New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1920-03-29
Force Teachers
10 Aid Donol1ue
Bill, Is Charge
Welfare League Says Dis
trict School Heads Com
pei Them to Sign Petit
'tions Against Their Will
Wants Mullan Measure
Churches Decry Small Pay
and Ask Citizens - Help
in Fight for Increase

s~aeNAe &ACSA AAkA6S~AAC ~ AACAR
in Fight for Increase
The Charge that school teachers are
being compelled by district school
superintendent to sign petitions ask
ing for they passage Ut the Lockwood
Donohue teachers pay bill is made in
statement ISSUED yesterday by the
Tesehers' Welfare League. This or
ganizatiou, which seeks the passage Of
the Mullan- HutAhinson teachers pay
bill, claims q membership Of 2 1000 New
York teachers and the sympathy Of
practically all the upstate teachers.
Frederick newis, first assistant at
Bcys' High School Brooklyn, IS presi-
dent Of the league. Mrs. Harriet Tup-
per, principal OF Public School 119, is
associated with him in the leadership
OF this group Of insurgents. Their
statement follows: -
Support came yesterday for the con-
tention which William G. Wilcox,
president Of the Beard Of Education
under Mayor Mitchell made before the
Board Of Estimate last Friday for the
Chamber of Commerce.. that any teach
ers' salary bill ought tos provide greater
increases for beginning teachers. A
member of the New York State Teach
ers' Welfare League pointed out yes
terday that the bill which, is being
pushed by the highest paid school off,
GERS in New York City, the Lockwood
Donohue bill, would pay beginning
kindergarten to sixth grade teachers
$l,053 less for the first six years than
the Mpllan- Hutchinson bill. and in
twelve years $1,714 less. The upper
elementary grade teachers would get
$6o0 less in the Lockwood onohue bill
for the first six years than in the
Mullan- Hutchinson bill.
Teachers Resist Pressure
even beginning elementary prin-
cipals would receive $l,125 less for
their first five years under the Lock
wood Donohue than the Muflan- Hutch
inson bill. But principals already at
the maximum would get $4,000 less in
ten years and high school principals
at the maximum, would receive $4,000
less in the same length of time under
the Mullan-Hutahinson bill.
at was stated that the upstate
teachers are practically unit in their
determination to have the Mullan-
Hutchinson bill become a law, while
several thousand teachers stand out
20 bear upon them tp sign petitions in
favor Of the Lockwood Donohue bill.
these figures explain why those al
ready at their maximum and superin-
tendents who are not included in the
Mullan- Hutchinson bill are fighting so
hard for the Lockwood -Donohue bill,
which gives less to beginning teachers
and beginning principals
''The reason teachers are signing the
petitions is because they are practically
compelled to do so. District .superin-
tendents have ordered teachers to ap-
pear at meetings to support the bill
which gives them less. AT such meet
ings Spokesman for the tMullan- Hutch
inson bill, which gives the beginning
teacher and principals more, haye not
been allowed to speak or were put off
until too late for effectivetpresentatio
1t has been impossible to get the truth
about these bills before teachers.
Naturally, teachers supporting the Null
lan-Hutchinson bill were very much
heartened to-day to have the Chamber
of Commerce representatives, former
President Wilcox, support the plea for
granting increases where increases will
do most to stop the teacher shortage
namely, among the beginning teach
ers"
Support Lockwood Measure
The congregation of Central Syna-
goguc. Fifty-ffth Street and Lexington
Avenue, after hearing Rabbi Nathan
Krass lecture on "Our Teachers and
Our Children" yesterday morning, voted
to support the Lockwood Donohue bill
as the best remedy for critical situa-
ton. The congregation also instructed
DR.. Krass to notify State Senator Sage
of its action. He is chairman of the
Finance CommitteeMof the Senate and
Is opposed to the bill.
DR.. krass said:
I'VE are confronted to-day by an
enemy even greater than the one that
menaced us during the recent war
That enemy is ignorance. The great
est expression of democracy in our
country is the public school, Here
all types of children, mailing from a
variety of ethnic origins, religions
and social conditions, merge. Here
at least. all are equal. The public
school is not only the greatest
democratizer, but the greatest prac-
tical means of inspiring the coming
generation with the fundamental
principles of Americansm and bind
ing them by the ties of permanent
loyalty to the institutions Of our
country.
Our schools are now in great
danger. Over fifty thousand pupils
are sent home daily without instruc-
tions because there is a lack of
teachers. There are hundreds Of
vacancies in the teaching staff; the
applicants in the training school are
one-half as many as those who ap-
piled ten years ago; thousands of
teachers have resigned since last
: September to 60 to better paid work.
The answer to the question why this
state OF affairs is permitted to con-
tinue is lack of funds We have
money for all other purposes, why
are we so purblind, so pennywise and
if=@ EOUND'