Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-02-21

Contributor,
half of the amount.
Another method that has been pursued
is to let a certain percentage of the tax
be applied on the teachers retirement
fund. In Indianapolis l cent on every
S1OO Of school taxes is set aside for this
purpose, while in Boston cents on $1,000
and In Minneapolis one-tenth of mill
is assessed on taxable property. In Gin
cinnati. Columbus and Cleveland | per
cent of the school tax is designated for
the teachers retirement fund. Virginia
appropriates state funds, and the teach
ers contribute from their salaries.
Other states that have retirement laws
are Connecticut. Illinois. Indiana. Cali
fornia. Michigan. Minnesota, Nebraska.
Ohio, Pennsylvania. South Carolina, Utah
that have found it advantageous to es-
tablish retirement funds are Detroit, Buff
falo, San Francisco, Syracuse, New York.
Providence. Charleston. Rochester, Chi
adelphia. Albany. Elmira, Springfield.
Mass; Harrisburg, Baltimore. Salt Lake
City, Omaha and Denver.
Trail Already Blazed.
1T will thus be seen that the pathway
for this kind OF legislation has already
been blazed and that this bill does not
contemplate a new and untried thing.
There is also to be considered the ques
ton of fairness. That appeals with srea /
force to those who consider the hazards,
sacrifice, eXacting service and compare
lively small pay that teachers receive.
The bureau Ct education in recent re-
port made the statement that in forty
four out of forty-eight cities the yearly
compensation of laborers exceeded that
of the elementary teacher. For the last
ten years up to 1910 the average annual
salary of teachers of all grades. includ-
i,,cr y,.iro lie 6aDarfmPntS
in the city of Washington. has been
$711.31
THE new school law that Congress en-
acted a few years ago has improved the
condition, but nevertheless the average
salary is still small when one thinks OF
the requirements of preparation, the de-
votion to duty eXacted and the nervous
tension that the teacher is under to say
nothing of the risk Of health and life
that the teacher incurs, which is admitted
by the best authorities to be very great
Out of 562 applicants for retirement in
New York city from 1905 to 1910 only 10
per cent of them applied on account OF
old age. The remainder were suffering
from physical and mental disability.
Amounts Differs in States.
"The amount of annuity differs very
largely in the several states and cities OF
which the committee has information. ex-
tending all the way from few dollars of
per capita distribution of a small fund in
Massachusetts, to the 5000 per annum
maximum to supervisors in New York
city. In four out of seven states and in
thirteen out of thirty cities the annuity
paid is one-half of the last years salary
or one-half of the teachers average an
nual salary for the last five years. The
amount of annuity provided under this
proposed law is six-tenths Of the average
salary for the last five years of teaching,
any person and a maximum of $500 to
any person.
These rates of annuity here are some
what larger than the average in the
cities of which the committee has had
information. and are larger than the
amount paid in nearly all of such cities.
However. the fund herein provided for
Is not to be in anywise a charge on the
public treasury, but is to be raised almost
entirely by the teachers themselves, and
is therefore mutual affair, and 1t has
been believed that they should be given
a very large part in determining the
amount of such annuities, for they are
not only to receive the benefits, out are
to bear the expense. The teachers not
only indorse this bill and the amounts Of
the annuities. but are urging it's passage
with all proper insistence.
THE amounts of assessment have been
determined from the experiments of SINH
lar funds in other cities, and the amounts
as provided for, 1t Is believed. will be am
pie to sustain the fund. However, there
is a safeguard provided that no more
teachers can be retired In any one year
than the fund can reasonably and fairly
be expected to pay, based upon the actual
income of the year before"