The weekly times-record. (Valley City, N.D.) 1912-1922, 1919-08-21
NSTRUCA,,RS ASK
F0RSo'lRE PAY

for members of the facuf of the
| North Dakota Agricultural college,
raised before the state board of ad-
day by a committee representing
the newly formed union of instruct
ors at the college, may bring to
point the whole problem of increas-
ed compensation for members of
faculties of all institutions in the
state.
Prof. C. I. Nelson and Prof. R. H.
Slocum, the official representatives
Of the Agricultural college union of
instructors, presented statistics to
the board of administration show
ing that the purchasing price of the
dollar has been reduced to 63 cents
by the high prices, and that as a
set off their salaries have been in
creased only by seven and half per
cent.
In dealing with the union repre-
sentatives, the board of administra
ton apparently has given recogni-
tion to the union of the educators.
DR.. E. F. Ladd, president of the
| Agricultural college, who also was
before the board of administration,
supported the plea of the faculty
men for higher. compensation. =
! 4. Institutions in North Dakota, like
institutions over the entire country,
are facing severe, competition IN bid
ding for men. This is particularly
true in the case of chemists, for
which class of men the demand in
the commercial world has increased
- of %hn
wide opening of new business enter.
prises, such as the manufacture of
dye stuffs, coal tar products, ETC.,
| and in this field the Agricultural col
lege, according to DR.. Ladd, is hav-
ing especial difficulty in obtaining
and keeping men.
The same holds true of farm ex-
perts, men trained for the county
agent and extension work. These
| men are being bid in for CONNER
cial work, and are taking up i'm
portant positions with farming COM
panies, and in states where greater
| money is offered for the same class
of work.
Added to the financial advantage
that is offered the workers in other
states and in other fields is the gen.
orally disturbed condition of the North
Dakota educational system created by
the wholesale removal of institution
presidents by the board of regents
during the last 18 months, and by the
continuance of that policy by the
board of administration. This has
created additional unrest among the
workers, and is having the effect of
influencing them in taking other po-
sitions. ...
The actual increase in the salary
budget at the Agricultural college
during the year has been $14,O0O,
according to DR.. Ladd, who inform
ed the Forum representative that
this provided for an average in
crease of about SITS pear for each
member on the payroll, the increases
running from $50 to $500 in indi-
vidual cases. These increases, the
representatives of the A. c.. union
told the board of administration,
are not commensurate with the in
creased living cost.
Numerous faculty members of the
Agricultural college have been out
on the 11-month service basis dur
ing the past year, instead of the TO-
month period of activity previously
required of them. This has made
more acute the demand for increasd
compensation on the part of the par
ticular men so affected.
Under the present plan, all fac
ulty members of the college are on
the full 12-months' basis, each, how
ever, receiving a months leave Of
absence. This holds true of the ex-
tension, experiment station, food de-
partments and the college section.
Heretofore the college section men
hame, in the main, had only 10
months work.