The quarterly meeting of Carmarthenshire Education Committee was held at Carmarthen last Thursday, Mr. W. N. Jones, Ammanford, presiding.
An application was received from the elementary school teachers for a war bonus of £10 per annum. The Chairman proposed that the matter be referred to a committee.
Mr. John Lloyd, Abergwilli, said they heard officially at the last meeting that the maximum of the new scale of salaries recently granted would mean an expenditure of £5,000 a year than under the old scale.
That a rate of 2½d. or more in the £. So that the scale of salaries prevailing in the county for elementary school-masters compared very favourably with the scales of other counties in Wales .
The maximum for assistant masters, if they took the superannuation premium the Committee paid for them into consideration, amounted practically to £135 a year, while the maximum for teachers in their bigger schools amounted to £225 a year.
It seemed to him ridiculous to suggest a war bonus to people drawing salaries varying from £135 to £225 per annum.
It seemed rather unfair that one section of the community drawing taxable incomes should be relieved of their obligations to their country at the expense of the other section by drawing a war bonus.
We had all got to sacrifice at the present time. They had 18 teachers in the county who had nobly responded to the call of their country and joined the forces. He did not know whether that was a very great record when they remembered that they had 700 teachers in the county.
The enlistment worked out at a little less than 3 per cent. They had a large number of eligible young men of military age and ability remaining. It was to be hoped that his record would be greatly improved upon in the near future.
They new of the action of thousands of young men in various walks of life who had given up their educational and professional training and career and sacrificed everything for the sake of their country.
He did not think this was an opportune time for any class of people to ask for a war bonus. He moved that the committee take no steps in the matter.
This was carried.
