Evening journal., 1919-10-14
WOULD HAVETO GIVE
TEACHERS RAISE
Continued from First PageJ

(Conunued from First Page,l
who are getting the advance may b,
worth it. II so, then they were not paiC
enough in former years. They may moi
be worth il. But If they are not, al
least they are the best that can be OBJ
tanned NOW for the money. so there {.
no other way out OF 1t until wages and
high cost OF living and other things
get adjusted.
A Kent county farmer employed a
good farm hand three years ago, when
wages was much lower than they are
today. Early last spring this farm hand
decided 10 go TO the city. The Kent
county farmer started out to hire a
new hand. He found % wages had
doubled, and trebled for farm hands. He
couldn't hire any kind Of a farm hand
for anything like what he had been
paying the good hand he had had for
three years. lie found ~ that al
though he paid twice or three times as
much as he paid his old reliable hand.
the help he got for this vastly increas-
ed wage was not as good as the old
help. He is getting poorer help and he
Is paying more money. Is the farmer
TO blame?
Yet this same Kent county farmer is
raising a great big fuss because the
school authorities in some cases are
having exactly the same kind Of trouble
hiring help. Instead OF being fair. the
Kent county farmer is blaming the new
school law for this condition.
What would have happened had the
new school law not been enacted? The
same scarcity OF teachers would have
existed. Those who were willing to
each this year would have demanded
an increase OF wages. What would the
local commissioners. under the old law.
have done? They would have either
Increased their local tax rate and paid
the increase i'm wages, or they would
have had 10 close their school for lack
Of a teacher.
Ihe new school authorities have paid
the increase i'm teachers wages. on an
average, the increase i'm teachers wages
IN Delaware This year over last will he
at least 10 per cent This is exclusive
oi salaries of superintendents. super /
Nisors and other officials By paying I
ilis Increase and working day and night /
ihe school authorities Of Kent and Sus- /
sex counties have found teachers for |
their schools Superintendent Hardesty /
or Sussex county had 20 supply 255 and /
he lacks only or 10 OF having his full
quota. Superintendent Holloway. Of
Kent county had TO supply lis teach
ers. Tie Is only two short.
To get these teachers they have had
10 send everywhere, 20 10 into the
market and meet competition from
other States. West Virginia is short
500 teachers. Maryland is short Of
teachers. The United States Depart
ment Of Education is authority for the
statement that 60,O0O schools are closed
'his year because Of lack Of teachers.
From these figures il may be seen that
.he new school law had nothing 10 do
with the scarcity Of teachers or the
higher wages which must be paid in
order 10 keep Delaware's schools open.
lr with the higher school taxes which
ire necessary II higher wages are paid.
I'm other words, the old school COM
nissioners working under the old law,
ould never have run the schools Of
this year without increasing
he tax rate. Teachers wages have gone
ip. fuel has gone up. textbooks have
'One up, cost Of repairs has gone up.
wages for ianitOrs have gone up. The
ew law went into operation Just at q
he time these increases i'm school costs (
ad 10 be met or the schools closed .
he school authorities under the new $