. 50 per cent, more than a teacher in another district. Moreover, it is inevitable that the better teacher will go to places where the higher salaries are paid, with the result that the children in one district will have a better education than the children in another. The profession in New Zealand is not attracting to itself at the present time in sufficiently large numbers, the men and women we ought to expect, and if the salaries are not raised the inevitable tendency will be one of two things—either that 'the schools will be staffed by women ■ almost entirely, or that the general etan- ; dard of the profession will fall. In answer to a question by one of the Teachers' Salaries Commissioners, Mr Hogben agreed that there was a tendency on the part of promising men to use the profession as a stepping-stone for other professions, and he did not blame tTiffln for it. " Sir Robert Stout, the Chief Justice, is a case in point," interjected Sir Mackenzie. The question, whether women teachers should receive salaries equal to those paid to men was briefly mentioned before the Commission yesterday. In drawing up his new scheme the Minister of Education followed the plan of insisting upon equal payment for male and female pupil teachers. Mr Hogben stated his personal opinion is in favour of such equal payment till a living wage is reached, when there should be a differential rate. He suggested that a male teacher who had to maintain three persons besides himself should receive double the salary paid to a woman who had to maintain! one person and a half in addition to herself. This would be after the TYirnlmTTm were passed, but until that minimum were reached the salary should be the same. There had been several representations that a woman's salary should be the same as that of a man; but the new scale had not been drawn up with that idea. The tendency in the new scale, however, was to increase the salaries now paid to women.

Giving further evidence afc the Teachers' Salaries Commission, the Secretary for Education said he did nofc think a colonial scale would interfere with the privileges and functions of the Education Board. Very few assistants would have to retire under the scheme, which would result in assistants being available for responsible country positions at higher salaries they are now receiving. Qualifying the statement made yesterday, regarding salaries, he said his personal opinion was not that after a living wage was reached the salaries oil" men should be double those of women, but that in the case of men the excess over the living wage should be double the excess in the case of women. The Commission this afternoon are visiting the city schools, to see the manner of working.