The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, November 30, 1903, Page 7

THE SAN ¥EANGISCC UATI, MOYDA' , NOVEMBER 30, 1903. SCHEME TO ESTABLISH FUND S UFFI CIEN TLY LARGE TO | e NSiiRE PAYMENT OF PENSIONS TO RETIRED TEACHERS iS OCCASIONING WIDE DISCUSSION st Many Opinions Expressed | as to Feasibility of | the Plan. ESPRENI > and the teachers of an Francisco, in the ise the salaries of the the increase for the The Call to-day opens its he discussion of the im- as desired es Into AN ENTICING PROPOSITION. no effort was made . f this law ex- teachers of their ed and LAW’S LEGALITY DOUBTED. at this comp £v” Real Easy™~h to Save lots of Money Everything that’s Beautiful Chinaware, Crockery Glassware Fancy Holiday Ornaments and Novelties Dolls, Lamps, Clocks Rich Cut Glass Dinner Sets Come before Parting with your Money Get our prices Great Americaa Importi Tea Co. 00 Stores That’s the Reasen, SHIRTS ARE THE BEST AT THE PRICE CLUETT, PEABODY & CO. MAKERS JSOHEMIAN oTTLED KNG 0" peppss SOLD EVERYWHERE, EILBERT MERCANTILE CO., DWAY'S READY RELIEF has stood | ¢ e b RA u; c for 50 years as es and quick Influenza, Bron- valed be Remedy oats, wide Interest taken, |7 | the |from a cut in the left breast, | hela as witnesses. teacher. If it is public money the Legis- | ers entering and retiring at all ages cannot apply it to pay | would be a very complicated problem for to the teacher |an actuary. lature certainly pensions. If it belongs the Legislature cannot lawfully confis- fect of the law. There is no possibility | ing the pensions required by the act e fund produced by the payments ed. Some additions to the fund re provided by way of gifts from the treasury, which are probably lile- of forfeits from teachers’ money not earned and belonging to the public. No- but the Legis- salaries—that i therefore grudges this money ature has nmo authority to sequestrate it and bestow it on individuals, and some- dy may scme time object. It cannot There is also a sllar per mc nce March te: as have signtfied their department of the provisions of the act. acceptance The impossibility of making the pay- ments from the fund provided by assess- ments is readily seen. A teacher enter- g the department at % years of age and ving vears would be § years of and have id in $360. Bhe would be of $30 a month—that ing the first year, draw f the fund every dollar she had ever i pay the remainder? r teachers. If with ¥s charity. iscation. And it m. The teachers’ the age of &0 fis or one year she has pension. For the other paid by others, if amount, during her 6. An insurance 1d charge for an annuity of vable quarterly, from the $5692 0. How much of this is m:missions and expen; does 10 per cent, and $5123 1 the actual cost of an an- it is proposed to give ayment of $36). This mill operation. Any teacher ap- ic age of retirement was, al- »me entitled to the full pen- n paying into the fund the sum e would have paid in the course which All tho teachers who have been re- tired seem to have availed themselves of this provision, and drew out during the st ye than they ever more money DEFICIT WOULD BE GREAT. It is evident that this cannot last not lasting. Already the re- ts fail to pay the demands, which are No reference is made to a fund” of 0 which is ted, because its income led empted to describe all the com- visions of the act. Nor 1 istration show ngs of the law, because the fund by confiscating the payments chers who retire from other causes ility.” But the {llustration shows result as it would be if there were no iscation, no unconstitutional gifts of public money, and nothing got from the charity of the public It is of the essence of just, s at each he gets and exp the expenses are little or ost without loading. s gambling or char confiscation. An insurance your money, s to pay you in insta agreed your total investme terest at current rates per cent—iess the tever it may be. If you die oniyou. If you On the average it profit. To devise NKEN MIAN IELDS KAIFE Frank Cooper Seriously Stabs Stableman Tierney. of te scientific all- t it loses. estimated ng DAl Frank Tierney, a stableman, of 248 Minna street was seriously stabbed in the breast late last night by Frank Cooper at Fourth and Everett streets. The cutting was the result of an alter- cation between the men about a buggy. Cooper has been arrested. According to Tlerney’s story, Cooper went to the place where the first-named is employed and asked for the loan of a business rig for the day. Tierney con- sented, with the understanding Cooper bring the buggy back early. Tierney says that he waited till after | 10 o’clock, but Cooper failed to put in an | appearance. He adds that he started out to look for Cooper and found him at corner of Fourth and Everett gtreets under the influence of liquor, entertaining a party of friends in the bugey. Tierney