The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1899-03-20
"Fzr N#WF
TEACHERS FUND.
Miss Allen Says There is
No Coercion in the
Present Bill.
PROVISIONS IN OTHER STATES
New Jersey Has the Most Just
Laws on the Subject
OF any State.
PROVISIONS IN OTHER STATES

Miss Elizabeth Allen, secretary OF tho
New Jersey State Committee on Teachers
Pensions, has written a letter in reply 70
the petition from Camden against the plh.
In her letter Miss Allen says
A small petition from Camden opposing
the amendments to the teachers retire
ment fund law says, according 10 ihe
newspapers:-"Half the teachers OF t1e
State are not members of the y ana q =
not want to be coerced into joining IT,.
This is a misleading statement. Ihere -
no coercion in our bill. It reopens menu
bership to the teachers referred TO, put
leaves them absolutely free to JOIN or not.
The amendments make the law bindins
only on persons becoming teachers after
January l, 1900. -
Let us glance at teacners' rellrenne
fund provisions in a number of states. ;,
California-The law is binding on az
teachers appointed after its enactment,
but elective for those teaching before thar
time: thirteen teachers now retlreo IN
San Francisco; average annuity, $50.
uinois-The law applies to first class
cities; obligatory on all teachers; Sixty
seven retired in Chicago; average annuity
Michigan-Applies to Detroit; binding on
all teachers; seven retired; average an
nuity, 1892 5. ~.
Providence; elective till October 1891;
obligatory on all teachers appointed after
that date. c,.,, .hs ,ov
q 40 construeted thai, while it is not ex-
pressIy obligatory. its provisions are plnu-
Ing on all teachers; 10 retired average
annuity, $500. In the cities o. brookiyn
and Syracuse the law is binding on an
new appointees; in Buffalo and Rochester
Ohio-Retiremen fund organized only
in Cincinnati; elective for old, obligatory
Massachusetts-Bil now before the
Iegislature provides that the law shall
be elective for old and ~oblg atory TOT
In ali these places the teachers re,
tirement fund is a part OF the senool
system and its provisions are accepleu ~,
other provisions of the school law.
The retirement funds of the United
States are provided solely for teachers.
salaries, with the exception of the CITY
of New York, where five per cent; OF the
excise revenues are appropriated TO the
teachers retirement fund In a number
Of the PLACES quoted apove, az NJ In ths
retirement fund.
In several state legislatures measures
are now pending, based on the New Jer-
sey law as it will be when the amend
ments come into force.
All things considered, New Jersey
with the obligatory clause in effeeD has
the most just law in the country. Every
teacher in the State has the same priv
-ileges. In other States the laws benefit
only the teachers of the large cities who
are DetleT DdiQ di0 OcltCi ctlodtCo "
mutual aid than are the widely separated
country teachers whose services to The
State are certainly no less valuable than
those of city teachers The first teacher
benefited by the New Jersey law was
Joseph P. Leighton, of Parker, Morris
County, who, at above eighty years u
age, was retired on an annuity of $3.50,
after having taught ffty-nine years on
a salary never exceeding $500 a year: Let
those who oppose or doubt the wisdom
of our plan enquire of the citizens of
!. Parker. Morris County, their opinion of
dts beneficenee.
! I know the teachers of this State, and /
can assure our legislators that what lit
tie opposition there now is or ever has
been to our plan has not come from the
teachers. 1t is possible that we may be
defeated again. 1t will be no new exper-
fence, but, confident of the right of our
cause, we shall go on with renewed zeal
till we secure an entirely satisfactory
statute. Until that is granted we shall,
like Banquo's ghost, haunt every legis-
lative banquet.