Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1878-02-02
THE SUPPLEMENTARY TEXT BOOK

b1LLs
There are some peculiar provisions in the
bill offered by Senator Hall to carry the text
book law into effect which deserve more than
passing comment.
The law of last winter requires the State
Superintendent to fix price upon each book
to cover the cost of transmitting to the
several counties of the State. Not less than
one cent could be conveniently added to the
List price Of book, and this would give the
contractor an amount SO much above the cost
of freight to counties that he does not dare
insist upon the point in that form.> This bill
accordingly proposes to have county officers
add five per cent. to all bills incurred, and to
throw the cost of transportation upon the
districts. For instance county orders
$1,000 worth of books, in addition $50 may
be charged in sums which in case of
each district will exactly equal
the expense of getting its quota
of books into the county and into such dis
trict A nice little problem this for county
officials to figure out. The easiest solution
will be to let five per cent. be drawn from
the county treasury and to divide the total
equally upon all the districts of the county.
no matter how many or few books each has
had. Our county officers could scarcely be
blamed for solving the intricate problem in
this way forced as they would be to become
Mr.. Merrill's clerks without compensation
for the vexatious work. The practical effect
of the amendment in Section 1. would be to
add five per cent to the prices at which Mr..
Merrill has agreed to furnish the books.
Sec. will add another ten per cent. In
view of its suggestion, clerks will refuse to
give bonds and keep book stores for moth
ing. Districts will be compelled to pay
clerks OF agents the ten per cent. suggested.
Thus the books will cost fifteen per cent.
more than the prices named by the contract
OF in his bill of last winter.
Superintendent Cowing, of Otter Tail
county, in The GLOBE of January 31st, says
that in the contract which his county has
made with publishing house, :.The books
are sent to the dealers with freight pre-
patd. He also says, ''Any
district in the county prefer
ring to buy directly from the
publishers can purchase at the same whole
sale rates, freight prepaid and thus save the
ten per cent. paid dealers for buying and
handling the books Mr.. Halls amend
ment proposes to take this option from dis
tricts and to force them to pay freight and
ten per cent. to clerks or agents. When
this is understood the people will never sub
nit to such charges solely in the interest Of
Mr.. Merrill.
This new bill also contains another nice
point in the interest of this gentleman. He
does not propose to get into any trap. Hence
he reserves for sixty days the refusal of the
new scheme In section he has a little
plan for forcing estimates of books
that will be taken, to be made
and returned to him inside of his sixty days
Of option. If the thing is likely to pay hi
goes into it. But if the people have become
SO far Disguised with his books and his com
plicated law that they refuse to send in est
mates in paying quantities. then he reject:
the new scheme. By making the bill sup
Elementary, the old scheme remains intact
Very sharp and very cheeky is this PROPOSE
ton; but is it consistent with the dignity ani
honor of our Legislature to be imposed up
on in this way by contractors seeking only
personal ends and not the welfare of ou1
schools?