The Republican journal., 1914-12-31

ending July l, 1914, contains the first Of
fetal statement of the operation of the
new pension act passed in 1918. Com
menting on this report, it is found that
for the year ending July /, 1914, ISL
pensions were held. Three of the per-
sons holding pensions died during the
year, leaving 14S as follows on July LIST.
Thirty of the pensioners retired since
the school year next preceding Sept. l.,
1918, and were therefore according to
the terms of the law entitled to receive
full pensions on the basis OF their terms
of service. Twenty-six of these had
served 35 years or more and hence were
awarded the maximum pension of $3.50.
Three had served up to the 30 year limit
and received pensions of 5000, while one
on the 25 year basis received pension
of $3.50. 1t will be recalled that the law
makes provisions for those who had re-
tired prior to the date of the provisions
of it's enactment being granted pensions
on the basis of one-half that given to
those in active service after its enact
ment. Of those pensioners to whom the
retro tive feature of the law applies,
SIS received $l25, 81 on thirty years of
service received one-half the medium
pension, or 500, while 20 on the Is year
basis received one-half the medium
amount, or $75.
Relative to the claim that the enact
ment of this pension law would increase
the efficiency of the public schools, the
report says:
"Not only have teachers whose eff
cheney has become impaired been retired,
but burden of anxiety has been lifted
from the lives of a great many teachers
who have hitherto been oppressed by the
knowledge that their meagre wages
were affording little or no opportunity
for saving against approaching age.
The cost of this act will be but frac
ton of one percent of the total ex-
pense for education and will yield advan-
tages that will directly or indirectly
reach every school.
SUPERVISION OF MAINE SCHOOLS.
Following the example of Massachu-
sets and other New England States,
Maine enacted in 1897 its law providing
for the union of towns for the employ
ment of superintendents of schools. Mas
sachusetts originated this plan in 1870,
adding the State aid feature in 1888 and
still later made the adoption of its pro-
vision obligatory on all towns. All the
other New England States, with New
York and several States of the middle
west, have since adopted the original
plan of union supervision with su IN mod
ifications as local conditions have sug-
gested. At first Maine towns were slow
to adopt the provisions of the Act of
1897. A few pioneering towns having
adopted the scheme, other towns profit
ed by their example and voted favorably
on the proposals to form unions. Dur
ing the past ten years, by figures taken
from the Maine school report, it is
shown that the process of bringing the
State under skilled supervision has been
reasonably rapid and that the unions
have been encouragingly permanent.
For the year ending July l, 1914, there
were 81 unions with 221 towns. These
figures report an increase Of two unions
and seven towns over the preceding
year. There were in these 81 unions g.,
529 schools; an increase of 50 over the
year 1928. The towns paid Sal, 682
for this supervision while the amount of
State aid for this purpose was 1858, CAB.
Practically 80 per cent OF the school
population is now under city or union
supervision. 1t is reported that there
are numerous instances of towns that
desire to secure the privileges of the law
but are unable to do SO because the
neighboring towns have already perfect
ed unions that reach the maximum pro-
visions of the act. 1t is suggested that
in Justice to these towns and to the in
terests of the small minority of children
not served by the present unions,
measures to redistrict the State for per-
manent supervision should be undertake
en- SOON