The Daily News. THURSDAY, MARCH 20, 1902. TEACHERS' PROVIDENT FUND.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XXIV, Issue XXIV, 20 March 1902, Page 2

The Daily News. THURSDAY, MARCH 20, 1902. TEACHERS' PROVIDENT FUND.

A.T the meeting of the Teachers' Inst.itue held in Nsw Plymouth some little time back, it was decided to take steps to establish a Provident Fund. The question of jworking up the details of the schema and s curing the co-opta-tion of the teachers throughout; the colony was placed in the capablo hand* of Mr G. W. Murray, of the Auckland district. As a preliminary step he has issued the following circular settiog forth reasons in support of (he idea. In fortvarding a copy to us ha asks that we fciva publicity to his appeal, stating that by doing so we shall materially assist the cause. We hare much pleasure in complyiog with his request, and hope it will have the desired effect. The whole scheme will shortly be placed before tiachors for their decision, and it is well, Mr Murray points out, that all should have the issue at stake clearly in view : - First, then, teachers have tried for the last twenty years to get. a pensions 1 fuod or a superannuation scheme set on foot, and if this provident fund fails, then there is no mora prospect of either of these than there was a decade ago. And why ? Simply because the teachers deairo " Manna from heaven." They would neither sow nor reap to win it, but it should come to them " in the night." It is needless to say that it has aot come, noc in t.hore any likelihood of its coining unless the teachers both sow and reap. We have on the table before us a Parliament<iy i oturn showing the state of the Polio Provident Fund. Here is a body of worthy public servants whose provident fund can show a credit balance of £IO,OOO and who are able to pjy £1044 in annual allowances to retired members. These are the men for whom the manna falls in the shape of help from the Public Treasury, because th«y helped themselves in the first instance. If the teachers support the proposed provident fund it is an almost absolute certainty that in less than ten years there would be in operation a superannuation scheme sprung from tha provident fund. It is the seed ot self-help, and a seed th .t unde>' bunigu influences could grow at a prodigious rate—£3ooo a year - wrre the scheme universally adopted. The teachers receive in salaries approximately £360,000 a year ; one-half psr cent, of this equals £IBOO ; the estimate of the promoters is £ISOO from this source; then there are 1600 schools, and from those there could quite easily bo raised £I6OO by the personal efforts of the teachers, making a grand total of £3IOO. Here is a chance, then, for the teachers. What does it mean ? Ten shillings from £IOO oa the ont hand ; on the other it iepresent's rest in eld age, a widow's heart made glad, an orphan educated, a life rescued from obscurity. Consider, too, what, an argument in favour of eupr-raunuatio'. £15,000 would be in the hp.nds of the' suppliant teachers five years hence. If the teachers are alive to their own interests they will seize the opportunity of the flowing tide, and, with cheering and a pull together, make this provident fund all, and more than all, its most sanguine supporters desire Some tochers talk of a cotupu'sory supurannu'ition scheme at onc«, such as has been adopted in South Australia. But what of (hose who have insured th<ir Ihvrs huavily, and nuw pay high pre- 1 miums? Can they afford a fwth&r very hoavy l»vy upon salaries at prest-nt? If the provident fund were! ■iu operation, and superannuation with-!

in reasonable distance, youiii; would i o f . require to insuro bo heavily, and thus bj in a better position to iiffoid the coiiipulswy levy when the in.e '-arue. Men;while, iivery pound puid in'o the provident fund would! make thn compulsory lavy less. The pith of the whole matUr lies in this : M-kd a beginning; from that bggin-1 •ting and from nowh&ro e'se can tha j end iu[ie:a;inu I'lirjc—be teen.