The Wilmington morning star., 1945-11-14
NEEDS
CITIZEN SUPPORT
CONTINUED from Page One)

airy education and not enough inn
protance attached to the elemen-
tary schools.
He stressed that the first grade
teacher has the most important
LOB of all because he or she is the
first contact that the child has
with education yet they are usual
ly the lowest paid teachers
throughout the country, High
school teachers receiving nearly
three times as much for teaching
fewer subjects.
Reviewing the national educa-
tional picture, Mr.. Blakeslee said
that 100000 children in the U. S.
Of school age were not in school.
Two-fifths of the schools in the
U. S. were built before 1900 and
while he said this was not true
of New Hanover, they are still
antiquated here and I'VE can do
better"
He suggested that in building
schools, they not be constructed
to last forever but cheaply enough
SO that they can be changed with
out too much loss.
T. H. Hamilton, principal of the
New Hanover High school, who
INTRODUCED Mr.. Blakeslee, prais-
ed his work at Washington Catlett,
Speaking after Mr.. Blakeslee,
he explained that it was gener-
ally realized that the first grade
teachers were the most impor-
tant in the school system and he
said that high school teachers
specialize in a limited field to
become more efficient in instruc-
ton of students in that particular
field. He said he felt that every
grade in school was important.
Disagreeing with Mr.. Blakeslee
in his reference to paying of
primary teachers less than high
school teachers, in application to
New Hanover and North Carolina,
Mr.. Hamilton stated that consider
able progress had been made in
this state in setting up Of a
single salary schedule. A primary
teacher with the same training
and experience as a high school
teacher gets the same salary, he
added.
The selection of teachers is a
difficult job, he said, made espe-
cially so by the war. He added
that he never expected to have a
completely satisfactory staff at
the high school but that he was
striving toward that goal.
'It is generally felt" he said,
that teachers as group de-
serve more remuneration, and
termed the Federal aid to states
an attempt to ENABLE the poorer
states to raise the salary level OF
teachers.
Mr.. Hamilton told his fellow
Rotarians that it was largely
through Mr.. Blakeslee's efforts
that New Hanover county had 100
per cent of it's teachers enrolled
in the National Education asso-
citation.
Peter Brown Ruffin, who held
the rank of commander in the ma
val reserve, was welcomed back
to the club.
1t was revealed during the meet
ing that the Honorable Clinton T.
Anderson, Secretary of Agricul-
ture would be guest of the An
derson, S. c., club today and an
Invitation was issued by the presi-
dent of Anderson club for Will
mington Rotarians to attend the
Injecting!
Adam Smith praised the work
of H. A. Marks, Wilmington Rot
arian, as head of the recent Com
munity War Chest Drive.
1t was announced that c. B.
Newcombe, a club member, has
been made Grand Secretary of
the North Carolina Masons.
Guests of the club were DR..
John R. Swanson, Dallas Rotar-
ian. Tom May, of the Wake Forest
club, c. B. Nichols, son of Rotar-
ian A. c. Nichols, city manager,
and Junior Rotarians John R.
Hearn and Edward Shain.