The Portland daily press., 1868-01-01

Considerable discussion has already been
occasioned by the proposition, which has
been pending before the School Committee, to
provide free books and stationery as well as
houses and teachers, for our public schools.
On the one hand, it is urged that the price
of books and stationery has to be paddy the
people to the booksellers, and may as well be
paid to the tax collector, especially as great
saving may thereby be m!de-and here we
are invited to look at Philadelphia, where tn g
cost OF books and stationery for 1855 was only
81 cents per pupil. To this it is replied that
the taxes win not be assessed upon the pa
rents, and that the city is under no greater OBJ
legation to buy books Than to buy shoes for
school children, while as for Philadelphia, the
result of dividing the whole expenditure by
the Who'll. number OF school children may be
81 cents, but a division by the number OF
children actually attending the schools might
not show so great saving after all.
In short, the public discussion has gone
just far enough to show that there are two
sides to the question. but has not YET been
thorough enough to satisfy the community at
large which side is right. The School Com
nittee itself appears to be pretty evenly di-
vided. AT a special meeting Monday evening
the following resolution and order, reported
by the Executive Board on the 25th of No
vember, passed by vote of 8 to 6: ..
Resolued, That in view of the high price of
books and stationery Tor the use of schools, and
the evident combination existing between
publishers and dealers to force up the price of
these necessities, it is the sense OF this board
that all books and stationery needed for the
OF the public schools in this city, and by the
scholars therein, should be furnished by the
city at public cost, not less than the buildings
for the physical accommodation of the same,
and that il is the duty of the school committee
to initiate such early action in the direction
named as shall, in their Judgment, be most
conducive to the affair ment of the object
herein contemplated.
be a committee charged with The duty of CALL
ing the attention of the city government to the
subject of assuming at the public expense, the
cost of all books and stationery for the use of
schools in the city, and of the scholars therien,
and urge upon them the propri ETY. of such ac-
ton, and of empowering the sci Dol committee
to carry the same into execution.
The matter goes accordingly to the City
Council, where we hope it will be thoroughly
discussed. We print elsewhere this morning
the report of the Executive Board of the School
Committee, assigning their reasons for recon-
mending the passage of the order. The report
indicates that a saving of at least 40 per cent.
could be made by dealing directly with pub
fishers and manufacturers-if the business
could be done gratuitouslY. How large the
business is, and how much allowance should
be made for necessary expenses, are facts
which the public has yet to learn from other
sources. 1t is also plain, that here are two
questions: 1. Whether parents cannot be more
cheaply supplied with books and stationery
than at present; and 2. Whether the city
shall relieve them altogether. These questions
are entirely distinct, and should be considered
separately.