The evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1907-1908, 1907-12-28
PLEADS FOR
MINIMUM PAY
LEGISLATION
CONTINUED from First Paee.)

mental, and all are, I believe. within
the present ability of this association to
secure.
Minimum Salary Law.
'"The question of a minimum salary law
cannot be better presented than IN the
following very interesting letter, dated
December q, 1891, 1fu.l q Eiha ~ : e..
who did such excellent work as chairman
of this associations special committee on
teachers salaries and tenure of office:
My Dear Miss Duffy-Your letter or
the 18th inst. has just reached me, having
been forwarded from Phillipsburg.
You will find the resolution referred
to at the end of my 1905 report printed on
pages IS and So of the annual report. You
VIII note that Il was, ny mouon OF NJ.
Cox, referred to tie committee on lesis'd~
ton. Mr.. Eoyton chairman. Mr.. Boynton
SAYS In his report page 40 that the reso-
luton is left 10 the consideration of the
new legislative committee,
II was not able to attend the 1900 ne.t-
Ing, and was overlooked in the disfrlbl-
ion of the printed report OF the meeting,
so that / am unable to say what atle1-
ton, If any, was paid to the resolution
by the 1906 committee. 1t should. | think.
have been reported back 10 the association
last winter for discussion. Ii seems I'M
possible, as l stated in my report dg0al.
to get time op the program for an AIDE.
quate discussion of the matter. | lrled
three administrations ard gave it up.
There was no report n 1906. The com
mittee had finished IT'S work, and the mat
ter was up to the association.
L do not know thut l can ada anything
on the subject of minimum salary to what
Is contained in the reports Of 1903, l9A
and 1905.
7 h chief argument Is the protection of
the rural community against the cheap
teacher. The Indirect method indicated In
the resolution of 1906 seems to me best,
!'ccause it wc' Id secure higner Salarie.
urffhn.,f fr,,r.aa gf.,e r.1t,lrr ,fl1 httrdan nf
taxation. The present law, while fairly
liberal in amount of funds provided by 1t,
is not liberal enough. Moreover, 1t Is
demagogic In it's principle, since by its
provisions the larger the amount the State
gives outright from its revenue Qrom
sources other than school taxi the smaller
the school tax; but the aggregate that the
schools receive is not increased. Any in
crease, therefore, in the State appro-
p~riation from its treasury means a cor
responding decrease In the direct State tax
schools get more money. Yon see the
~demagogy of such a law. 1t appeals to
MIR. TightpuTse amazingly!
My IDEA, and that OF several other
members of the committee, Mr.. Enrlght.
particularly, was to attempt to have a
law passed that would make any enlarge
ment of the State appropriation so much
clear gain to the schools, and ultimately to
the teachers, or, rather, to the poorer
communities, where the money is most
needed.
When spoke OF the present law On
the preceding page. ] meant the law as IL
stood IN 1905; since then, as you. know, an
increase in school funds has been secured
through railroad taxation. or equalization
or taxes. | am not sufficiently familiar
with this law to know whether this tax
Is assessed locally or by the State; and.
il by the latter, whether it provides =
sum beyond that provided by the state
tax and former revenues, etc. r
the last be true. quite d considerable SUM
would be distributed among the districts
Of the State due to this source alone over
and above what they formerly received;
aud this legislation would be in line Of
we were aiming at. 1t may be chat
this piece of Legislation has rendered \
minimum salary law direct really nm
the point will bear investigat-
ing.
=" I suppose that. if necessary. a direct
law fixing a minimum could be passed
easily. ii the legislative committee
would go to work in earnest about it.
the average legislator could see the
point of it n il would be sufficiently
hemagogic in its character to appeal to
him as a politician.
I" But our legislative committee has
never been in earnest about anything per-
to the rural teacher. The State AS
ISOLATION, being not a State association at
all, but an assocta don of the city teachers
Of the State, has regularly gold bricked'
The rural teachers. | fear you will find it
difficult to get a hearing Chat amounts
TO a%nything) on anything pertaining to a
salary law direct or indirect.
But you will find the association willing
to discuss emu of office or any other
Titled matter till the COWS. come home.
o looking up the records, / an as
at the amount of work down by
Howell and his committee, and am
amazed that this association should have
allowed so important and valuable a piece
work to remain fruitless. In the assoc
report for 1905 | find the following:
. Resolved, That 1t Is the sense of the
association that an attempt be made to
secure legislation to the following effect:
The establishment of a minimum fixed
school tax; 2. an appropriation from
the State treasury of a sum additional to
sum raised by the tax; 8. this addi-
tional sum shall not be used to reduce the
amount raised by direct tax, as in the
present law, but shall be distinct from the
share OF the peoples wealth; 4. all of the
money received by districts from the
State. whether it proceed from revenue tax
or appropriation, shall be used for teach
ers salaries. and no part of it for any
other purpose whatsoever
After some discussion this report was
referred to the committee on legislation, Of
which Mr. Boynton' was chairman. Mr..
Boynton says IN his report: The resolu-
ton of Superintendent Howell, of Phillips
burg. which was referred to this commit
lee. is left for the consideration of the
new legislative committee. and, so far as
hfCN VA Ivy AlNO lnhS pTOi1OQlCeu the
funeral Grafton of this just, necessary and
most desirable movement. At any rate,
the movement was put to Sleep
with most of what Mr.. Howell writes
| agree fully, and | believe that this assoc
citation should resume promptly and vigor-
ously the work so well begun by Mr..
Howell, and / would suggest that no man
in the State is better fitted to undertake il.
The teachers of the State very generally, |
believe, will sympathize with Mr.. Howell
in his complaint thai be found 1t impossible
association of the vastly important ques-
tions which he was called to report, and to
which he devoted himself so zealously. At
the risk of making myself unpopular, |
must say that there is a widespread feel
ing among the teachers that their State
Association is conducted chiefly along ped
agogical lines. and not for the advancement
of the material and professional interests
of its members. Time is found at this an
addresses relating to pedagogy and allied
subjects, but it is very difficult to find
time to. discuss those matters (such as
tenure of office. salaries in general and a
salary in particular, equal pay
for equal services, etc.). in which the
teachers are vitality interested.
The teachers complain that they are
sick of pedagogy. We nave from twelve
to fifteen years of ii before we begin
at county institutions. In the department
meetings of this association, until we al
most hate the word.
Every year your enrolment committee
makes frantic appeals to teachers to Join
the association, and the teachers saw.
Why should we join2 What has the as
soeiation ever lone for us? Whar is A.
,1f,- 80 IL FA,. ..aD 4rto& =. =