Norwich bulletin., 1920-04-21

 ing, attended by probably from 1900 to 1900 people, voted to support the town school board and against the effort of the teachers of the public school to get a $200 increase in salary, per teacher for next year, over what the school board has set as the salary figure for 1920-1S21.
 Resolution Voted On.
 The vote was taken on the following resolution offered by Judge John H. Barnes who presented the cause of the school teachers:
 Be It Resolved, and it is the sense of this meeting. that the town school com mittee of Norwich are requested, ad- vised, and required, to further increase the wages. of each of the school teachers of the town of Norwich to the amount of s2o0 for each teacher for the school year beginning in September, 1920, in addition to the sum of ,$200, and regular schedule of wages already indicated by the said town school committee, as the increase to be made in such wages for the present year.
 And be it. further resolved, that the said town school committee shall in clude in it's next annual budget of esti- l mated school expenses for the coming year, sum sufficient to cover the to- l tai increases made in the wages of said teachers over the present year. And be it further Resolved. that the | selectmen of the town of Norwich in l their next annual report to be submit l ted at the next annual town meeting | shall include in it's estimates of school expenses for the coming year a sun 1 sufficient to cover the increase in wages | of the teachers of the town as provided ] by this resolution, and the amount al. ready proposed and put in force by the said town school committee as above stated.
 When the hour for the meeting arrived the town hall was filled pretty nearly tt its capacity. every seat occupied, witt rows of men standing six or seven deer at the rear, others standing along thu west aisle, and others sitting in the win l dow seats. Midway up the rows of seat
 a belt of women's hats were visible abov
 the masculine aspect of the crowd, show
 ing where many of the teachers were sit
 ting.
 Speeches for and against the motio
 took up much time of the meeting so tha
 voting was not reached till 9.t0. This va
 by the check list, according to an agree
 ment made between Judge Barnes, coun
 sel for the teachers and Judge T. : Kelly of the school board, and it too two hours before the last ballot had bee
 put into the box on the desk in the iron
 of the hall It took twenty minutes to count tn } 1 ballots and the vote was announced jus : as the clock was striking midnight | Judge Barnes and Allyn L. Brow t made the principal speeches on the or 5 posing sides, both arguing on the point ( comparison of salaries paid in Norwic and other towns and cities in the state g the former dwelling on maximum sa 0 0vfA lV1I Tek = in support of their claims as to whetl l CT the. pay for Norwich teachers con e pared unfavorably or otherwise wit
 other places. The meeting general r got the impression that Mir. Brown wa :. l appearing for the school board but
 was stated afterwards that they Ing
 nothing to do with his appearance 4 speak at the meeting.
 # Meeting Begins On Time. s First Selectman Casper K. Bailey e n tered the hall promptly on the stroke f eight and called the meeting to orde s turning it over to Town Counsel Hen t H. Pettis as chairman.
 d After Town Clerk Charles s. Holbro,
 read the call for the meeting, Chairm: s- Pettis said he wished to make a stat d ment of his opinion on the legal ( n feet that any action taken would ha, i- He declared that in his opinion t e. meeting had power only to recommeI
 to the school board on the matter
 salaries. The school board had fl
 power over lhAse matters, but cou
 listen to recommendations from u in meeting. Nothing that this meeti m could do would be binding in the m: 70 ter of salaries, but would need to Is voted upon at the annual town meeti m in October
 e. Presenting his resolution, which Gle b. Holbrook read, Judge Barnes said lg was acting at the request of 120 teacht ic of the town who were asking for f; he and impartial treatment. They say tn w. are entitled to an increase and tn al ought to know. Whatever this meeti he does must pass the muster of the sch ed board and the annual town meetii IT. With the $200 increase already grant S. to the Norwich teachers for next y, Tt they will still be the lowest paid in h. state of Connecticut.
 ss Judge Barnes spoke of the valua ch part that the teachers play in Am IT. icanization. He said two bills are Def
 the New York legislature for $2,o00
 $2,600 as the pay for teachers, but sA Norwich teachers only dare, to ask 2I nearly as much as Willimantic teach al | ,+- towns are as follows: Ansonia $1 ,6 a Meriden $170o; Willimantic s1200-s15 nh Derby $1400o; Hartford $2000; MidC .re town $1400: Bristol s1450, Torring $14o0 and Montville $1360 If the N h. wich teachers get the $2o0 which led board has already granted them, tn of will be 69 to get less than s140o. \ el London has just recommended sal D. raises that will add $3S,ooo to school m penses. #. A
 erv e Figures which Nudge Barnes said by been given him from Norwich mills raj
 laugh when the judge read tn in Girls beginning at $S32 reach $1456
 the first yead and office help r
 from $1352 to $1SS4. The West {
 Silk mill, he said, starts labor at { the and after a year they are carr md $2soo. The Saxton woolen mill Ia on starts at, $s42 and goes to s2600 om the Yantic woolen mill figures were $ Ign rising to $1655.-
 rel
 ces President Bishop Speaks. icn President B. P. Bishop of the sc or board said they could not accept as nds truth and fact the figures that Tn St. Barnes had given but there was s
 truth in them. The judge might the him in juggling figures but the SC
 board did not accept in any sense
 statement that the Norwich teac
 were underpaid in comparison with
 CTS in the state.
 The board had the kindliest feeling or the teachers, but believed it's stand iins the salary question was just and fai sii the teachers and the taxpayers. The one oulrnendation for S200 increase, as 'ro' ready granted, had been made by