says that he demanded the rig, but that Cooper refused to surren- der it. An argument arose and Cooper is alleged to have jumped down and stabbed Tierney several times with the knife. The entire 'party then fled, leaving Tierney lying on the ground. The injured man was removed to the Emergency Hospital. He is suffering which clightly penetrates the lung. He has | several minor wounds on his face and | body, but none of these is serious. The physicians say that the breast wound is not necesearily fatal. Cooper and his friends were arrested soon after the affray by Officers Tom Murphy and Skelly. Cooper was under the influence of liquor and unable to make a statement. He was positively identified by Tierney as the man that stabbed him. Cooper's friends will be ——————— Cotton Mill Wages Reduced. PROVIDENCE, R. I, Nov. 20.—THe new grage schedule adopted by the cot- ton mills of the State, which reduces the wages of operatives 10 per cent, re. storing the price list of two years ago, will go into effect to-morrow. Thirty- seven mills, with employes aggregating more than 17,000, will be affected. s < e ad Strikers Commit Violence. DENVER, Nov. 20.—An attempt was made to-day to blow up the home of Robert A. Vallat, at Globeville,'a ma- chinist at the Globe Smelter, who re- fused to quit work when ordered by eumonia, Rheumatism, Neuralgia, Toothache and all pain. Internall for Malaria snd all Bowel Palas. All drugglsts, | | the union to do so. Considerable dam- age was done, but no one was hurt, The one | ers at that time in | the precise | es, or when, | that | |cate it, and that in most cases is the ef- | | It without | | stated, this additlonal $2 would be the { the oroposed 5 The department clerks at Washington attempted to arrange such a plan and paid, according to reports, about $2500 to an actuary to make the calculation. He reported that it was difficult almost beyond comprehension to work out the mathematical formula for the cost of annuities upon retire- ment for disability or at a fixed age| (In tb case 70 years), but he did it. | The cost, however, was found prohibi- ! tory and the plan had to be abandoned. | Those figures could doubtless be ob- tained if desired. Our teachers’ retire- ment fund is based on no mathematical calculations. As a legitimate insurance it is absurd. It is not fraternal, nsent is not asked. So far as it for succeeds it does so by confiscation and | other illegal or tmproper practices. And it cannot succeed even with them. SAYS PROBLEM IS HARD. It is now proposed to amend the plan by inducing the Board of Education to raise “salaries” $2 per month, the ex- cess to be retained and paid to the an- nuity fund, and all teachers upon retire- ment to receive a pension of $50 a month for life—a payment to which those who joined under, the original law are “en- titied,” but do not get. As salready property of the teachers, which the pub- lic cannot constitutionally confiscate, or public money which cannot be constitu- tionally given away. It is very desir- able indeed that teachers should have annuities. If their salaries were $200 a month not one in ten of them would save enough out of it to pay for an an- nuity. It is a difficult problem to deal with. But this is certain: An actuary should first be set to compute the actual cost of the annuities, and the funds to pay them without fail should be provid- ed. And every teacher who pays in a dol- lar should have a legal clalm on what- ever that dollar pays for, regardless of the cause of her retirement from the de- partment. It is not public pelicy to en- courage race suicide by discouraging the marriage of teachers by depriving them of their pensions if they do marry. The city of San Francisco cannot afford to officially engage in the business of sell- ing gilded bricks. Annuities cost money and should be paid for by those who get them. MRS. MARY PRAG'S VIEWS. There is perhaps no teacher in the chool Department who is more quali- fied to speak on the question of an- nuities and pensions for teachers than Mrs. Mary Prag of the Girls' High School. Mrs. Prag has made a study of the subject for many years and she has collected valuable data from all paris of the world bearing on the subject. Mrs. Prag was seen at her residence yesterday and in giving her views on the subject said: [ am sorry to see that thers is any dis- pesition on ‘the part of any one to attack raise of salaries of the teachers in order to provide an- school nuitles. This increase of $2 a month has been given to the Police and Fire Depart- me and the money goes into their re- spective pension funds For the last nine years the teachers hs paid_$1 ea A month into the an- nuity fund as required by law. The bur- den is now becoming too great for them to bear and that is why we are asking the city to help us out. We do mot claim for one moment