TEACHERS' SALARIES

Dominion, Volume 2, Issue 337, 26 October 1908, Page 7

TEACHERS' SALARIES

"HUB NEW. MINIMUM." UNEASINESS IN THE PROFESSION. STATEMENT BY THE MINISTER. ' There is a growing feeling of uneasiness il the ranks of the teaching profession concerning tho intentions of the Government with regard to the administration of the salaries provisions of the Education Act Amendment Act, 1908, which comes into operation on January 1 next. On that date, according to the Act, as passed last session, a new aud much more liberal scale of salaries will replace the existing scale. In the now scale there is a specified minimum and maximum salary attached to each position,on the staff of every public school, and the gap between ' 8 tt° i lO , k? yearly increments of £5. under the existing scale, a number of teachers are at present in receipt of a salary is lower than the minimum salary to be paid for their positions under, the new scale, and as the Act expressly states (Clause 7, sub-Clause 1) that the salaries payable to " teachers in public schools shall be the salaries ■ prescribed for those teachers in the second !- schedule (tho new scale of salaries), those teachers whose present salaries 'are below tho minimum provided for- • in., that schedule naturally expect that they will, automatically, rise to the minimum upon the coming into force of the new Act. But there is reason to apprehend that suoh will not be tho case; that thoso teachers whose salaries are below the new minimum will not rise to that attractive level on January 1, 1909, in one pleasurablo flight, but will proceed more leisurely at the rate of £5 per annum. Assuming that a certain teacher is now £10 below the now minimum, it will bo two years before he can really make a start towards his maximum. Clause 7, Subclause 3, states that: — "A teacher who is employed in a public school at the commencement of this ■ Aot shall, so long as he remains in t)io same position, receive as from the beginning of each year. (commencing with the year 1909), an annual increment of £5, in addition to the salary received by him at ■ the' commencement of this. Act, until his;' • salary reaches the maximum for the grade or subgrado of salary,attached to that position by this Act."' •. .i What is "tho salary received by him at thj commencement of this Act?" Clause 7, sub-clause 1, says that "tho salaries payable ' . . . shall bo the salaries of-the grades and sub-grades (as defined in Part 2 of tlja first schedule hereto) prescribed for those teachers in the second schedule hereto." In' other words, on January 1, 1909, tho old system of grading the' schools will give place' to a new system, and as a corollary, according, to the generally accepted reading of tho Act, to a new scale of salaries." But as tho ' Education Department is understood to think otherwise, and by their process of thinking is proceeding upon economic, though from tho teachers point, of view > Unsatisfactory, , lines, the Now Zealand Educational Institute has taken the matter up, and its secretary, (Mr. Wm. Foster) has addressed a communication to the Minister, asking for his official verdict upon the point at issue. The position was .explained to us by the secretary of the institute, who; prophesied ' a "rumpus" in the teaching profession were tho matter decided by tho Department as had been reported.

STATEMENT BY THE MINISTER.' . As tho above statement, was . placed before* us after the telegraph office had dosed, it . was decided to telephone the Hon. G. Fowlds, who is'at' present at Auckland. After considerable trouble, due to tho difficulty of hearing over the "long-distance," Wo were able, with the courteous assistance of tho Wellington Telephone' Exchange night staff, to get into communication';with tjio Minister shortly after midnight. In reply ■ to out. question, the Hon. G.-jFowlds mada tho' following statement:— , ' "Every teacher-holding-, a position with ■ less salary., attached to that position than. ;• tho maximum in tho scale, will receive an increase of £5 from January 1, and will-go on receiving- an annual increase of .£5 until he receives the maximum 6alary . provided by the scale for tho posi- ■ tion ho holds. "Those teaohers having salaries below the minimum will receive annual Increments of is In, the same way, but will not be raised to the minimum by one Inorease." It would therefore seem that the teacher? have had some grounds for believing tho report, circulated, and now confirmed by tha Minister. It remains to be seen what action' they propose to take.. . . '