Salt Lake Tribune | 1916-12-23 | Page 9 | Retirement Fund Constitutionality will be Settled

RETIREMENT FUND CONSTITUTIONALITY WILL BE SETTLED To settle the question that has been raised as to the constitutionality of the teachers' retirement fund law, proceedings proceed-ings are to be instituted in the supreme court of the state as soon as possible by the attorney general, in behalf of the Public. School Teachers' 1'etiiem ?nt association as-sociation and commission. The retirement commission, at a meeting meet-ing yesterday noon, askod the attorney general to take the matter up with the court at once to get a decision, and he promised to arrange for the matter to be taken direct into the supreme court after the first of the year. This action on the part of the commission com-mission was approved at a meeting of the association lield late yesterday afternoon aft-ernoon in the Assembly hall, at which meeting n new commission was elected elect-ed and officers for the ensuing vear were chosen. Dr. George N. Thomas of the Agricultural college was re-elected president of tho retirement commission. The constitutionality of the retirement retire-ment act has been questioned on the ground that it makes the payment of new teachers of 1 per cent of their salaries sal-aries to the fund compulsory, but leaves it optional with old teachers as to whether they shall avail themselves of the retirement fund or not. Summit county school teachers and boards have refused to p;iv the tax to support the state fund, and in other districts the fund has not been kept up. owing to the constitutional question involved. There is now but $-l'24.Hfi in the fund, according to report of State Auditor Aud-itor Lincoln G . Kelly, who urges thnt unless the fund is kept up and paid into it might as well be abolished. To remedy the situation the commission commis-sion anil the association decided yetor-- yetor-- day to have the aftoruev gen err. 1 take j the l:iw into court and gt a ruling on its constitutionality, so that if the law it faulty a new law rnnv be drafted and submitted to the legist tare, and if it is good, the delinquents may be compelled com-pelled to pav their dne to the fund. Represent nti ves of the Sa It l.ak e Teachers ' Keti rement nssocini ion were present at the meeting veterd;i v rnd gave assurance of co-operation with the at" organi.T.tion in an effort to get the legal questions settled, because Srt Lake school district is af fee ted if the law is void. The old members of the retirement commission, who constitute the executive execu-tive board of the association, were reelected re-elected ve-terdav, follows: Five-venr term. Dr. tieorge Thomas. Professor doscrih F. Merrill, D. II. Kobion. H. C. Purton. L. K. Fggertsen and John U. Hicks: two-year term. D. A. Broad-bent. Broad-bent. Karl Thompson, t '. K. Gaufin, R. It. Homer and b K. Lyman. The commission met after the associa-; tion adjourned and re-elected Dr. George N. Thomas as president of tho commission commis-sion ami chose Professor Joseph F. Merrill Mer-rill as vice president. President Thomas, Mr. Merrill and K. O. Gowans. state superi n ten dent of puhlie instruction, were named as a committee to look after the testing of the retirement law. The new and old officers of the I". K. A. held a meeting at the Hotel T'tah yesterday afternoon so that the old officers offi-cers could turn over affairs of the association asso-ciation to the new officers. There was I an informal discussion of affairs in i general.