CANTERBURY EDUCATION BOARD

Hokitika Guardian, 20 January 1930, Page 1

CANTERBURY EDUCATION BOARD

MARRIED WOMEN TEACHERS. At the meeting of the Board -on Friday it was reported that a deputation from the Lin wood Avenue School Committee' had waited oh the Appointments Committee to urge that married omen teachers be not employed if their husbands are' in a position to support them. The board’s position had been ex-' plained to the deputation, which was recommended, to move in the direction of amendment of the law on the matter. Mr E. H. Andrews said that the board had already passed several resolutions protesting against the practice of employing married women teachers whose husbands could support them. The board .'.had had glaring cases before it’ where both the husband and children of a teacher were earning good money, so that the aggregate salary of the family was very large. The. board had laid down its opinion definitely, but the Act was against it. Air T. Hughes said that there was at present a great controversy going on in Great Britain over the same question. But the board could not do any more than it had done at present. Mr R. Wild (Chairman) said that in order to make the board’s position quite clear to the public it should unanimously support the remit sent to

the Education Committee that it was ver desirable that the Act should be amended restricting the employment of married women teachers.

Mr W. Johnson: The Auckland Board is protesting about the ' same matter. The Chairman: They are tailing eight years behind us. “The board is bound by the law on the subject, but the matter is becoming so glaring that we must, as sensible men, put forward a strong protest,” continued Mr Johnson. He instanced the case of one man whose wife was a teacher in a good position, who was earning £l2 a week himself. Another teacher earning £2OO a year had a husband earning £4OO a year. Mr W. A. Banks said that it wn.s a very difficult question to decide. As things now stood the highest grade teacher had to get the position, whether married or single. Tt would he hard to take a woman out of the grading altogether if her work were better than that of others. Tt was decided: “That the hoard unanimously reiterates its opinion as to the desirability of restricting the employment of married women teachers.’*