Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1920-04-04
TEACHERS TIRE OF
SMALL SALARIES
Many Seek New Fields of In
deavor With Better Wage
Scale.
SOME SEEK THE CHORUS
Average Truck Driver Is Paid
More Than School
Ma'ams
SOME SEEK THE CHORUS
by wINIEl,En xAN nuzEl,.


NEW YORK. April 3.-.Teachers in
the elementary grades train through
a period Of six years Tor their jobs,
and then are put TO work al some
thing over $500 "a year. Boiled down
TO per day wage. that is "a fraction
over 80.
Truck drivers go through no train
Ing. yet they draw SIS wcck-more
than 81 Cor day Of eight hours.
The schoolina'ams day extends from
early In tho mornin. till she gets
home work donc-which often is
midnight.
Carmen, workers and workers in
similar trades have realized salary
! increases Of 60 or 20 per cent within
the last couple Of years: the increase
In wage OF teachers Ia barely notice
able
III Il understand that more than 400
I teachers are wanted and wanted
III vasniy--io supply vacancies among
elementary grades OF New York. DO
you wonder Mt IT,
Tho Is the statement Of young
woman. picked AZ random from among
s0.99U school teachers or this city
n superintendent Indorsc..
Il Al the board Of education office
ID her statement was Endorsed by John
L. Iilds!cy. associate eupcrintc ndc n /
OF schools. In "A report just prepa red.
n Mr. T.ids,ey shows that more than n
n Thousand teachers resigned from the
CITY schools last year that number
being 500 more than the designations
10 OF five years aEo--before the high
y cost or living became acute. the re-
port Indicated
There is just one remedy Mr.
TlldAley said. Higher salaries,
"Doubie A" Hcsis nations.
h My report goes on 10 show that
II the highest percentage OF designations
II was among teachers with double \
ratinE--the best among the teaching
n personnel OF the city, that is The
n next highest was among teachers with
II the second rating II IL significant
that only few resigned from among
the class rated as unsatIsractory
Il 1T liz also significant that the ma
II 3ority of designations were from
teachers of less than ten years ser
n vice:"
4 Shortage Throughout U. 3.
& The teacher shortage problem. edu-
Gators say. prevails throughout the
! country. and recently was the CHIEF
7 subject discussed ut q conference held
by commissioners of education from
I most OF the Eastern States. in the
/ course OF which Or. Philandcr T.
\ ClnSton, United States Commissioner
I OF Education. considered the si,ua-
4 ton from 4 national standpoint. Sew
! eral bills Cor raising salaries are now
I pending before the New York State
l Legislature.
5 new salary regime. which goes
into effect In January. 1922, WIFI
! slightly increase the present scale.
From the kindergarten to the sixth
I grade the minimum wage for teach
Srs in New York now is 1895 The
maximum Is sl,7s6.66 in the sixteenth
year OF service" Mr.. Tildsley said
j In the upper grades the maximum is
/ s2.lsO."
Tic explained that teachers Of elc-
mcntary grades practically all are
women. More than half tho number
Of high school teachers are women,
! he said.
Authorization Needed
Ernest Bohm. secretary OF the
Teachers Central Federated Union OF
New York, declared that unionization
1 rather than legislation should be de-
| pended upon to straighten out the
problem.
1T Is true" Mr.. Bohm said, that
teamsters, who spend no time in
\ training for their work. are paid. In
come instances. more than 100 per
| cent above the wage paid teachers.
\ Furthermore. they work eight hours
/ and are suitably compensated for
I, overtime.
|. Carpenters receive So for a day of
\ eight hours. They spend five years
\ in apprenticeship for which they are
!, suitably paid.
Work Indefinite Hours.
II 'Gi!gh school teachers receive
I minimum OF something under 81 and
1 maximum OF nine and a half dollars
\ dor a day OF indefinite hours
1 For the privilege OF earning this
II munificent sum. they have gone
through eight years of training: four
II in high school and four more in col
II lcEe, all with no compensation.
\ 81 do not believe conferences and
i such measures will better the condi-
/. ton. There are. should say, about
l n quarter of the 10000 teachers in
/ New York who belong to the Teach
| ers' Union. When they all come in,
| the teachers of this city will be in
position to ask for a living wage"
| Teacher Turns Chorus Girl.
| In current Broadway production
the chorus numbers among it's per-
!, sonnet a gentle. refined girl who six
! months ago was teaching the fourth
/ grade in small Pennsylvania town
school
She resigned her position and came
| to the Rialto. because. as she ex-
! planned. she wanted to do the only
work besides teaching for which she
was fitted.
| You see." she said. II have an old
father ana mother 10 take care OF.
/ In the Pennsylvania town ] was maxi
e. ing $50 a month as n school teacher.
] had to be ut work shortly after s
O'Clock in the morning. There al
ways were papers to be corrected or
lessons to prepare Mt home. 1t made
my day something like eighteen hours
long.
Couldn't Live on snlnry.
when the cost of living went up
/ SO high the three OF us couldn't make
ends meet on my salary.
NOW ] am getting per week ex.
actly what I made then per month
$50. And I work only four hours"
She said that various former school
teacher friends now are engaged in
other occupations here.
Mr.. Tildsley said that ne estimated
the number of vacancies In elemen-
tary and high schools in this city
shupon September ! next at 1.4I9. Therc
probably Will be only 900 teachers
available for the positions, no said.
leaving 1882 positions untitled.