Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1923-03-09
Teachers Pensions
Continued from Page One)

ne SCRUB w OIlIll gus a ltA on pa
sion in the city of Boston than we
are asking for the teachers OF
Maine" said he. THE $500 pension
tor laborers Of Boston. including
scrub women, has just been in
creased from $500 TO $500.
Mrs. Mary |. pettenGill of Lewiston
said that she began teaching school
al 81 Il week and urged that the vet
cram teachers be given Il pension
| sufficient to enable them to live COM
tortably for the rest OF their lives.
Representative Grecnleaf of Au-
! burn presented a petition from the
/ kiwanis club of Lewiston and Au-
! burn in favor OF the bill and e%-
pressed also his personal wish u at II
| become law.
| Dana :. Williams of lewiston, pre-
| scented the petition of the Lewiston
! and Auburn Rotary club favornS the
! bill and asking that IT he amended
| to make the pension $3.50 instead OK
| $500 He referred to having attend
| ed school under the teaching Or Mrs.
! Pettengill more than 50 years ago.
! Miss Margart Wilson Of Auburn
reported that the Auburn teachers
were heartily in favor Of both bills.
chester a. Weed, superintendent Of
schools OF Biddeford. said that the
teachers of that city were in favor
I OF the bill and would like TO see K
| amended 10 bring the pension up y"
! $500: they are also in favor OF the
retirement BIZ, introduced by Sena-
tor Allen.
Mrs. Il. c. V. CUShman OF Auburn
representing the Mary Dillingham;
| Chapter, - a. T., ot Lewiston ana
. Auburn. presented Il petition IN lavor
! of the b!ll. while Miss Sarrlc h. NH
let Of Lewiston did the same Tor the
business ana Professional Womcn's
club of those cities. W. ). Cuileh
presented d petition for the bill from
, the Lewiston Council, X. OF c.. and
Superintcndent Of schools Bickford
OF Lewiston. did the same for the
Lewiston Tcachcr's association.
STUNT. Bickford told the committee
that this was no new policy, but one
which was well established IN the
state. Teachers. he said, dld not
feel that $500 year was enough.
rTln Insufficient salaries Of the past
had made it impossible for them 10
save anything.
FORMER senator Edward Murphy or
Portland was for tie Increase, AS one
Of the ORIGINAL advocates OF pen
sion for teachers. lie SAID that WINE
the amount first established was Ia'l
it was decidedly unfair today. Inc
state. he declared, would never HIPS
the money so paid ont. -. &c
T. L. Libby, superintendent Oh
sc,,no,s Of Wcstbrook. and chairman
Of the legislative committee OF tht
ctotn Teachers Association. favored
me bill on the ground that II was
NOT q pension but simply deferred
salary and would keep the teachers
contented and prevent them from
going to other states.
Arad r. Linscott. president or the
Portland Teachers Club. SAID tnal
he represented 400 teachers or lor.-
land GO teachers from South foTt-
land and 20 of Cape Elizabeth. ne
hoIieved the bill would make the
teaching force Of the State more
nermanent. LAS it is now only ffe
ner cent of the men and 10 per cent
Of the women teaching in this state
now adopt the profession as
career" said he.
"Iet us sacrifice few miles OF
concrete road and let the cushioned
| New Workers ride over few thank
YOU ma'ams and help the teachers
he concluded.
Edmund II. Mcdonald. executive
secretary of the Portland Chamber
of Commerce, said that from wnat
he had seen he was sure that the
bill was a popular one and he pc
lieyed it would be a good law. ~
will have a tendency to keep the
teachers in Maine and it will also
make prominent the savings ldea
with the teachers"
Miss Helen NJ. King. principal OF
the Nathan Clifford School of Port
land. told the committee that teach
ers could not do the work they want
ed to for the children on the salaries
of the past 80 years. She was heart
lily in favor of the bill. Supt A. b.
Garcelon of Bangor speaking for the
teachers of that city and the legisla-
tive committee of the Maine Teach
ers' Association. favored the bill. 1t
| would stabilize the teaching profess
sion. Supt. of Schools Jack Of Port
| land, was also in favor. 1t would.
said he. be an inducement to teach
ers in the State of Maine and college
graduates to enter the teaching pro-
fession.
Hon. Guy II. sturgis. represent
ing the Insurance Federation Of
Maine spoke in opposition to the
bill. 1t was. he told the committee,
a welt established fact that annuity
insurance was not profitable: and
that the competition of this bill
would not seriously affect the in
surance men. of Maine. This associ-
alton opposed the bill as citizens be-
cause it embarked the State in the
! insurance business. 1t was a step
akin to public ownership and social
; ism which Maine had never tried
/ If it was entered for the teachers
there was no way of telling where
it would stop.
The retiring board. which was Gre
ated by the bill would always be
composed of those who had no ac-
tual knowledge of the insurance
business. he said.
| DR.. Thomas had said that 500 out
of 5000 teachers would join. He
figured that this would make a fund
of 100000 in ten years plus the
! compound interest. He questioned
| whether under the bill if 5000 teach
ers took advantage of it the State
would be able to put up dollar for
dollar. He did not think all those
teachers who had endorsed the
measure thoroughly understood it.