TEACHERS AND UNIONISM.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LVI, Issue 161, 7 January 1914, Page 2

TEACHERS AND UNIONISM.

INSTITUTE'S LACK OF PROGRESS. SOME STRONG COMMENT. By Telegraph,—Press Association. Auckland, YesterdayA proposal to form a union, with power to cite a caso before the Arbitration Court was discussed at tho annual meeting of the New Zealand Educational Institute. The remit, which came- from Hawke'g Bay, was ■ supported by Mr. J. Duggan, who said that foy the term "union" lie simply meant teachers joining together for the purpose of conducting their own affairs. The, word was used advisedly, to stress the point that a stronger form of unionism than the Institute was necessary for their wcj'l-being. Without making any reflections, there was a feeling amongst teachers that the present Institute was not strong enough to carry out its duties. { "We have been outlining reforms for J 30 years," continued Mr. Duggan, "and jwe are still. The teaching profession j is about the rottenest in the country j so far as salaries are concerned, and if j v/fi don't want the profession to be dragged in the mire wo will have to stand up and fight like men. What result have,wo ever had from our discussion? This order paper to mo. seems very like last year's paper, and the one before. In 1911 we aimed to get a promotion scheme, and now it is 1914, and wc are no further forward than we were then. It simply comes to this: that the conference is a talking machine, without . the power of enforcing reforms." Mr. . Dugpan referred to the step taken by the New South Wales teachers in regis- ! tering as a trades union and entering the field of politics, and he went on to aay that many teachers of New Zealand were disgusted with tho Institute. He estimated that tho voice of fully 50 per cent of them was not heard in the conference. He would advocate the ap- [ pointment of a permanent secretary in ; Wellington, to ensure centralisation; the recognition of the principle of preference to Institute members after the manner practised by accounting and kindred societies; and that in the event of ft total deadlock with the Minister for Education they should have the right of appeal to the Arbitration Court and the right of obtaining direct rcprcscntatipn of the teaching profession on the councils and boards of education. Mr. F. J. Rowley (Hawke's Bay) seconded tho motion, an<t stated that lie thought tho mover had been rather strong in his remarks about the past work of the Institute. Ha concurred with wfliat he had said concerning the need for action, 'Mr. T. W. Ambrose (North Canterbury) said that his Institute supported the suggestion of forming a New Zealand council of teachers, but not a union under the Arbitration Act. Other speakers dealt with the work of the Institute, and opposed the motion. In liw .reply, the mover said ttut he recognised what the Institute had done. Iml the question was whether or not their position was satisfactory. He had not ndvocated tnujM unionism, but an .amalgamated aocfMtftth tho right of appeal to the .AiijtJtffßi Court. He did not wish to throw idetls away. He cherished some himself, but they could not live on ideals. If the future, under his scheme, were to he all' salary and no idoals, the present was all iUcala and no salary. The motion wan lo»t by a very lar«e majority.