New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1883-11-08
NORMAL COLLEGE SALARIES.
AN EFFORT TO INCREASE SOME OF THEM.
LIVELY DISCUSSION IN THE BOARD OF EDUCATION
DEFEATED BY A TIE VOTE.

DEFEATED BY TIE VOTE.
The Commissioners of the Board of Education
held an important meeting yesterday afternoon
which lasted several hours There were iweT NY
members present, the only absent member beng Dr.
William B. Wallace President walker icie the
chair for short time having asked commissioner ss
Wood to 4kG his Place Of be Cy Of NeW
York President Hunter, of the Normal ColIegel
and several other school officials were present
listening TO the animated discussion that ehliFeheQ
the meeting The superintendent reported that
0I33 visits had been made by the tTuancy agents
in October resulting in returning 4OO truants ana
in sending seyentv-nine non attendants TO school.
communication from the Board OF liealth ree,a!lhB
10 fine sanitary condition of several school buildings
Vas referred TO the Committee on Buildings without
comment Frederick w. Devoe IS chairman OF that
COMMITTEES letter was read from Mayor Edison,
informing the Board of the appointment OF Gilbert
NJ Speir iT., as an Inspector of schools.
Commissioner William Wood, who is chairman OF
the Committee on the Normal College, on OctoDer
9 presented two resolutions affecting the salaries oI
the teachers in that college. one resolution sEicu
that hereafter the annual salary OF every JUNIOR
tutor appointed in the Normal College should De
fixed al $500 subject TO an increase OF 700 LOT
every subsequent year of acceptable service uhll IL
should reach 1900; this resolution also recon-,
mendcd the increase of the salaries of ten tutors 70
take effect on January 1884; three of them to De
raised from 81 900 10 81 200 three from Yl 900 10
$l50 two from 81 OOO to ~ ana favorcd the
raising of the salaries of the professors III INC nut
NAL College $500 each; they now receive 9t,Oogp l.,
The first resolution was strenu0uSiy 9pposeu 10y
Commissioner VeTmilye. He said that he was not
in favor of the increase of the tutors wages add
ing: al am opposed to this wholesale increase ol
Mr. Vermilyc was seconded in his opposition by
Eugene Kelly, who explained that Il took nerve
10 stand up and vote against such an increase OF
salary: "but," he continued, :" am gong TO put
myself on record as opposed to it,"
am also opposed to the reported increase SAD
William NJ WINS "because our budget for 1884 is
now before the Board of Estimate and Apportlon-
ment, and when it was under discussion ny that
body some of our representatives explained the III
amOuut
the fact that we intended TO build new school
houses, stating, / think, that there were lOo0o
children in this city in need of school accommOda-
tons Where is this increase of salaries gong 10
end and what will the people, whose representa-
tives are. say to us II We NOte away theli hlocS
in this manner
Commissioner Coudert in q humorous speech
laughingy referred to the ardent Inauguration oI
MIR WINS as he led into the discussion questions DOV
pertinent to the resolutions This is not q ques-
lion of raising salaries" said Mr.. COudert, but
question of grading salaries. do not care II u is
Question of raising salaries am in favor of IT, and
III il was a new question that came before thls
Board-fXing the salaries of these young women
teacheTSl sure II would receive the nearly sup
mort of the members of the Board
A reference having been made by Commissioner
Wood to the fact that some of the members opposing
his resolution were young IN the Board, ana Othels
had not considered the hard work done by the
teachers under discussion, Mr. Nermlye SAID that
he was not Young and he did not choose to c0ncede
that he was verdant but he said he insisted that the
Board in its budget had fixed the salaries at what II
thought was fair amount and tins amount shoIIu
the raising of tho salaries OF ten teachers IN the NOT
NAL College "This is too muchF he exclaimed.
"The people will not stand it, il Will break OF Its
own weight / will not vote for It," -
Mr.. Kelly said that a member of the Board of Es-
innate and AppOrtiOnment had said that the
amount asked for the schools was not eXorbtant,
and he was in favor of granting the full amount
but" said Mr. Kelly significantly, " at that slle
he was candidate for election 10 dnGtnGf f G ~
would say the same thing to-day"
Several times Mr.. Wood was called TO his leet 10
defend his resolution from attacks made upon IL
He explained that the Normal College was not a
{" fancy institution" but that 1t was the most I'M
pOrtant in the educational system OF New ork.
In referring to the charge made by Mt. NcnlSe, ne
said that the taxpayers never complained OF the
money paid for the instruction of their children but
that they did find fault with the political hacks
kept in power with their money.
Mr. DevOe is one of the seven commissioners
whose terms of Office will expire on January l, and
he said that he did not consider it courteous to the
new Board to decide how the money appropriated
for it shoud be SPENT; adding that # any OF ne
salaries should be graded the salaries of all the
teachers in the control of the Board should be regu
lated in one grand job"
The resolution was lost by tie vote, ten members
voting on each side of the question: and the res0u-
ton referring to the salaries of the Normal College
professors received similar disposition, much TO
the chagrn of Mr.. Wood who had endeavOred to
have the second resolution laid on the table 10 save
~ "Reminiscences Henry P. West. the chairman of the
Committee on Bylaws, presented report ON res
OutiOn adopted by the Board III July relative to a
change in the bylaws fixing the age at which girls
be admitted 10 the NOTllldl COlcEci anu IN
pedicncy of increasing the age at which teachers
should be licensed At present girl must be four
teen years old TO be received at the college, and she
may be licensed when eighteen years OF age. The
committee reported that IL was lneXpedlent at TINS
time to change the bylaws TO which reference had
been made. Jacob H. Schif presented a substitute
for the resolution, which removed the limitations of
age for students entering the college, and defended
it in long address to the Board. Mr. COudert
seconded the substitute, declaring that the by law
was illegal and that the Board had no right to limit
the age at which girl should apply for admission
to the college in she could pass the required
amnatOns. Mr.. COudeTt then pictured graphically
the case of q girl who had been graduated from
grammar school at the age of twelve, and who
being mentally able to enter the college, but being
debarred by the bylaws, had been married legally,
and a wear and half later, carrying her baby in
her arms was still denied admission because she
was not yet fourteen years old MesSrs. Patterson,
Wood Wetmore and Deyoe spoke against the sub
sttute resolution, which was finally disposed OF by
a negative vote after several amendments had been
proposed and discussed.
The Board long after its usual hour OF ADJOURN
ment, passed resolution amending IT'S Manual so
that one of the sections reads Instruction III sew
ing shall be given in the first, second ana thlrd
grades of primary schools and departments"
Fifty-three reports of sanitary inspectors ana
engineers on public school buildings III the city
were read by the Health Commissioners yesterday,
and referred to the Board of Education In all OF
the reports mention was made OF detective plump
ing and suggestions for improvement were made Dy
the inspectors.
RRIDGE TRAVEL ON ELECTION DAY.