Waterbury evening Democrat., 1905-04-19

,pon | salary Of 3l,5oo when she has lo work hero and there '. ss. MT Tinker: We won't feel ssscure now"
 The chairman: .Is Waterbury any worse in that respect than other places?'
 MT Tinker said he know of case where teacher was practically dis graced by the board of education.
 Senator Phelan' asked MT Tinker few questions purporting to show that MT Tinker was the actual framer of the bill, but this was emphatically de nied by Mir Tinker, and MT Larkin took 1t all upon himself, adding that 1t was he who wrote to the superin- tendents of the schools throughout the state to give whatever support they could to the bill. Senator Phelan also put Mir Tinker on the rack for bring ing a number of school principals to the last hearing. Mr Tinker put this up to Mr Larkin, who took all the onus to himself. Mir Larkin said he was one of committee with Senator PhelAn to push the bill and what he did was on that responsibility.
 Miss Mary A. Cass, principal of Clay street school, said that the youngest teacher in her school does not expect to teach as long as she has. She said the teachers salary is not high, but living is quite high now; furthermore. she has got to travel and to study and to dress. She maintsined that the principals ought to be allowed for time on, as they work harder than the teachers
 Senator Peck said that forty-seven teachers called to see him about the bill and only few of them opposed 1t.
 In response to Senator Phelan, Mir Tinker said he could not remember that when he was appointed superin- tendent. or soon after, that he recom- mended ten teachers be dismissed. He remembered, however, that it was so reported in the papers. The opposition then began with Senator Phelan.
 The senator said that it was poor policy to establish tenure of office in the schools. It would conduce to lower the standard of the schools, cause neg ligence among the teachers. Water bury has good corps of teachers and every one of them is we'll aware that she is secure in her position as long as she deserves 1t. He never heard be fore that the schools of Waterbury were involved in politics. He didn't believe that Mir Tinker feels the least shaky about his position. His prede. cessor, MT Crosby, did not, and he held the position thirty years. Then he went into the question of salary.
 Under section 20 of the bill, he went on, the teacher loses her days oil. but the superintendent or the principals dc not. This should not be so. The prin cipals work no harder than the teach CTS, yet they propose to get the full benefit of the pension. He claimed the bill in question was not the bill that was approved by the board of educa tion or the hoard of aldermen. At meeting of the board of education il was disclosed that several teachers were not competent. yet not a member had the backbone to move for theil dismissal. Therefore the purpose Ot the bill was to get rid of these teach CTS by means of pensiOning them Three or four teachers of the Walsh school get more salary now than they are entitled to. These teachers art called supervisors, yet the training school is practically out of existence and its principal is paid more than an! other woman principal fin the city $1,600. Under the hill these teachers cannot be dismissed, nor can their sal 0Iles be reduced. But baf ttAss pSih there will be fight later. said th senator He admitted that Miss Fincl is a capable principal. but not nor, than Miss Cass or others. The las principal of the training school wa not paid $1,8OO year. There ar twenty-eight girls from Waterbury at l tending the normal schools.
 Representative Blakeslee said h claimed some of the credit of havini the committee receive so many letter from teachers advocating the bill. H thought the bill very fair and did no believe the teachers would reject it i they voted upon it now.
 Senator Phelan: "I suggest that tn committee leave it optional with tn teachers until July 1. and if 5O pc cent vote for it will withdraw my or position"
 Representative Blakeslee: Tt ha been said that the teachers were bull dozed into writing the committee hoy
 they felt upon it."
 Senator Chatfield: "The committe
 received sixty letters favoring tn
 bill"
 MT Kellogg: Senator Phelan. wi
 you give the committee list of tn
 names of the 100 teachers who told yO
 they don't want this bill?"
 Senator Phelan: "No. but I'll te
 what I'll do. I'll pay the expenses C
 one-half the teachers to come here an
 testify. The teachers don't want the
 names known and I refuse to giv them. If the committee will go to w;
 terbury and hold an election upon til
 bill there. take the teachers alone the court house and let the committe tell them they must not be afraid
 vote the way they feel. I do not sa there was actual coercion used. but do claim there was moral suasiOn ell
 ployed.'
 NIT Tinker interrupted here an again explained how the vote W: 1 taken and contended that it was in possible for anyone to tell how ar ! teacher voted.
 A member of the committee sugges ed another vote by the teachers.
 which Mir Tinker said that he has Il : original ballot stlll. Senator Phels
 said he did not feel satisfied about thu ballot. "The teachers are either afra