The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1913-03-24
CONTRADICTORY
PENSION SYSTEM
FOR TEACHERS
Urged By President Pritchett Of the Car
negie Foundation In Seventh
Annual Report of That
organization.

| dent ana treasurer OF the Carnegie fOun
dation, which has just appeared, covers
t the year ended Sept. 30, 1912,
J The endowment in the hands of tbs
III trustees at that time amounted to APP
/ proximately $l4,000,000, and the income
) for the year amounted to S676,4S6, OF
which 1864, 407 was expended. From its
first pension payment in June, 1906, III
, the end OF the fiscal year, Sept. 80, 1919
| the foundation has distributed S2,077,-
Sl4 in retiring allowances to professors
and $2SS,500 in widows pensionsa to-
tai of $2,3l6,404. In all 420 retiring
allowances and 90 widows pensions have
been granted, of which % have terminal
ed through death and % at the expira-
ton OF temporary grants, leaving ais
retiring allowances and SO widows pen
sions in force at the end of the year.
The first part of the report includes
a careful statement of the whole ques-
ton of pensions for teachers, for gov
eminent employees, and for industrial
employes. This statement contains the
results of the examination OF practi-
eally all of the pension systems now in
Operation anywhere, and leads finally to
a discussion of a feasible pension sys-
TEN for the public school teachers OF u
state. This discussion is particularly
needful at this time, since the question
of teachers pensions is a matter under
consideration by number of state leg
slstures. As the report points out, the
bills which have been introduced in the
various legislatures almost without es-
ception violate fundamental actuarial
conditions, and have been framed with
out study of the essential conditions
which must be fulfilled by any adequate
pension system. The material brought
together in this report, the examples OF
the failures of pension systems which
New South Wales, and the precarious
situation in which many state pension
systems now stand, make this portion
Of the report one of great practical value
TO the authorities Of any state contem
plating pensions either for teachers or
for state employees.
President Pritchett, in arguing finally |
for some form of eontributory pension |
system for public school teachers, points |
out clearly the difficulties of the com
tributory system, the necessity for the
most careful actuarial advice, and the /
public nature OF the questions which are /
involved in distribution of the cost /
Of such pension system between the
state and the teacher.
Following the discussion Of these PEN
sions, complete history Of the meth
DDS by which the Carnegie Foundation
pensions were arrived at is given; the
process through which the trustees
worked il told in the frankest man
ner. the difficulties which they eneonn-
tered and the differences which arose
,ut Of the fact that the pensions of
the Carnegie Foundation are not con-
iributory, but have come as the result Of
/ free gift, are made clear The litera |
lure on pensions now at the disposal OF
he foundation is probably the most
complete in the statement Of such prob /
ems that has ever been brought togeth- !,
n, and the discussion here made cannot
all to be of value to college, state, |
If an industrial association which is h
tudying the pension problem; and the
,ension problem today is one Of the in II
istent problems of modern social prog
ess. I
The second part Of the report is devot- j
d to such subjects as the matter of Y
ollege entrance requirements, admis- 6
ion to advanced standing, a statement Q
t medical progress. university and col j
sge financial reporting advertising as = I
actor in education. education and pol a
ties. and finally sham universities. I
All of these subjects are discussed in $
he frank and specific manner which has 6
itherto been used in these reports. In Ep
the extraordinary medical a
rogress Of ths last five years, atten- &
on is called to the connection which Il
till exists in the United States between VI
.putable colleges and unworthy medi- a
Il schools. The lessons of the recent
nlletin on medical education in Eu- Z
'pe are also brought clearly forward. =
uring the last five years the mortality h
mong unworthy medical schools has N
zen most satisfactory. The number OIL IN
lch schools in the United States has pi
zen reduced by about one-third and the SC
Imber of students attending them by B
bout one-quarter, and this diminution p'
Is occurred in exactly the places where e.
ought to occur-namely, in the elm NJ
alton of the unfit. er
The section devoted to education and he
,litics discusses not only the recent re- so
arkable changes in the University OF W
the University of Kentucky, a
ID the University of Montana, but also "
ais with two other tendencies in po- I'll
ical life which are profoundly affect "
q education: first, with the rivalry yt
iieho comes from competing state in WI
tutions, and secondly with the prac- an
e inaugurated almost wholly within az
e last ten years in states where there Sc
G no state universities, Of substituting Al
,titutions that are under private con- OF
d. In a number of states this proc Go
! has gone on until it has enormously
creased the number of privately con- Jt
,lled institutions which share in state
So marked has this ten SIS
ncy become that the question of state
preparation to education without state
ltrol is one which ought now to be
milky and squarely met. wa
Under sham universities the report w
ais with conditions such as hold, for o. 2,
ample, in the District of Columbia. NY
Iere commercial enterprises without ins
Fe