E.—7a

64

they were some years ago. This, of course, is true of all who are living on fixed incomes. We have neither time nor opportunity to investigate this complaint in relation to what has been done by the State authorities for other salaried persons who serve the community. But common justice surely demands that an equitable adjustment of salaries to the changed conditions should be made. We were also given a great amount of evidence showing that the existing scheme for superannuation presses very unfairly on newly appointed professors, owing to the small maximum retiring-allowance which may be received. It is contended that a professor must pay for a long period of years a heavy annual premium, and must then retire at a maximum allowance of £300 per annum —a sum considerably less than could be obtained from an ordinary investment in an annuity. This question, also, is bound up in the Government policy for the superannuation of all Government officers, and should be dealt with as affecting the whole body of officers included in the scheme. The position is set forth in detail in the memorandum submitted by the Otago Branch of the University Teachers' Association of New Zealand, printed in the evidence accompanying this report. The salary and prospects of the sub-professorial staff demand investigation and the institution of some definite system of classification. We consider that a classification of the teaching staff into professors, associate professors, senior lecturers, lecturers, and demonstrators, with definite salaries attached to each post, has much to commend it. The titles "professor" and "associate professor" should not be given to any officer who does not possess the qualifications laid down for these positions in other parts of this report; and when vacancies occur or new Chairs are to be created, lecturers should not be promoted to the position until it has been ascertained that they are the best candidates offering. On this point we quote from the evidence of Professor A. Wall : "In my opinion the interests of university teaching have suffered by the appointment to Chairs of men who happen to be in the position of lecturer when the Chair is established: men who could not have obtained such positions in open competition. Particular cases can be mentioned. I have grave misgivings on this ground when supporting the movement for four separate universities as I do on general grounds. Some sort of safeguard seems to be required to ensure that in every case the very best man should be appointed." While we agree with this contention, we feel that it strengthens the case for a more generous treatment of the staff of lecturers. Men and women appointed to full-time positions on a university staff must be persons of high academic standing, and they should be able to teach effectively. Their academic qualifications are, as a rule, greatly in advance of those of secondary teachers. Yet we find that assistant masters in secondary schools are paid larger salaries than University teachers. On this point Dr. I. L. G. Sutherland, Victoria College, stated : — " I wish to compare the salaries paid to University assistants with those paid to secondary-school teachers, to training-college lecturers, and to instructors in technical schools. The salary paid to full-time male assistants in secondary schools, Grade A, is £470, rising by annual increments to £520, plus an allowance of £40 in the case of married men. Married teachers may thus receive £560. In the same way training-college lecturers may, if married, receive £525, and instructors in technical schools £585. No assistant at Victoria College receives more than £400, and only three receive this amount. No woman assistant receives more than £300 ; nor is there any provision for increase in either case. And it may be pointed out that the academic qualifications of the University assistant are often much higher, and necessarily so, than those of the secondary-school teacher. " Regarding the future prospects of assistants, I should like to point out how different the situation is in New Zealand from that in Great Britain. In Great Britain there is a wide field of university appointments and many openings occur. A man of any ability can go from a junior lectureship to a senior lectureship in a large university, and then to a professorial appointment in some smaller provincial university. This, in fact, is the usual procedure. In New Zealand, small and so completely isolated, there is no such possibility. This makes it essential, if qualified assistants are to be secured and retained, that they should be given the opportunity

Alleged unfairness of the superannuation scheme.

The sub-professional staff should be classified.

Vacancies should be filled only after careful and searching inquiry for the best men available.

The staff of lecturers is on the whole under-paid-