MEETING OF TEACHERS.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXV, Issue 10713, 18 August 1913, Page 5

MEETING OF TEACHERS.

SPIBJTED SPEECHES. IMPORTANT RESOLUTIONS • PASSED. At the invitation of, the Wairarapa branch of the Wellington Teachers' institute, Mr G. R. Sykes, MJ?., attended at the Technical School, Masterton, on Saturday afternoon., to. hear the aplaion of the institute on some matters educational. Over 80 teachers were present from the len-

f l p and breadth of the Wairarapa. ii* Walter- Buchanan, M,P», sent a letter 6f apology. _H$ Slated" ,tiidt he wafc too ill to attend. Tile institute passed a sympathetic vote to Sir Walter. ~ * • -

Mr F. L. Combs, president of the institute, who occupied the; chair, welcomed Mr Sykes; and briefly Introduced the business of the meeting. He then called upon Mr W.H. Jackson, headmaster of the Masterton District High School, to speak on the subject: "That teachers' salaries are quite inadequate; that *all should receive a professional wage; and that payments should not he ' made on attendance." Mr Jackson made a forcible and convincing speech. He pointed out how" unattractive the teaching profession had become. Hte quoted from his own experience the class of young men who had left the profession disheartened with. 'the poor chances of promotion,. and> showed how, in other professions, these same young'men were now receiving a just return for their energy and ability. He himself had 'had -many inducements, to try other fields,."but his keen love for teaching liad kept him with the teachers. He knew, of many others who were similarly placed. Mr. Jackson particularly pleaded the cause of the young' teacher, and of the country teacher, arid strongly urged lhat there should be more positions in the highest grades. The speaker could not see why the Minister should longer acced 1 - ing to the just demands of the teachers for increased salaries, calculated on a s'ound basis. All should, receive a professional emolument. He" quoted from departmental returns to show that the Minister had made no provision on the estimates for increased salaries to either district high school, teachers or to the teachers in the primary schools, and showed that ful-' ly 60 per cent of the teachers in the training colleges were women.* There was so- little encouragement for men. '. ; ,.. a : ,; Mr Jackson's remarks met" with .a[sympathetic response from the meet'ing. ■■■'■' .■•■'.-'.'

Mr F. L. Combs (Mauriceville West) continued the discussion. He drew attention to the staemenf of the Minister for Education " v that there was ample tim« for teachers of schools -tyhose average was decreasing ,to effect, transfers to other schools, and thus escape a reduction of sal-, ary; He showed that the Minister's "statement' was not quite correct, inasmuch as ther** were not five years in which to, arrange a transfer, But barely three, and in any case the Minister ignored the fact that teachers on transfer'had to pay their own expenses even when there was a suitable transfer available, and that in the Wairarapa alone some teachers were steering because transfers could not be arranged. Mr Combs drew.attention to the fact that 86 out of every 100 teachers in the. Dominion drew less than £2OO a year, and that 'last- week while there were 35 positions.vacant the; country -there'was riot one in which the miriir mum salary was £200." •'.>•* - MvA". V. Burns, M.A. (Carterton) introduced the subject:-. "That a Do-, minion scheme of promotion is desii-T able." He showed how while some education boards had adopted-a promotion scheme for their own teachers and dsbarredl outside applicants.'Other boards did not allow - their districts to I^'sealed constituencies. Tlifrbrily. test for promotion among teachers should! be that "of efficiency. -He strongly advocated a council of education of experts 'who would grade the teachers of the Dominion, and br whom promotions and transfers would be arranged. , To this end the institute advocated the abolition of education, boards or at least the reduction of. the present 13 boardk to four.

Mr G. A. Jones (Te Ore Ore) followed. He urged that the teachers bad in the past been too modesirin their demands, that it was only now that. Parliament wag beginning to realise that there were matters; crying 'for redress, but he e-nphatioally asserted that the teachers should not be compelled to beg; that in common justice! the Minister should accede to . the demands of the institut-e. Promotion should not depend upon position, but upon efficiency, and this could only be arranged adequately by a central Council of Education. The country had as much right to good teachers as had the town, and a good teacher in the country sould be granted the opportunity of. spending some part'of Bis professional life in the town. -

''That superannuation should be calculated on the best three years, and not on the last three years," was presented to the meeting by Mr R. J. Foss (Femridge). All branches of the Civil Service had their superannuation so calculated, and Mr Morris Fox, the".': iGovernment Actuary, had for the-last; two years; representT ed to.the Government the desirability of calculating the teachers' n uation on the same" basis. The teachers' demand then, in this direo tion, was, too, one of equity. On .rising to reply, Mr G. R. Sykes, M.P., .was greeted with loud applause. He expressed sympathy with the teachers, and assured thtrn that

they would have his whole-heart-ed support. Sir Walter Buchanan, M.P., and himself had been waited upon the previous evening by,a deputation of teachers' in Wellington, to, that he was satisfied that them were real grievances in the teaching profession that required amending; He understood that the teachers had., been agitating since 1909 without '«£"" feci', ana he had tlvo assurance of fs» Minister that as soon ;jis the Parliar raeptary Committee had had t&S£ Ji, thoroughly digest the recent Educa- . tion Committee's report he (the Minister) would undertake the work at dealing in a comprehensive way wit|h* these educational problems. . Onto hd night, mt es the Miaj&teT had assured Sir' <anA JuhM|, thai without fail . legislation >tfuld be introduced! ea*)|jr next sessidft, feui that he (the Minister) could not, do any more than. he had already promised in the direction of increased salaries this web* sion. '.'.-. \ ■ ■ This reply brought several other teachers to their feet in protest, tfeo) feeling being that while the Minister might reasonably ask that aom* of the reforms advocated by lie «*-. stitute be left over till next session, the teachers.felt that it was quite ratreasonable for him to expect them i» ■ wait another 18 months (for that is what the Minister's reply, really ; meant) for the increases in sahtry to which they were now so justly en.titled. _ If the Minister's legislatioOL regarding salaries could be made re"trospective, then they might, feel *iqh 6line4 ? to wait patiently] but he na4" not promised.that. , At the request of. Mr Sykes, t3u» meeting 'then drafted the following., minimum demands,: which it insisted should be dealt with close of the present session, and cornet in&fr. force from January next:— ■'> V- ' 'Better security against' falling salaries." • ;V -- : " : •' ;'"•'"■";. v y'''>j ■■ ':....'' A better basis of payment in K«a of payment by attendance." . "An adequately increased rate of ■',■ payment." " \ "That superannuation be granted on the best three years." - Mr Sykes agreed with the meeting • that it was hardly reasonable to expect teachers to wait till. January, 1915, for the improved conditions. He promised to give ed'support to the. furtherance of tl» teachers' interests, and to press xm ■the. Minister, the -urgent necessity fori*' legislation this ■session!' .; ~ On the W6tip|l^bf^i&e. l ;v«iry^hjea:rty;,>ol^ .-tendance. ' ; " : ' t ■■. ■ a,-''■-■■ '■''•'' V^A'^'Xl^'*^.. k{*s\- : *-'^'.^ l %' v -" > .';'■>•. v '"P s'■■s>■ PH ■' A,';*^' f: .';.'';''■" ,v_ ,l J .'«*— i' f iii'iiii ii '' " Ui'v;; .'■;; |, '-ijl .-