Salt Lake Tribune | 1919-05-27 | Page 6 | British Teachers' Pay

BRITISH TEACHERS' PAY. In an address upon the occasion of his taking the office of president of the British National Union of Teachers, W. P. Folland called attention to the low rate of pay of teachers in England. He characterized the scale not only "as a scandal, but also a disgrace to the nation which allowed it to exist" Mr. Folland quoted statistics showing that there were 200 teachers employed at 10 shillings ($2.40) a week; and a cer- tificated head teacher and three certificated cer-tificated assistant mistresses at 1 (about $4.75) a week. One hundred certificated cer-tificated men and women were working for less than 30 shillings ($7.20) per week, and 8624 for loss than 2 ($9.50) per week; 71,394 certificated teachers more than a quarter of the men and nearly SO per cent of the women received re-ceived less than 3 ($14.25) per week. The "plums" of the profession, 350 per annum and over, worked out at 1 per cent of the certificated men teachers, teach-ers, and for certificated women teachers, teach-ers, one in every 20,000. Salaries, however, were not everything, every-thing, Mr. Folland said; conditions of service played their part in attracting entrants to or driving teachers from tho profession. Most authorities were willing will-ing and anxious to do all they could, and welcomed the assistance of teachers teach-ers in carrying out their duties. Reconstruction Re-construction was as urgent in educational educa-tional as in industrial affairs. Teachors were willing to co-operate with their authorities, and, in their teachers, authorities au-thorities -had a body of experts who could help them to solve many of their difficulties, even to the preparation of a satisfactory scale of salaries. The speaker insisted that the prospects pros-pects of tho profession must be improved im-proved and the status of the teacher must be raised. The best men and women would not bo attracted to the profession whilo the salaries offered were so inadequate and the conditions of service so unsatisfactory, he said. The address was delivered before an assemblage of more than 1S00 delegates. Among other matters taken up was a test of the feelings of the body of the members of the union on the equality of tho sexes. Announcement of the figures arrived at in tho referendum on the question left no doubt 'as to the attitude of the membership. In answer an-swer to the question, "Are you in favor of equal pay for men and women teachers teach-ers of the same professional status f" 33,004 members replied, in the affirmative affirma-tive and. 15,039 in tho lunlivt,