Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1908-12-10
TEACHERS ASSOCIATION.

/ lLliUlILNU HUUUUlIiiUH.
Gloucester County Teachers made full
day last Saturday Of Association business
For the first time in the history of the AS
sociation there was an evening session and
few teachers absented themselves from any.
Many of the Boards of Education were
represented at all sessions, and large
delegation of Glassboro people came up to
the evening session.
There was quite an exhibit of Manual
struetion has not been regularly introduced
in our schools, but is instructed by teachers
who have a taste therefore, and find the
materials for use.
Mrs. Emma Gill, principal Of the Thoro
fare school, gave talk on Manual Train
ing in the Country School, ;, and exhibited
much work done by her scholars that pos
j sessed real merit. notably cardboard
model of the beautiful Thorofare school
house, also mats, bats, etc., OF straw and
native grasses. Miss Gascoyne, of Frank
linville, and Miss Batten Of Woodbury., also
contributed bandiwork of their pupils to
i the exhibit
! Miss Elizabeth A. Allen, secretary of
that much discussed and freely abused
scheme Of School Teacher Insurance, the
Teachers Retirement Fund.- made a
comprehensive statement of that plan of
aid for te,chers. from which we quote
llberally:-
The State Treasurer's reports show
that this time. 1896. the Fund didn't
have cent, and that since then we
have raised more than s330,O0000;
have paid more than $21S, 100000 to 221
retired teachers, representing every
county in the State. have paid SIG,
! 10000 in expenses. and have accumu-
lated a cash and invested surplus of
substantially s100000.00. Interest last
tyesr sided rearay ssfaoe go u i1eome.
i'm 1996-7, the Fund's income was s3a.
10000: in 1907-8 it was above. $50, ,000.-
90. and that was the year of panic and
i general business disaster In 1898 the
Fund paid S879O1 in annuities. In
1908 it paid s53,00000 in annuities, yet
in spite of the rapid yearly increase
in benefits paid, the Fund has earned
a surplus on each and every years
business.
How many commercial or financial
concerns can show so fine a business
record for the past ten years as the
1 Teachers Retirement Fund shows
But. we. who are promoting the Fund,
believe that by far its greatest achieve
ment is what itshas accomplished and
+ is accomplishing in the altruistic and
educational fields.
On January 1st. the time-limit ends
/ for teachers to join the Fund We are
extremely anxious to get this fact,
together with a general statement re-
garding the Fund before every
/ teacher in the State before the door
shuts on New Years Day, and the
newspapers are our most effective
| channel Of publicity.
There are several features regarding
| the Teachers Retirement Fund which
are worthy of note:
First-The Fund is furnished en-
tirely by the teachers. themselves who
pay certain percentage of their sal
aries.
Second-E1very teacher in the State
is equally eligible to its benefits, the
poorest paid teacher in the most OBJ
scure hamlet, as we'll as the highest
| paid teacher in the largest city, or the
I State superintendent, himself. This
is quite contrary to the practice in al
most every other State (if not in every
other State, am not able to speak
entirely positively for in New York
State, for instance, only the teachers
! in the largest cities are protected by
any such retirement fund system, the
country teacher being left entirely I'M
| protected.
Third-The Teachers Retirement
Fund does not require thirty-fiye years
service in New Jersey, nor twenty
] years continuous service in the dis
/ trict retired from, as does the district
! half pay pension act Any member of
| the Fund who breaks down after TWEEN
/ ty wears public school service in this
4 State Though that service may have
been performed in any number Of dis
tricts) is entitled to retirement on half
pay; provided that no annuity shall
| be more than s65000 nor less than
! s250.00, no matter how small the sal
airy.
Fourth We contend that the State
is the greatest beneficiary of a fund
furnished solely by the teachers, them
selves, which relieves its schools of in
Esfructors no longer able to render eff 4
Client service. and thus permitting their
places to be filed with young, vigorous
and efficient teachers.
Fifth In many other states or cities.
(n0tably New York City and Philadel
1 phiag the state or municipality con
tributes a very large portion Of the
| Teachers Retirement Annuity Fund
In New Jersey the State pays nothing
except the expenses OF administration,
(Which are contributed In recognition
of the great service the Fund is rend-
ering to its educational system) and