The daily morning journal and courier., 1907-06-28
TEACHERS SALARIES. REVIEW OF QUESTION.
Not the Money Increase Alone that is Striven
 For.

To Editor of the Journal and Courier: The following is substantially the teachers side of the salary question as presented last week to the board of f. nance: The main contention for which the teachers are struggling is the adoption of their schedule. They feel that 1t Is the instrument by which the teachers may obtain justice and the best inter- ests of the schools may be conserved.
 Many teachers who have been voted substantial increases by the board of education stand ready to waive such increase provided the teachers sched- ule is adopted for 1t Is not money that the teachers are striving for. It is only because the appropriation of sum sufficient to put in operation the teach ers' schedule is a means to an end and < not an end in itself that they ask for the appropriation, The schedule has stood the test and no one has yet of- fered any7valld criticism against it.
 Now such sum, and only such sum as will put into operation this schedule s is what the teachers are striving for, aud if the board of finance appro- priates one dollar more than that re- auired by the schedule the teachers will refuse to accept It. On the other hand, one dollar less than that re- quired by the schedule would be equal ly unsatisfactory as it would disar- range tie whole schedule, So it is not so much the money in itself but simply because the sum is necessary as a means to ain end that the appropria- tion IS asked for.
 Everybody admits that an increase Z should be made, but the amount IS the point In dispute,
 From what was shown yesterday it is clear that the amount asked for by the board of education is inadequate to put the schools on a satisfactory basis
 The amount required by the teach srs' schedule is moderate, just and sat isfactory.
 New Haven is a rich city and call well afford to do justice.
 The grand list in 1899 was $s6,o oSS. .6ls; in 1908, $l12, ,256,91O, an increase of s4O,- 16S, ,292, or 69 per cent
 The total appropriation for all de- partnaents in 1899 was $15OO, ,2Ss.o5; in 1906. $1,845 58988s, an increase of sS45,- Y i55. .3s, or 23 per cent. Teachers salaries ir, 1899 amounted to $2S3O2S; in 1908, ss21, ,o87.99, an increase of A$SS,o05, or Il per cent.
 in other words, while the grand list increased s9 per cent and the appro- priation for Ali departments increased 8 per cent, teachers salaries did not increase proportionately.
 How the appropriation for teachers salaries in New Haven compare with 7 those in other cities may be seen from Z the following figures:
 Worcester In 1902, 4O7,OeS,S1; in 1906, $450.2 .2S21a: increase of $4S,27S.So, or 10 per cent.
 syraouse-In 1902, ssos,464.SS; in 1908, $s61, 7SS47; increase of $52,26S.64, or 17 per cent
 N Hartford-In 1902, $2S2 5857S; in 1906, y $273, ,91661; increase of $41,33o.S5, or 1T per cent
 Paterson, N. J.--In 1902 $228 ;929.s7; in 1906, $270,77g56; irlcreahe of S41, ,S49.69 or N IS per cent. Springfeld--In 1902, $242,290.70; in 1906 $2S7, ,S5611; increase of $4566541, or IS per cent.
 Providence--In 1902, $4SS, ,Os62t; in 1906, $270,77956; increase of $41, ,84969, or 20 per cent.
 New Haven-In 1902. $294 4O0O; In 1906, $321, ,0S799: Increase of $27,oS7.99, or 9 per cent.
 From these figures it is evident that New Haven has. not kept pace with other cities in this matter, In the past year large increases in teachers sal ries have been made in Denver, Col
 ado Springs, Camden, N. J., Grand
 lpids, Mich, Paterson, Jersey City
 d Wilmington. Cleveland has in
 eased salaries this year $100,000 and
 ttsburg $120000; Philadelphia has
 ised salaries $600,00O in three years; } 10 weeks ago St, Louis raised salaries
 60.OOo, and last week San Francisco z ised salaries $1oO0O0
 In all of these cities before the in- teases were made the average salaries we're much higher than those paid in ] New Haven.
 The teachers desire the new schedule to go into effect on Sept. 10 and they base their case on this fact.
 Tn all other departments of the city government such as the police and fire members are appointed once and their position is secure during good behavior mot so with the school teacher: she is reappointed every year and her year does not begin in January but in Sep teEaber, so any increase made should be made with the understanding that as the school year begins in September so the new schedule should go into effect September
 Let us now consider the powers of the board of finance to appropriate money for the department of education
 Under the department of education in our city charter, Section no, reads Said board of finance shall annually appropriate for the purpose of said district such amount us 1t may deem necessary for such purpose" This sec tion makes the board of finance sole judge of what is necessary for school purposes.
 And just as the board of finance has sometimes granted the board of edu- cation the exact sum asked for and sometimes has reduced the amount ask ed for by 1t, as 1t legally and properly has the right to increase the amount asked for 'If 1t deems such sum nec- essary for school purposes"
 So the board is only exercising the