Salaries Not Raised

Press, Volume CV, Issue 31002, 7 March 1966, Page 11

Salaries Not Raised

YX.Z. Presa Association), DUNEDIN, March 6. The situation concerning university teachers’ salaries was the worst it had been for 20 years, said the dean of the University of Otago's Dental School (Sir John Walsh). He was commenting on a statement by the chairman of the Auckland branch of the Association of University Teachers (Dr. Sinclair) that there was an “apparent lack of urgency in pay rises for university teachers . . . medical and dental salaries were recently raised.” “Dr. Sinclair’s statement is not correct,” said Sir John Walsh.

“Medical clinical salaries have recently been raised but dental salaries have not.” He said there had been two salary increases over the last five years but dental salaries had been held relatively stationary. “Formerly dental salaries lay between medical salaries and arts and science salaries. Now they are equated with arts and science salaries.” Sir John Walsh said that in the United Kingdom dental salaries were equated with medical salaries and clinicr responsibilities were recognised—but this was not true in New Zealand. Recently advertised lectur-er-level positions at the Dental School had attracted either no applicants or a single one, Sir John Walsh said. “In one case a dentist from Ceylon applied, but this was the only person outside New Zealand to apply for the position.

“We have recently lost members of staff to Brisbane and Perth. At the present time dental salaries in New Zealand are far below comparable positions in Australia and Britain,” he said. “The situation has never been worse concerning salaries in the 20 years I have been here.”