Teachers’ Salaries.

Hokitika Guardian, 13 December 1921, Page 3

Teachers’ Salaries.

PROTEST AGAINST REDUCTION. \YELLINGTON. Dec. S. The executive committee ol the New /calami Kducaliuiml Institute waited on ilie Prime Minister to give reasons wliv there should he no reductions in teachers’ salaries. Mr A. 11. Parkinson said thin the service was now so reduced in strength that (eduction of salary would he very unwise. Their next claim was that most of the teachers weie ill the lowerpaid grades. There were 58 per lent who could not rise above LIMI a year.. .Mr .Massey: Hut. they remain assistants always. Mr Parkinson: Many of them must always do so, because there are not Miliicicnl higher positions i.-r them to ,ise to. Before there should he :e«lm--1 ions ill teachers’ salaries, leaner: should be placed upon the same basis :is the general public service. Mr Massey: 11' any reduction iel;e . ph.ee, it lias got to apply to people m the Public Service just as well as m the teaching department, probably in a • 'renter degree. | Mr Parkinson said their point was I that when a teacher was receiving (jo-,l) ;1 person in a similar capacity m the general service received C3‘JO The

former should not stiller reduction in, • alary till the kittci Imd come down to , the c-2,-,0 mark, hut they should he re- ] ,bleed together. The teachers had been , treated as exceptions, to their detriment in many ways. Their system • ! appointment had recently been im- ; proved, but they were still refused re-j i,,<ival expenses. They lillil no collie!- j •■nee as to salaries. • Mr Massey: But it was not re- j fused. ! Mr Parkinson said that after sahvr- j ies had been fixed for other Depart'- . meats a lump sum was given to tho j Minister of Kdiieatioii. They had been I satisfied with the system of distribu- ■ tion, but the average increase was only ; against £SO in the general service. j Mr Massey: Did .it work out at j £SO? ; Mr Parkinson: ft. was a fiat rate. ; Reductions ill teachers’ salaried, bo . urged, would weaken the service by | making it less attractive. The Prime Minister, in reply, said ! that the teachers were quite right to i collie along so as to avoid injustice ill ; the future. The financial stringency had to he faced, though it was not it , pleasant task, least of all for the. Min- j istor of Finance. They had been able j to effect reductions in expenditure and j reductions were still being made. Tho ’ whole of their legislation was not vet. | before Parliament. Retrenchment could not be carried out as some p'eo- i pie supposed, with a lew strokes ol thej pen. and the effect of some of the ; measures would not, he seen for some , time. For example, the retiring al- j lowances that had to be paid offset | salary savings. When increases were J made last year, the system adopted i with teachers was different from that adopted with other branches of the service, and lie saw no reason wliv the same system should not. ( apply 1,1 making reductions. Every department of the State held that it was of great importance that, it should not lie reduc'd. “Rut if they all say that, where am I Now that the cost of living had come down to an important degree, and the national income was reduced, it was necessary that something should he done. Tie was glad that Parliament by legislation now lining dealt with had consented to spread taxation to some extent, ami he expected an important increase ol income front the new Customs duties. People were working with their ( .ontw off jincl the country would recover, but. in the meantime he had to balance 11 national accounts. Tt was not this veai- that he was anxious about, hut the year following. So far as tho teachers were concerned he understood tli position fully. They would not find j that lie would attempt anything more f than he could possibly avoid.