that the §$2 a month to be taken from each teacher's salary would give sufficient funds to pay a pension to every teacher in the department after twen years or thirty years of service as the case may be. Statistics collected by the United tes Census Bureau show, that the per- nel of the schools in this country change every five years. Assuming that the personnel of the teachers in San Francisco changes every ten years we would not be called upon to give pensions to very many teachers. TEACHERS ASSIST THE FUND. Out of 1000 teachers 600 are helping the annuity fund by belonging to the Teach- ers’ Annuity Association. That is while each teacher is compelled by law to give $1 a month to the annuity fund 600 teach- ers are voluntarily subscribing to the an- nuity association in order to help out the annuity fund established by law. he only opposition that comes to the annuity fund is from some of the young women teachers who do not intend to re- main in the department and from some of the male teachers who are holding posi- tions in order to better themselves later on. ir contention is ‘that they should not be called upon to pay to the fund be- cause they will not participate in its bene- fits later on. We do not purpose establishing an an- nuity fund on the lines of a life insurance company. In a life insurance company each person joining the organization and keeping up the payments is entitled to the benefits at some future time either by receiving, 2 Jump sum of money or the same being pald to heirs or executors. All fhat we ask is that the city rafse the salarles of the teachers $2 a month, the extra $2 being placed in the annuity fund. This will give a yearly income of $24,000 or more. This income would be | pension fund. The money thus —— Proposition te Raise Sal- ~ aries for Purpose Considered. M fixed so long as the number of teachers does not fall below 1000, If the number of teachers is raised the yearly income would increase in proportion. PENSION LIST IS SMALL. ‘We now have forty-one annuitants of the School Department, some of whom have served thirty years, while others have served twenty years and are dis- qualified by iliness. With $24,000 a year guaranteed we would be able to look after the old teachers. The money would be divided pro rata. ‘With a School Department that is fifty years old we only have forty-one teachers drawing annuities. The percentage of teachers that serves for twenty or thirty years is very small and there is no rea- son to suppose that the yearly fund se- cured from the raise of $2 a month in salaries would ever be insufficient to take care of the teachers that desire to retird after long service. There are many teachers to-day in the schools that should be drawing annui- ties. They have given the best years of their lives to teaching and their health has falled. Yet they continue to teach because there s no guarantee that they will be given an annuity sufficlent to live. on. If the annuity fund Is established on the lines proposed it is possible that many teachers would apply for retirement at once. With each succeeding year the number added to the annuity roll would be steady, but a very small percentage of the total number of teachers. The School Department would be bene- fited If it were possible for a number of teachers to retire on annuities. It would allow vounger teachers to come In and bring vigor that is lacking. MISS KATE OROWLEY SPEAKS. Miss Kate H. Crowley, principal of the Mission Grammar School, gave her views on the annuity question yester- day as follows: The present annuity fund is not on a substantial basis. I do not think, how- ever, that a pension of $50 a month should be paid. It should be smaller. I favor an annuity fund being created by the teachers themselves. There is always op- position to the State paying pensions,to teachers, for it is always clalmed that they are well paid. To ralse a fund large enough to give a n to every teacher is not thought But a small percentage of the teach-1{ ers serve for twenty or thirty years. I think the t?Ia.n to ralse the salaries would give sufficlent means to take eare of those teachers entitled to an annuity. Alice M. and Emma Stincen, prin- cipals respectively of the Pacific Helights and Whittier Schools, made the following statement yesterday: We are heartily in favor of a $2 raise in calaries, this extra money to be devoted to the vension fund. I think that is the sentiment of all the school teachers. We would then be on the same footing as the firemen and policcmen, who are allowed extra money, the same to go into their raised would be sufficlent to' pay annuities to the small proportion of teachers that serves the term of years entitling teachers to a pension. Principal Joseph O’Connor of the Mis- sion High School, when interviewed, said: This annuity proposition can never be