The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1921-12-28
SCHOOLS AND SALARIES.


salaries and for more and more
wages. This fact accounted in large
measure for the high cost of living
Of which we all complained before
the 'hard times" came along. While
other people were receiving con,
stantly more and more remuneration,
the teachers. in the schools found
themselves more and more handicap
ped by the meagre salaries they were
receiving as compared with the wages
and salaries paid other people. The
result was that an insistent demand
went up for more pay for teachers.
The Press and Banner has always
been among those who believed that
preachers and teachers should not
follow their professions out Of con-
sideration for the salaries paid.
Wheneves a man or woman in either
calling begins to receive a salary
which the people believe to be bur
densome, immediately his or her use
fulness begins to wane. However, the
Press and Banner was among those
who demanded for the teachers bet
ter pay during the war and as long as
other people demanded of the teach
ers prices which made it mandatory
that teachers be paid more.
But now that the "hard tines
have, come, and now that so many
people are out of employment; now
that the wages of people in every
other calling have been reduced, and
now that none Of the people are do
ing more than trying to hold the
world of their affairs together, de-
mand becomes inevitable that the sal
aries, paid teachers should be reduced
and reduced these salaries must be.
The salaries must be reduced, first
of all, because the people will find
that the present levy of taxes Will
no longer pay the former salaries.
This next year property will be re-
assessed for taxation and nobody,
we think, will imagine that the val
.ues will be anything like they were
four years ago. Land has certainly
deprecated in value since 1918, so
much so that one of the largest land
owners in the county recently said
to us that he regarded his holdings
just now as liability rather than as
an asset. The same thing is true of
livestock stocks Of goods, stock in
most corporations, and of everything
else which is liable for the payment
of taxes. If the assessed valuation Of
property in this county is not reduc.
ed twenty-five per cent next year we
shall be very much surprised. This
will mean that at present rates of
taxation the amount received into
the public treasury for every pur-
pose, including schools, will be
twenty-five per cent less than at
present. Already, We believe, this
school district is getting behind, per
haps because taxes are not being
paid; but certainly the income is not
more than sufficient to pay the pres
ent expenses of conducting the
schools of the district. It is inevitable
therefore, that the tax levy must be
raised or salaries must be lowered.
1t will be objected, of course
that the teachers get but very little
now and that they will not more than
make expenses should salaries be de.
creased twenty-five per cent. There
are two answers to that. In the first
place, the people who pay the taxes
and who are the hurdenbearers are
not making expenses. They are losing
every day. The man or the woman
who is able at the end of next yea,
to say that he or she is as we'll off as
he or she is today will in our judg,
ment be fortunate. Teachers should
not be less patriotic and public spirit.
ed than others-we think real teach.
ers will not be. In the second place
as we have already remarked, othe,
people are accepting cuts in thei,
salaries Of more than twenty-five pc,
cent. A great many people would be
glad to accept any kind of a cut in