The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1899-12-27

TEACHERS FUND
Miss Elizabeth Allen Is
70 Be Mazetted By
Trustees.
WHAT BECAME or $1,000?
Hudson Association Said to
Have Raised Money and
Kept It.
Especial 70 "The Jersey city News."l

Especial to 1.-THE Jersey City News.'l
TRENTON, Dec. q, 1S99.-At a special
meeting of the Board OF Trustees Of the
Teachers Retirement Fund, held in State
Superintendent Bakers Office at the State
House yesterday afternoon, Otto Grouse.
of Jersey City, S. E. Names of Camden,
and S. r. Morse of Atlantic City, were
appointed as a special committee to dis
cover what has become of about 81, 200
raised in Hudson county by the teachers,
and which, it is claimed in many quarters,
should ave been turned over to the fund
The appointees are all member of the
Board of Trustees. Messrs. Grouse and
Morse are representatives of the State
Board of Education on the Board of Trus-
tees, and Mr.. Manness is a representative
of the State Teachers Association. Mr..
Grouse is a lawyer and this will probably
obviate the necessity of employing any
other counsel by the committee. The in
| quiry is to be started at once.
Mr.. Morse, after the meeting, stated
that the committe had been appointed
because of the many inquiries the Board
of Trustees has had as to what was done
with the moneys raised at numerous en-
tertainments by the Hudson count teach
ers. He stated that none of these moneys
had been turned over to the trustees of
the fund, and that Miss Elizabeth Allen
of Hoboken, the moving spirit in the en-
tertainments, when asked to give some
account of the receipts, stated that they
were not raised to be turned over to the
| fund, but simply to bear the expenses
of promoting the fund. She failed to
give any particulars as to just how the
expenses ran into so much money. Mr..
Morse explained that the trustees have
been given to understand that these
moneys were raised under the impression
that they were to be turned over to the
fund, and as Miss Aliens statement was
not satisfactory it was decided to have
a thorough investigation of the matter.
Miss Allen, who is a member of the
Board of Trustees of he Retirement
Fund, was present at the meeting yester-
day, and after making her statement that
the Hudson county moneys had been rails
ed for the advancement I the fund and
not to be added to it, favored the inquisi-
ton. "You can't travel over the State for
nothing she remarked after the meet
ing.
Miss Allen has been the prime mover in
the creation of the fund and has spent
many days in the legislarice lobbies argu-
ing in favor of the scheme. On several
occasions she has brought large delega-
tions of pretty teachers to the State
House to help her win votes. From her
brief explanation to the board, it is evil
dent that the legislation on the subject
has required considerably outlay. The
State Teachers Association at the outset
of the movement raised by assessment
5000 to lave the sch looxsu -fteT and
pushed to a successful issue.
Mr.. Manness, who is Secretary of the
Board of Trustees OF the fund, said thai
the receipts from the bazaars and enter
tainments held in the interest of the fund,
outside of Hudson county. have been
turned over to the State Treasurer, who is
custodian of the fund.
The inquiry is more thar ordinarily in-
teresting in view of the educational war
that is now I'M progress in New Jersey.
Miss Allen, since her advent as the cham
pion of the pension fund, has developed
into a writer of literature on all kinds of
school proposition. She has acquired
control of the State Teachers Association
which meets In Jersey City today. 1t is
the general belief that it was to offset
the domination of the teachers in the
enactment of school laws, more than for
any other purpose, that the State School
Board Associations composed of members
of school boards and school trustees, was
brought into existence last week.
Miss Allen has not taken very kindly to
the defeat Of the last amendment She
proposed to the retirement fund law,
which, among other things. stipulated
that an appropriation of 1900 should be
made annually by the State for the care
of the fund. At present the fund is look
ed after by the State Treasurer, but the
extra clerical help Is paid for out of the
receipts of the fund. Miss Allen recent
ly secured an opinion from a prominent
lawyer, setting out that as the law made
the State Treasurer the custodian of the
moneys, ne would have to take care of
the fund without any compensation from
it. The Attorney General gave an opin-
ion Just the reverse, and the trustees
have, OF course, accepted his interpreta-
ton of the law.
AT the meeting yesterday the following
teachers were retired because of disabil-
Miss Ann M. Atkinson, Paterson, aged
40 years; taught for 20 years; to receive
an annuity OF $3.50.
Mrs. Z. Jennie Workman, Liberty Cor
ners, Bergen count; aged SO years; taught
for Is years; to receive an annuity Of
Mrs. Harriet ]. strang. Redwood. Glou-
cester county; aged 81 years; taught for
10 y SCI = , pc
MSS Annie r.. Burr. Mt. Holly; aged so
years; taught for 30 years.; to receive an
Miss Hattie T.. Hoffman, Penns Grove,
Salem county; aged SO years; taught for
rs years; annuity $3.50. Miss Hoffman is
a sister of ex-senator Hoffman of Atlantic
City.
Mrs. HANNAH M. Collins, Cape May
Court House; aged So years; taught for 20
years.; annuity $3.50.
Miss Samantha Wheeler. Bloomfield.
Essex county; aged go years; taught for
Il years; annuity S271.
This makes a total of about Is ~annuities
granted. One of the beneficiaries, row. |
ever, is dead, 50 that there are in force
"a annuities. aggregating an outlay of
81. 060.5 80 a year. TIL funds income from
teachers' salaries is $1,000 a year, and
there is a. balance On hand of $36. 900.
Ten applications have BEEN rejected
since the fund was in~augurated. Among ;
these APPLICANTS was a teacher with a
Tired" husband, and the others were all
found to be quite vigorous and we'll able
to teach.
ALL A MiSAPPREHENSION
Miss Elizabeth Allen Says It