Teachers take case to school board

Cost of living increase hits hard-up workforce

said children were the future of the nation, and discontented teachers were not the proper trustees,” said Mr Chisholm. “Teachers realised their responsibilities, and the need of opportunity to better their best, obliged them to make the request in the public interest.”

He said it was unfair for the board to shirk their responsibility by claiming they were guardians of the public purse while the teachers were “robbers”.

“If they were to reap the fruits of the sacrifice of victory, educational efficiency must be maintained, and in granting their request they would do justice to their teachers...and give them a fuller opportunity of serving them in the performance of their duty,” said Mr Chisholm.

Mr JH Hastings, Craigs School, told the board the value of the pound at that time was three-fifths of what it usually was.

Miss Baillie, Allans School, who addressed the plight of low-paid women teachers, said the man in the street considered teaching a sinecure “with short intervals of work punctuated by long holidays and at a salary considered magnificent for a woman”.

She said that if there was no pay during holidays, the £70 a year often paid to women teachers amounted to a wage of 31 shillings a week once superannuation deductions had been made.

Miss Baillie also referred to the plight of sewing teachers who went through the same training as class teachers but started on a salary of £56 a year and had a maximum wage of only £65 a year to look forward to.

She said payment of a £5 lump sum plus a war bonus “would free many of them from their petty financial worries”.

Board members were disappointed the teachers had not said exactly how much they were seeking.

Mr Chisholm said they would be happy with a lump sum payment of £30 and bonus of £3 or £4 a month until the end of the war.

School board Representative Mr William Berrie said they were currently paying £556 a year to teachers on war service. A war bonus to teachers of £20 each would add another £2000 a year to their costs.

Chairman of the board Mr William Brown added, however, they were sympathetic to the teachers’ requests and realised something must be done.