New-York tribune., 1920-03-25
Split ON Bills
To Raise Paw
OF Teachers
Speakers Agree OH Need of
Increase, but Are Divided
on the M G t h o d; Many
Are at Capital Hearing
Both Measures Opposed
Closing Barge Canal and
Tax on Bachelors Among
Suggestions for Revenue
From a !staG Correspondent

| From Stat Correspondent
ALBANY, March "a. --- Everything
from abolishing the barge canal to
taxing bachelors was suggested as a
means of raising money for increasing
teachers salaries this afternoon at the
! hearing before the Senate Finance and
Assembly Ways and Means con.mittces
on the LOCKWOOD -Donohue and Mullan-
Hutchins bills.
Representatives of several cities op-
posed both bills. New York teachers
favored the Lockwood bill and upstate
teachers the Mullan bill. The one
thing that they all agreed on was
that teachers had to have more money,
but none offered any definite plan for
raising the required revenue. The
plan of adding two mills to the direct
state tax seems to have been aban-
doned The Assembly Chamber was
crowded with teachers from all parts
of the state. trainload coming from
New York.
The Lockwood bill approprates
about $25.000,000 and the localities
"oulu nave W give llhe alnounI W
provide increases of from 20 to 40 per
cent. Teachers earning less than
S2,260 would get an increase of 40 per
cent, those getting less than $4,000 80
per cent and those getting over $4,000
would be given a 20 per cent increase.
This bill would cost New York City the
first year nearly $13,O00,o0O
Sage Opposes Both Bills
The Mu]lan bill ORIGINALLY appro-
priated $26,50000O, but this amount
has been cut to $19,0OO,00O. The locali-
ties would give like amount, Of which
it is estimated New York's share would
be $11,000,000 and the localities in the
rest of the state about $8,850000. 1t
provides increases for every grade Of
teacher, fixing the minimum for each
in dollars and cents instead of on
percentage basis. The lowest salary
for beginners would be 81 1900 while
the minimum in the Lockwood bill is
$1,40O.
Senator Henry NJ. Sage, chairman of
the Finance Committee, said after the
hearing that he opposed both bills.
Even though the state should take
the burden of paying half the salaries
of teachers off the hands Of the Cities"
he said, "they would spend just as
much money, and in a few years would
be back here asking the state to pay
the other half. 1t will amount to from
$19,000,000 to $4,000, 900 now, and if
the state pays the whole thing it will
eventually be from $60,000,O00 to $780,
100000. | appreciate that teachers
must have more money, but two serious
questions are involved. One is, Where
is the money coming from? and the
other is, Is it the function OF the state
or the cities to pay teachers salaries?
| think a commission should be ap-
pointed to study this whole thing"
Senator Mullan declared he hoped
that all of the different factions among
the teachers would get together to
bring about some satisfactory relief,
Lockwood BILL
Must Pay Teachers Properly
"If we are to have red-blooded Amer
icans in the FUTURE" he said, "as we
have had in the past, we must have the
right kind of teachers. and to get them
we must pay them properly"
"If education is state Junction."
asked Senator Sage, "and the state pays
a portion of the salaries of teachers,
why should it not pay the whoe?"
II don't know that it would make
any difference with the individual tax
payer" replied Senator Mullan.
We'll, where is the state going to
get the money!"
at can jump over some of the things
it is trying to do now and pay little
more attention to education"
Senator Mullan said he would cut
out the Barge Canal for one thing"
"And / can name a lot of other
things" shouted Assemblyman William
c. Amos. 81 would also suggest tax
on war profits, bachelors and founda-
tion funds"
Assemblyman Eberly Hutchinson, of
Fulton, introduced the speakers for the
Mullan Hutchinson bill, and Assembly,
man Charles d. Donohue, of New York
City, the speakers for the Lockwood
Donohue bill.
"The situation has got so bad" he
said, "that women dismissed as incom-
petents, teachers retired on pensions,
mere boys in college and young girls
still in high schools are being i'm
pressed into the service. One school
board has announced that it will issue
temporary licenses to teach to whom
ever it can get. We are spending mill
ions to put up fine school buildings,
but are letting the life within decay"
For Mullan Bill
Miss Calkins, of Brooklyn, sup
ported the Mullan bill because it con
tanned definite schedules and did not
favor the higher paid teachers at the