Evening capital and Maryland gazette. (Annapolis, Md.) 1910-1922, 1920-05-04
May 3, 1920.
The Teachers And The Living Prob
lem Discussed.


The Teachers And The Living Prob.
lem Discussed.
70 the Editor OF the EUeRiRg Capitol.
AT time when we are combating
railroad strikes, embargoes, sugar
shortages, and the high and yet higher
cost of everything, the teachers of the
county come before the public with a
'equest for higher salaries.
The word I'm the preceding para
graph which makes this news radical
ly different from other questions OF
pay increases is request" From pass
experience. when any body of employ
res want more pay. they DEMAND It
Ct they do not get what they demand
hey force the point by striking. But
he teachers merely request higher
ray. Why do they ask it? To buy
silks and motor cars, or to raise their
standard of living? Motley say;
merely to have enough TO live on;
enough to feed and clothe them, and
o pay for their shelter.
The teachers are asking for a
minimum wage of one thousand dol
ars a year. Is this high when in 1914
heir average minimum was about
hree hundred dollars?
From figures supplied by teacher
living in Annapolis, it costs her pei
month. board. $40; room, SIS; laun-
Try. 81: total, $50 This amounts Il
SOS a year for bare existence. AT q
minimum wage of 1000, she would
lave 1922 left for other expenses, OF
$500 per week 10 pay for clothes
shoes. school magazines and books
(which she must have). insurance
lentist and medical attention, charity
and civic work, and amusement. The
expense of those living at home may
not be as great as those of the above
teacher. but the wage seems small
enough for a person who has the edu-
sational and training requirements
for teacher. when the government
clerks receive minimum wage OF
SIZE year
Sometimes the hours of the teacher
are brought up to justify their low
pay Aside from the fact that they
must dress as examples to their stud
suts. that they also must eat three
meals a day, regardless OF their hours,
when we consider the time the teach
srs work at home in marking papers,
the time they spend in planning the
next days lessons, and when we look
at the evidences of their responsible
ties and burdens shown on their
health and appearance, it would seem
that their hours are out of the ques-
zion of remuneration.
But a tax rate for schools of nearly
eighty cents? Again-if we but con-
slider that property assessed at $1,000
in this county has sold for three times
as much. and that nowhere will you
End property owner who is willing
to sell his property at price any
where near the assessed value, we
come TO the cause of the high rate.
The property in the whole county is
assessed at twenty millions. Forty,
no, nor fifty millions could not buy it
all today. And aside from assess
ment. when in 1916 the dollar was
worth 100 cents, We had school tax
rate of 40 cents. Now with the dollar
buying 4S cents worth of goods. why
not school tax of so cents?
If we do not pay a tax enough to
support our roads they will deterior-
ate; if we do not pay taxes to pay in
terest on our outstanding bonds our
credit will suffer; if we do not pay
taxes for police protection our homes
will suffer; and if we do not pay taxes
to support our schools our children
will suffer
We cannot allow this.
Let us rally to support our teachers.
their support is just. their welfare is
ours, for il is our children's.
ID TnXTNC