PTAs concerned with

education

seavere:

By Pacific Tribune Correspondent

VICTORIA -2:°C. G_The

36th annual convention of B.C

Parent-Teacher Federati-n, he d here April 8-11, showed very
clearly the awareness of the PTAs for the need of a higher
standerd of education in this province.

Suggestions as to ways and
means came from several of
the speakers addressing the
eonvention and taking part
in panel discussions.

Dr. McGregor, head of the
Department of Classics at TBC,
said that Sputnik had had re-
percussions on our educational
system, had caused us to ask,
“What is wrong with our sys-
tem?” He suggested drastic
changes in the school curric-
ulum, although his suggestion
that subjects such as Home Ec-
onomics and H.P.D. should be
scrapped as  ‘time-wasting”
touched off a controversy.

F. C. Boyes, College of Ed-
ucation, UBC, taking part in a
panel discussion on ‘Teachers
tor Tomorrow’s Children,”
brought out the point that dur-
ing a depression such as the
one we are now entered upon,
teacher recruitment increases,
because university graduates
who cannot find employment
in their own fields turn to
teaching as an alternative, al-
though they were not trained
to teach. He used qualified
scientists as an example.

It was too bad, he said, that
a depression had to lake piace
petore we could recruit teach-
ers:

Raising the status of teach-
ers and payment of adequate
salaries for fully qualified
teachers was the point raised

by B. Gillie, a past president
of the B.C. Teachers Federa-
tion. Many schools, he said,
were staffed by teachers with
secondary qualifications, es-
pecially in the outlying areas.

It was ridiculous to say we
hadn’t the money in this coun-
try to pay for education; the
governments were spending
fantastic sums on unnecessary
things.

Mrs. R. Cowan, speaking as
a parent, said we should be
concerned that our children
were being aught by unqua-
lified teachers. We should de-
mand the best for our chil-
dren, and if we wanted the
best we should pay for it, es-
pecially in regard tc teachers’

salaries.

It was left to C.. M. Be ifor.],
representing the Federation
nationally, to put the blame
where it rightfully belongs. He
said that one of the aims of
JIome and School and Parent-
Teacher Associations was that
education was the responsi-
bility of the federal govern-
ment.

One speaker who didn’t go
cver so well with delegates
was Education Minister Les
Peterson. He spoke at length
but said very little. His fig-
ures on teacher shortage and
undercertified personnel dif-
fered greatly to those given
by other speakers,

On the dispute-between the
Teachers Federation and
School Trustees, he said there
were full conciliatory meas-
ures that could be taken, and
stated that no matter what

the outcome of negotiations
between teachers and trustees
the schools would be opened
and remain open, even if they
had to bring in teachers. from
other parts of the country
(where shortages also existed).

One unfortunate result of
this convention was the pass-
ing of an emergency resolu-
tion dealing with the dispute
between: teachers and trustees.
Because of the high feeling
running in the _ blacklisted
areas, delegates from these
areas asked for leadership on
how to handle the situation.
There was a general feeling
that the convention should
take a stand on policy. It was
obvious that delegates were
more in sympathy with the
teachers, and yet a resolution
suggesting binding arbitration
be accepted by the teachers
was passed.

Why? Because the issues
weren’t clearly understood;
because members of the PTAs
do not yet fully realize the
role they should play.

Unless the rank and file of
an organization is militant
and aware of the political sit-
uation, policies can be endors-
ed at conventions which do
not truly reflect the thinking
of the members. It is up to in-
dividual PTAs to discuss this
resolution that was passed
and let the executive and PTA
Federation know how _ they
feel about it.

Summing up, the general
tone of the convention, which
represented a good cross sec-
tion of Canadian peple, re-
ilected an awareness that there
is something wrong with our
educational system, and that
we should take some positive
action about it. The Royal
Commission on Education
should provide this opportun-
ity:

The new People’s Co-op Bookstore at 307 West Pender Street, Vancouve®

Expanded services offered
by People’s Co-op

The People’s Co-op Bookstore
is holding an official “house
warming and opening” at its
new store, 307 West. Pender,
on Friday and Saturday, May
2-3, store manager Merwyn
Marks announced this week.

“Coffee and cake will be
served to customers during
the two-day event, and we are
also offering an _ attractive
clearance of books at very
low prices,” said Marks.

The bookstore moved to its
new quarters in order that
several departments could be
en arged.

“We are catering to the
growing trend toward serious
paperbacks,” said Marks. “Our
record department, which
features labor songs, ethnic
and classical records, has also
been expanded.

“We feature the city’s fin-
est stock of progressive books,
of course, and also offer a wide
selection of art books. The
store now has room to display
a collection of Chinese art
prints imported from Peking.

“In addition, we are en-
larging our stack of foreign

: ookstot

d
language books ee ‘4

i coe sian, ae
zines Rus lis?

Hungarian, French, of |

The recent share i ol

ed some $2,000 wie fi
the store to move y

rte’
and roomier 4¥@

transfer of books W# fe,

lished smoothly, wit Mel
of an army of volu? 04
cempleted the job in Bo? a
The People’s Co-OP , nt
board of directors "ai
carry on the d ariv? “4
shareholders in com

Kimberley Mine - Mili seekin§
wage increase of {0 percell

KIMBERLEY, B.C. — Contract talks opened here this
month between Mine-Mill and the Consolidated Mining and
Smelting Company, with the union seeking a 10 percent wage
hike and numerous fringe benefits.

Mine-Mill vice-president Harvey Murphy, acting as chair-

man of the join‘ bargaining
committee, said at a recent
membership meeting:

“There has been some talk
about tough bargaining this
year. I have never seen a time
when it wasn’t tough.

“We've got a situation where

“we have a pretty fair-sized

depression with close to a mil-
lion unemployed in Canada.
Mass layoffs and continuing
increases in the cost of living
have not been experienced be-
fore.”

One example, said Murphy,
is that the price of raw cop-
per has dropped just short of
50 percent, yet the cost of ar-
ticles made of copper such as
wire, are higher than ever.

A demand for the inclusion
in the collective agreement of
a clause that would assure
equitable distribution of avail-
able work in the event of ma-
jor layoffs was included in
the bargaining program. A 10
percent wage increase ‘would
mean a 16.8 cents an hour

boost on the Jaborem M
Trail and Kimberley f ey
respondingly more
classifications.

Copper orders @
only export re

China is ready to B )
adian copper whe nil
Diefenbaker gover.
approves export pert g
Marshall Johnson, ™ iff
East West Expo
Company Ltd. /,

Marshall says his nt
has on hand trad@.%
from China for fer!

als, both in finished :

material form. a

April 25, 1958 ~ PACIFIC TRIBUNE—