The Monmouth inquirer., 1924-07-31
PROBE TEACHERS
PENSION FUND
Attorney General Sustains Comp
trolIer in Refusing to Pay
Sum Demanded.
QUESTION DIVIDES OFFICIALS
Mathematics Stump Would-Be Teach
ere - Normal School Grads'
Chief Obstacle in State
Examinations.

Trenton.-The question Of whether
the Teachers Pension and Annuity
Fund Is entitled to receive $1,200,000
from the school apportionment fund,
the amount appropriated by the last
legislature, or $2,440,046, the amount
certified and demanded by the trus-
tees of the fund, is one which has
caused a sharp division OF opinion
among officials of the various state
departments concerned and which
threatens litigation between the trus-
tees of the fund and the treasury de-
partment in order to bring about a
settlement of the difficulty.
The trouble has arisen from a con-
fiict in legislation affecting the funds
finances. Under the act of 1919, which
established the pension fund upon its
present basis, the state comptroller
was directed to pay annually into the
pension fund an amount certified to
him by the board Of trustees, upon
basis fixed by law, plus the amount
required annually for the expenses of
the fund. This portion Of the act was
to become operative in 1920, when the
amount certified by the trustees as
necessary for the purposes of the fund
was $615,000 In later years certifca-
tons were made respectively for
$4,000 $1,049, 900, $1,707,29 and the
latest certification Of $2,440,046.
The last session Of the legislature
undertook to curb the rapidly mount
ing costs of the pension fund by sub
stituting specific appropriation of
$1,200,000, to be paid from the school
apportionment fund. Whether the ap-
preparation bill is to be considered as
a repeater, implied or otherwise, of
the section of the act of 1919, was the
question placed up to Attorney Gen.
eral Edward L. Katzenbach for de-
termination, and be sustained the re-
fusal of the state comptroller to pay
to the pension fund trustees the larger
amount, which they demanded.
Mathematics Hard Test
OF the total of 1882 high school
graduates who took the examinations
conducted last month for admittance
to the five state normal schools for
training as teachers 900 were success
full and the remainder, 4S2, failed to
qualify. The percentage of success
full candidates is a trifle lower than
that of June a year ago, when 906 Of
1911 students qualified in the tests.
This condition is due in large meas
ure, however, to the fact that among
those who took the exams this year
were number who had failed on pre-
vious occasions.
Statistics compiled by State Com
missioner Enright show that there has
been no material variation during the
past few years in the percentage Of
students who are successful in the
normal school tests. Invariably the
most formidable obstacle to their sue
cess is mathematics, and this was the
case in the examinations conducted
last month.
Of the total of 1882 students 947, or
IS per cent, passed the mathematics
examination, and this percentage was
far lower than that in either English
or spelling This latter subject gave
the students the least trouble. The
number who were successful was
1875, or SO per cent, while 1887, or
8S per cent of the total, succeeded in
the English examinations.
At the Newark Normal School the
examinations were taken by 465 stu
dents, of whom 293 succeeded and 172
failed. BY far the greater number of
these failures were due to deficiency
in mathematics. The students scored
100 per cent in spelling and Sc per
cent in English.
At Glassboro the examinations we're
taken by 212 students, of whom 149
were successful and So failed. Exam
nations at the Montclair school were
taken by 312 high school graduates
and 2OS passed and 104 failed. The
poorest showing was made at Pater-
son, where only II of 129 students, or
55 per cent, passed. At the Trenton
Normal School 264 took the tests and
ITO passed and IS failed.
Contest over State Fund
The State Board of Commerce and
Navigation probably will contest with
the State Board of Conservation and
Development for the right to collect
the $4,000 paid to the state by the
Lehigh Valley Railroad Company as
part payment of total of $S75.000 for
the abandonment of the Morris canal.
The matter may be taken into court.
The department of commerce had
intended to use the money to purchase
lands for the proposed ship canal from
Morgan on Raritan bay to Borden
town, on the Delaware river. rul-
ing by Attorney General Katzenbach
held that the funds should go to the
Board of Conservation, which had re-
QUESTIONED for the money, intending
to use it for dismantling he canal
property. State Comptroller Bugbee
honored the requisition of the Board
of Conservation. holding, with the at
torney general, that the legislature
had stipulated In the appropriations
bib that the money should be used for
dismantling the canal.