TEACHERS' SALARIES

Dominion, Volume 13, Issue 181, 27 April 1920, Page 8

TEACHERS' SALARIES

VIEWS OF THE N.Z.E.J? EXECUTIVE

DIFFER FROM PROPOSALS OF

LOCAL TEACHERS

A meeting of tho Wellington Branch of the New Zealand Educational Institute was held last night. . The president (Mr. C. N. Haslam) occupied the chair. There was a large attendance. The secretary (Mr. A. J. Graham) reported that a reply had been received from the Now Zealand Institute with reference to the resolution passed at the annual meeting of the branch on the matter of an increase in salaries. The reply was,' in effect, as follows:— The resolution was before the local executive of the N.Z.E.I. Nt its last meeting, when it was decided that the proposal was opposed to tho policy that had been affirmed by successive annual meetings of the institute for several years past. Tho resolution accepted the schedule of the Act, subject to an all-round increaso of three-fifths, as an acceptable nasis ror tho payment of salaries. Tho schedule was based upon average attondanco, whereas the institute had condemned average attendance as a basis of payment, holding that tho salary should bo paid to the teacher and not to the position. The executive desired to point out that an all-round increaso of a. given fraction or percentajjo was not an equitable method of distribution, since it gave the largest increment to those who already received the highest salaries. For various reasons tho executive considered that the resolution' should be revised so far as it related to the percentage increaso and tho avorsge attendance basis. The executes would shortly be meeting the Minister ,of Education to present ihe claims of teachers, and it was expected that tho result of tno Minister's consideration of those claims would bo declared in an Education Bill.

On the suggestion of Mr. W. H. Foster, it was decided to defer consideration of the matter until the next meeting of the branch, the other branches of the Institute in tho meantime to bo circularised as to their views upon the proposals contained in the 'resolution.

Mr. C. N. Haslam (representing the men) and Miss O. Sutherland, of Masterton (representing the women) were appointed delegates to the conference of inspectors, teachers, and the local executive of the N.Z.E.1., convened by the Minister of Education to consider tho grading question. The conference will take place on May 10.