made a success. The pension fund is the only one that will work. The school teachers should be provided with a pen- sjon fund. There are three classes of pub- lic employes—the firemen, policemen and the school teachers. The latter are the most poorly paid in proportion to the ser- vices they render and no provision is made for them in the way of a pension fund. The United States has the best public school system in the world. Every one has the opportunity to gain learning. Yet its old teachers receive no consid- eration for their faithful work, while all the countries in Europe retire their teach- ers on a pension, which many times is in excess of 50 per cent of what they were recelving in active service. The teachers of this city do receive an average salary of $80 a month. Tt is not the intention of the fathers of this movement to expect to give every ome in the department a pension. A comparatively small number | of the teachers in the department teach until they reach the retirement age. Many get married and leave the service. A pension fund such as the other public empolyes recelve is the only feasible plan for caring for the retired members of the department. In an interview Miss Ida M. Kervan of the Washington Grammar School safd: 1 think the propositlon is a good one, but who ever got it up made a great mis- take in stating what the extra $2 to be demanded was to be used for. What dif- ference does it make what we use the extra money demanded for? The teach- ers receive little enough pay as it is. Wages of all the workingmen have been increased, but ours have remained the same. The price of provisions and every- thing necessary to life has been increased. Almost every woman in the department has some one depending on her and we cannot afford to contribute to a pensfon or annuity fund unless our salaries are increased. ROBBER DESPOILS MAN AND WOMAN Masked Highwayman Takes Gun From One of His Victims. Alex. Damon and Brother's Wife Are Held Up Near Park. b NN Alexanfer Damon and his sister-in- law, Mrs. John Damon, were held up | and robbed by a highwayman at Stan- | yan and Fulton streets early Saturday ! morning. The knight of the road car- ried a revolver, which he pressed | against the forehead of one of his vic- | tims. Damon was armed with a pistol himself, but he did not have time to ! draw it and the thief took it from him. | Mrs. Damon was compelled to hand | over her purse and was badly fright- ened. The crime was reported to the police and the captain of detectives de- talled two men to make an investiga- tion. Thus far no arrest has been made. Damon Is employed with his brother | by H. L. Sghnier at the corner of | Haight and Stanyan streets. They are | engaged In the hotel business, and it | is the custom of Mrs. John Damon to | assist in the restaurant every Friday night. Both brothers and Mrs. Damon | usually go home together about 1 o'clock in the morning, when the piace closes, but Saturday John was obliged | to remain behind for a time and his brother and his wife started away alone in the direction of 2528 Fulton street, where they all live. The palir| walked down Stanyan street and were | nearing Fuiton, when a highwayman, masked and holding a large revolver In his hand, jumped from a doorway and commanded them to hold up their hands. Damon had a pistol in his pocket, but he had no opportunity to reach for it and obeyed the command of the robber. Mrs. Damon hesitated for a moment, but the weapon was pointed in her direction and she complied. The high- wayman approached Damon, pressed the muzzle of his revolver against his i forehead and commenced his search.} First he took the revolver that was in | his victim’s back pocket, and as he did l so remarked that it was a good thing | that Damon did not attempt to draw it. Then he took what small change he could find, amounting to but 60 | cents. ! After the robber had finished with the man he turned to Mrs. Damon, who | still held her hands above her head. “I guess you had better give me what you have,” he said, and iIndicated a | purse she carried in her hand. Mrs. | Damon handed over the article and the | robber turned and bade the pair good | night. keep going and not to make an out- | cry. Then he ran Into the Park and | disappeared among the shrubbery. | Both Damon and his sister-in-law de- | scribe the man as being tall and dressed in a dark suit of clothes with a black soft hat. ———— | Everything that is new, good and mod- erate priced in trunks, valises, dress suit cases, traveling sets, pocketbooks and wrist bags for the Holiday trade now on sale. All leather goods lettered in gold free of charge. Sanborn, Vail & Co. * B — Probably a Victim of Foul Play. CHEYENNE, Wyo., Nov. 29.