Mesa

Mineral

Montrose
Morgan.
Ouray
Park
Routt
San Juan
Summit
Washington

In all European countries in which the state supervises the school system and regulates the appointment of teachers, laws are in existence which provide for the teacher's support in old age and in cases of disability. The Annual Report of 1894-95 gives detailed statements concerning amount of pension, time of service, age of beneficiary, etc., for European countries. (See Vol. 1, pp. 1079–1108.) It is held there that teachers being officers of the state are, as such, entitled to pensions, especially since their salaries are, as a rule, smaller than in this country. But in no case in Europe does the state bear the whole burden of maintaining the pension fund. The teachers themselves have to pay a small percentage of their salaries toward maintaining the fund. It is estimated that on an average a teacher in Germany contributes himself about one-half of what he subsequently receives in form of pension. Besides pension funds the governments in Germany, Austria, and a few other countries maintain funds for the support of widows and orphans of teachers. Mutual aid societies which also pay annuities are established by the teachers themselves in many of the cities of central Europe.

In the United States no teachers are pensioned from public funds. Voluntary beneficial associations have been formed in some cities, and in other localities specified below. State laws provide for similar ends in a similar way, the essential difference being that in the latter case participation is enforced upon all teachers. The following paragraph shows the varieties of organization, etc.:

Voluntary mutual benefit associations for temporary aid only exist in Baltimore, St. Louis, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Detroit, Chicago, Buffalo, San Francisco, St. Paul, and one interstate association. These call for $1 to $2 initiation fee; $1 to $5 annual dues. Special assessments of $1 are made in some cases. Benefits in sickness range from 50 cents a day to $10 a week; at death funeral expenses only are paid in some instances, and in others a sum equal to $1 from each member of the association.

Associations for annuity, or retirement fund only, are in New York, Boston, and Baltimore, and there is an annuity guild in Massachusetts. The initiation fees reported are $3 to $5. The annual dues are 1 to 14 per cent of salary up to $18 or $20. The annuity is from 60 per cent of salary to $600 a year. Time of service required for retirement is from two to five years with disability, or from thirtyfive to forty years without disability.

Associations for both temporary aid and annuity exist in Hamilton County (Cincinnati), Philadelphia, Brooklyn, and District of Columbia. Initiation fees, $1 to $10; annual dues $5 to $40. Annuity, $5 per week to $600 per year, and $100 for funeral expenses in case of death. Temporary aid, during illness, $5 or $6 per week. Time of service required for retirement is two to five years with disability, or thirty-five. to forty years without disability.

Pension or retirement funds are authorized by State legislatures for St. Louis, all cities in California, Brooklyn, New York City, Detroit, Chicago, all cities in New Jersey, Cincinnati, and Buffalo. Dues vary little; they are generally 1 per cent of salary. Annuity, $250 to one-half of salary; maximum, $1,200. Minimum length of service with disability, twenty to thirty years; without disability, twenty-five to thirty-five years.