The Washington times., 1917-02-23
ENGLISH TEACHERS
THREATEN TOSTRIKE
Army of Instructors in Com
mon Schools Receive But
SO a Week.

LONDON, Feb. 23.-England's
school teachers, enraged by repeated
refusals to grant their demands for
increased wages, are threatening to
strike. The great part of board
school teachers are receiving an aver
age salary of 80 shillings, or IS, a
week, and they have repeatedly urged
that under war conditions this is not
living wage.
For several months the teachers
have figured in published protests in
which they have condemned the lag
gard action of the educational depart
ment. They have called themselves
members of a 'sweated industry"
BY far the greatest amount of COM
plant has come from London's teach
ers. who number 81 .OO0. Their pro-
tests became so violent during the
past month that the London County
Council agreed to denote sufficient
funds to give each teacher an increase
of ! shilling (25 cents) a week. Ac-
cording to the president of the Teach
ers' Association it would have been
great deal better had the council
taken no action at all. He character
ized the increase as niggardly and as
practically a fiat refusal OF the teach
ers' demands
waIkOut Il Threatened.
The indignation of the teachers
arose to such a high pitch that
big meeting of protest was held here
last week at which a resolution was
adopted stating that the teachers
would refuse to ATTEND school unless
a more favorable action was taken
by the council.
In addressing the meeting of pro-
test F. Z. Wolstenholme, president
of the Teachers Association, said
they had asked for a living wage and
had received a blank refusal. The
apparent extensions of their salaries
were in reality a delusion and a sham
because no one earning more than SO
shillings a week was entitled to the
war bonus except on conditions Those
conditions cut out every teacher in
the service who did not have rela-
tives depending upon her or could
not show other liabilities.
The amount Offered as war bene-
fits was utterly inadequate even as a
contribution toward the increased
cost of living, which, he stated had
gone up 81 per cent. since the begin
ming OF the war. Furthermore, the
meeting held that the manner in
which the small. war bonus could be
got was too inquisitorial for any self
respecting teacher to go through. In
order to get an addition OF one shilI-
ing a week a teacher would be forced
before the council to parade the dire
necessity of her asking for so small
an amount.
Strike Vote Ordered.
The meeting unanimously adopted
a resolution to take a vote of the
London Teachers Association on the
question: "On condition that the ma
Jority vote in favor OF such action
will you, when requested by the as
sociation, refuse to attend SCHOOL,"
This spnII of revolt, which has
reached fever heat in London, has
spread throughout England and Scot
land. Similar meetings OF protest
have been held in other parts OF the
country and speakers have denounced
the wage conditions in no uncertain
language.
the Scottish teachers of Glasgow, de
clared they had always been under
pa. and starved and were now per
haps more than ever the recipients OF
niggardly salaries. and the govern
ment in its niggardliness was blind
to its own highest interests.
at was a scandal" said Sir Henry
that a great profession essential to
the public weaI was so paid that there
was no room for thrift