The Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 13, 1913. TEACHERS' SALARIES.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXV, Issue 10713, 13 August 1913, Page 4

The Wairarapa Age MORNING DAILY. WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 13, 1913. TEACHERS' SALARIES.

There can be very little doubt that the Minister for Education, when he learns of the vigorous agitation throughout the Dominion in favour of an increase in the salaries of teachers, will bring down a measure of relief at the earliest possible moment. It is very much to be regretted that the Hon. James Allen should have retained the office of Minister of Education when he knew that it was impossible for him to do justice by it, at anyrate for a period. During his absence in England he should have arranged with the Acting-Minis-ter to devise a new scale of salaries, with a view to amending legislation being brought down this session. However, he did not do iso, and he mlust accept the whole of the responsibility in the matter. Possibly he thought that, as his predecessors in office had done nothing to; place the teaching profession on a better footing, a few months' delay would create no real hardship. It is certain that the so-called '"Liberals" have no room to criticise the Government. They allowed the Education Department to drift into a condition of chaos, and did nothing, absolutely nothing to rescue it. It ill-becomes members of the Opposition, therefore, to cast brisks or stones at the Minister. Nor can the Opposition pa-ess consistently criticise the present Government for its inactivity. Discussing the question generally, : . we believe, with the Auckland Star, ! -that df any kind of occupation is to be made attractive to the average young man or woman, it must offer a, fair ©alai'y from the outset, and reasonable prospect of a, steady increase. This, we behove, is- a principle that al ordinary employers accept and appreciate. But how does it apply to the teaching profession? In. the

Railway Department the oadets start with £65 a year, and rise in four years to £110 ; in the Post Office the salaries rise frcn £4O to£7o during the same period. But pupil teachers, whose work is far more trying and far more important to the community than that of the Civil Service cadets, start with £25 and rise to £35 in four years, 'while probationers get only £2O and £25 during tie first two years of their course. In the Bank of New Zealand, where the clerks frequently complain of being underpaid, the junior starts with about £SO a year, and rises ,in four years to £100; while young men working in mines are paid £62 a year to start with, and in four years rise to £lO9, under arbitration awards. Further, if we consider what the teacher has to look forward to, the comparison by average salaries is still worse for our schools. In the Railway Department the average salary of engine-drivers ■up to 1911 (they have been increased since) was £l7l to £195, of firemen £132 to £l4B, of carpenters £l4B to £195. "In the Police Department, sergeants' average from; £2lB to £254; detectives from £273 to £3OO, constables £142 to £l9l. But the average of salaries for the whole teaching profession in our primary schools* is £134; and even if we leave out pupil teachers, the average is only £155. Now, miners on the Waihi award must receive a minimum wage of £l7l a year, and the inferenceis obvious. To turn to another form of occupation, which is certainly not more valuable to the community than teaching, we may point out that the salaries of ships' officers range from £l2O to £240 a year, with free living —full board and residence; while captains, receive from- £3OO to £6OO a year. But for headmasters in our primary schools the maximum range is from £240 to £4OO, according to grade of school; and for assistants the minimum is from £9O to £lO5, and the .miaarimum f rami £lO5 to £135 a year. •