—Th body of W. J. Reddick of Mount Bul- lion, Cal.,, was found in an empty box car at Green River, Wyo., to-day. gash in the forehead indicated that| death was due to a blow from a club. | The pockets of his clothing were empty and indications are that he was thrown into the car at Ogden. [ —— An article on California in December | Four-Track News, a beautifully - illus- | trated and extremely interesting maga- zine. For sale at news dealers. _———————— Term of Enlistment Extended. CONSTANTINOPLE, Nov. 29. — An imperial irade has been issued pro- longing the term of service of the in- fantry in the regular army from six to nine years, and that of reservists from eight to nine years. It is estimated that | the effect of this will be to increase the | army by 250,000 men. ADVERTISEMENTS. Grand Rapids Furniture “szov, Grand Rapids Furniture Co. Your, credit) Co Warehouse, . N A g, is As he did so he told them to K A |- Orizaba The King’ of Coffees Sotcems‘Pound We are.sole agents KonA KOFFE 145 Stockton M c KomMpAaNY near ceary Opp City of Parct Bry Goods Co Phone Bu sh 510 / Discount Will Bs Allowed During This Week Only. P GALLAGHER BROS. 27 GRANT AVE. Tired babies become rested babies when fed on Mellin’s Food. Mellin’s Food nour- ishes. | Yoy will be of Yacliin's Ho baby takes it. lad that you sent for a sample 00d when you see how eagerly MELLIN'S FOOD CO.. BOSTON, MASS DON'T FAIL TO see the beautiful COURT Lwnfi:g PALM ROOM, the LOUIS XV PAR- LOR, and the LA- DIES’ WRITING ROOM. THE BIG HIT. ‘ LAST SIX NIGHTS. | AT THE OLD CROSS ROADS. Best Play and Company in Years. Next Sunday, | YON YONSON. HUNDREDS TURNED AWAY AGAIN LAST | NIGHT. Belasco & Mayer, Proprietors. E. D. Price, TO-NIGHT—MATS. SAT. AND SUN. ‘“The Alcazar Company Is one of extraordi- | f nary excellence.”'—Post. “A Smile Twister and a Tear | Starter.”—Examiner. APOOR [T | RELATION| oty ONLY and delightfully pathetic. Evg., 25¢ to 75¢; Mats. Sat. & Sun., 15¢ to 50c. NEXT MONDAY—The Romance of Russia, A ROYAL PRISONER. MAYER GENTRAL*E: Market st., Near Eighth. Phone South 533. TO-NIGHT—ALL THIS WEE. MATINEES SATURDAY AND SUNDAY, The Magnificent Melodramatic Spectacle, THE COUNTERFEITERS! One of the Stupendous Successes of the Ameri- can Stage. Heart Interest! Exciting Plot! Thrilling Climaxes! Abundant Comedy! Splendid Scenery! Brilliant Cast! PRICES peLiSce Evenings. Matinees. Monday, OAKLAND RACE TRACK. NEW CALIFORNIA JOCKEY CLUB, Commencing November 14. Racing Each Week Day, Rain or Shine Six or More Races Daily. Races commence at 2:15 p. m. sharp. trains stoppiug at the track take f Market For P. street, at 12 [ | | Elaborated by | fitty voices. | eftects. An ideal performance, quaintly humorous, | Matinees 25c | -| POPULAR PRICES - AMUSEMENTS. ALHAMBRA THEATER FRIDAY AFTERNOON, Dec. 4, 1808. At 2:30 O'Clock. MONSTER BENEFIT PERFORMANCE IN AID OF THB FREE WARD OF THE - CGalifornia Woman’s Hospital | A PROGRAMME BEYOND COMPARE! CONTINUOUS SHOW! RESERVED S e 3100 Bale will begin at Sherman, Clay & Co's Tuesday morning at 9 o clock. SAN FRANC'SCE'S GOLUM!' LEABIRG THEATRE 2 Weeks—BEGINNING TO-NIGHT. Nightly, Including S Wm. A. Brady's | Elaborate | Production of the Greatest of an Pastoral Plays by Lottie Blair Parker, Jos. R. Grismer. OPERA HOUSE MATINEES THURSDAY AND SATURDAY. TO-NIGHT—ALL THE WEEK The New Scenic Melodrama OVER NIACARA FALLS Astounding Electrical Effects. All Svecial Seenery. Excellent Company of Eastern Playere. Don’'t Miss the Marvelously Re: istic Niagara Falls Scene. Beginning Next Sunday Matines MARIR HEATH in the Rural Comedy Drama, “FOR MOTHER'S SAKE.” iCES . 50c and 8¢ . 25c and 508 MAGNETIC VAUDEVILLEL.... Hal Godfrey and Company; Agnes Mahr; Clarice Vance; Joseph New- man; Annie Abbott; Armenis- Tito Quartette; Bryant and Saville; Searl and Violet Allen, and Or- pheum Motion Pictures, Showing the Poachers’ Fight With the Gamekeepers. Reserved Seats, 28c: and Opera Chalrs, 50c. Balcony, 100; Box Seats Commencing To-night, and Now Comes the Greatest Event of Any, A Marvelous Musical Written Expressly for This House. Burlesque. And_our “All-Star’ Cast, including_Kolb and Dill, Barney Bernard, Winfleld Blake, Maude Amber, Ben T. Dillon, Georgia O’ Ram- ey, the Althea Twin Sister Team (their first appearance here). Our beautiful chorus of New Scenery, costumes and stage Seats now on sale for two weeks. Saturday and Sunday. A Great Show Every Afternoon and Evening in the Theater. INTERESTING BABIES IN THE INFANT INCUBATORS. HAMADRYAS IN THE Z00! LOTS OF FUN IN THE PENNY ARCADE. Stroll Through ma_unmon MAZE. AMATEUR NIGHT THURSDAY. When Phoning Ask for “The Chutes." MISCELLANEOUS AMUSEMENTS. - ELLERY’S ITALIAN BAND BIGHT NEW SOLOISTS SEATS ON SALE WEDNESDAY SHERMAN, CLAY & CO.'S 25¢, 5dc and T3¢ CONCERTS ALHAMBRA THEATER ONE WEEK ONLY Noagf s‘“.’ m d Sunday. r, foot of 1:00, 1:30 or 2 o'clock. No smoki [ il BT g leave track at 4:15 and the last race. THE WEEKLY CALL | Matinees Thursday, Satw $1 per Year.