The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1896-12-10
State Treasurer Refuses to
Handle tile Money Until
His Duties Are
Defined.
CONFERENCE AT TRENTON.
Needed Changes to Be Considered
-Goyernor Opposes State
Aid.
special to the Jsrseu Cstu Nescs.

TRENTON, Dec. 10, 1S96.-A call has
been issued for a conference Of all the
teachers in the State who are interested
in the Teachers Retirement Fund to be
held on Saturday morning in the Senate
Chamber at the State House.
The conference is for the purpose of
ascertaining what changes are needed in
the law, so as to secure more interest
on the part Of the teachers, and to over
come som friction that exists between
the trustees of the und and State Treas
urer Swain. who is by the act made
the custodian of the fund. There are
$500 teachers in New Jersey, and less
than one-half of that number nave taken
advantage of the law. 1t has been found
that it becomes necessary to have the
act made obligatory so that all teachers
will contribute to the fund, or otherwise
the fund will not become permanent.
Those who join must pay one per
cent. of their salaries monthly, and those
joining after teaching school for twenty
years can be retired On half pay for the
rest of their lives. A majority of those
who nave Joined are those who have been
teaching for many years and who can
soon take advantage of the retirement
clause There are other defects that are
TO be discussed at the conference on
Saturday, among them a less complicated
system of collecting the fund and for
warding it TO the State Treasurer's
office.
Secretary Argue, of the Newark Board
OF education, who is required by the
law creating the fund to collect the
assessments from teachers associated
with it, was invited to attend, but he
cannot do SO, and instead promises to
submit some questions relative to de-
tects he has found in the act.
Under the act he is required to '.re-
serve monthly and pay over to the State
treasurer n per centum of the salaries
or annuities, paid each month to the
teachers enrolled in the fund"
It frequently happens that teachers are
absent a day or more in a month, and
part OF their salary is deducted in conse-
quehce. In those cases the secretary made
no deduction in the one per centum he was
required to reserve from the amount paid
monthly. He had other cases where teach
erS We're absent an entire month. others
three months and n a full year, all on
THROUGH. He was at a loss how to pro-
eeed in such cases. Another thing which
proves annoying is the fact that State
treasurer Swain refuses to Acknowledges
the receipt of the checks he has for
warded to Trenton. He has already for
warded two checks for $2S5 each for the
months of September and October. and
mas another ready to forward for the
1io1ih " NVVeinD6r. treasurer Swain
does not want to assume the responsible
ity OF handling the fund until his duties
are more clearly defined.
One of the anticipated amendments to
the bill IS some kind of provision for a
State act to aid the fund. When the act
was submitted to Governor Griggs. after
IT'S passage by the Legislature, he with
held his approval. because, he said, he
was convinced that the act would be
followed. by an amendment providing for
state aid. Such a plan, he said, he would
not approve, n it is not likely that he
will assent to it next year.