The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1898-05-27
TEACHERS STILL HOPE
Allan McDermott Advocates
Retirement Fund in a Let
ter to the Governor.

Especial to 1.-THE Jersey City News."l
TRENTON, May 81, iS9s.-The teachers
| of New Jersey who have been working so
| vigorously for the Teachers Retirement
| Fund are still laboring to v Senate
| bill 72, which passed last winter, signed
by the Governor. The Governor objects
| TO the measure because it provides for the
expenditure, by the State, Of $500 yearly,
to defray the expenses of administering
THE fund.
The latest move in the matter was the
forwarding of the following letter to the
Governor by Corporation Counsel Allan 7.
McDermott:-
Hon. Foster NJ. Voorhees,
Dear GovernorI understand. from
reading reports of opposition to the bill
favored by h School Teachers Assocla-
ton. that stress is land upon the Iact-as
a ground of oppositiot-that the State is
asked TO pay 1900 or less for keeping the
accounts of the Teachers Pension Fund
/ trust that this provision viii not Marin
the bill in YOUR consideration. IN exam
lining the questions mooted before the IN
PRODUCTION of the bill. l found that the
burden of collecting the fund was thrown
on the State Debarunent, wltnou1 pro
vision for payment for the work. IN IN,
serting the provision that the State snould
pay this small amount l was moved py
the following views, which are now most
Respectfully SuDEllttc4 " YOU
tom
First-That the teachers of this State
are paid smaller salaries than are pald
for the same grades or service IN Fenh-
sylvania and New York.
Second-That the movement to PROVIDE
for incapacitated teachers will prove. OF
great benefit to the State, relieving the
tension of anxiety ever present to those
who. receiving but little more than is re-
ouired for present needs, are in doubt as
to future necessities. Relief from fear
of future want will make better teachers.
Third-The teachers of New Jersey
have set a most excellent example in pro-
viding for each other. If, instead of from
the education department, so nearly
wholly composed of those who cannot
vote. this bill had been to relieve the
members of the fire or police departments
of the State, precedent exhibits the TACT
tina it would have been cheerfully passed
with the provision that the State, or
some municipality, should pay. not only
the cost of bookkeeping, but the entire
amount of the pension. A policeman,
twenty-one years old, recently appointed
to the police force of Jersey City, can re-
tire on half pay when he has reached the
age of forty-one. A fireman, injured in
the discharge of duty, or serving q city
a certain number of years. is p~ensioned.
SO exalted over the Notwithstanding,
brain racking labor of school teacher that
the State which gives a pension to the
men should hesitate about paying the Few
dollars necessary 10 properly Colett eIiu
protect the moneys that teachers con-
tribute to their own fund?
Fourth-If the money paid by the teach
ers to their fund is not cared for by the
State. II will be subject to the dangers of
disbursement and loss. The State should
receive and guard this n as an incident
to the public school system. This grant
ed, would 1t not be a few feet beneath the
dignity of the State to ask the teachers to
pay the clerk who keeps the ook
Very sincerely yours,
ALLAN L. McDERMOTT.