The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1889-08-03
LIMITED ORDERS PREFERRED.
BecktOldS Incorporated JObbers Advise School
Trustees to Be Very JudiciOus.

The Superintendent of Public Instruction
would like to have the school authorities
order at one time all of Becktolds books
they need for theyea The Indiana School
Book Company. however, that secured the
contract for Beckto1d, alias Williams. has
issued circular to the school trustees adj
vising them to limit the number to the
smallest figure possible.
This circular, entitled Suggestions to
Trustees Regarding Reouisitions," Is under
date of July %, and reads:
In making acquisitions for books IL will be i'm.
possible for any trustee to estimate the txact
number of each kind needed. We would suggest
that the teachers enrolment for each grade of
last years school be taken rs basis to calculate
from. And as the attendance for fall schools is
always small, the first order for books should be
accordingly small. The fall term Of school al
ways shows q larger per cent. OF younger chill
dren than other terms, hence your first requisi-
ton should call for more of the small books, and
not so many of the larger ones. The trustees are
alone responsible for the sale and keeping of the
books. We therefore suggest that each trustee
can lessen his liability by making reasonably
small orders at the start and as he sees that
more hooks will be needed, make an additional
requisition. II orders for books are
made too large, the trustees increases his
%e S ss eve
being arranged by trustees for a convenient and
satisfactory way OF selling and distributing the
books. Time and experience will suggest many
ways by which this can be done 20 the satisfac-
ton of all concerned. acquisitions should not
be delayed but should be made up at once and
forwarded, so that the books may reach You in
time. In making your first requisition, please
state on what date your schools open. You can
not certify. in business-like manner, to- the
county superintendent, the number and different
kinds OF books needed unless you have blanks
printed. ruled and arranged for that purpose. If
you have not already supplied yourself with
ttQ ahfn1A fhnrrx x~ffh dol,
from some printing house arranging to supply
them. Preserve this with your blank requfsi-
lions.
1t is probable that the company does
not want to crowd the capacity of
its principals job-printing shop in st.
Louis. Orders in keeping with the school
enumeration of the various cities,
towns and districts would, it is said by
those who know what facilities BecktOld
has for publishing books. put him and the
a great disadvantage. TO at once push out
the books now in use would throw the con-
tractors into confusion, and render
it impossible for them to supply
even One-haf the schools No doubt
the school trustees of Washington
acted on this advice when they asked the
county superintendent of Daviess to send
IN acquisition for them.
The requisition came to the Superintend-
emit of Public Instruction yesterday and
III
pupils. That place has school enumera-
ton of 2.05S, but the trustees there think
$50 first, 145 second, 2i0 third, lis fourth
and $50 fifth readers of the Becktold pat
tern will he sufficient. No elementary
arithmetics are called for. but requisition
is made for $50 of the complete arithmetics.
OF biographies 240 of the elementary and
2l5 of the complete are wanted. Evil
IDENTIFY the trustees of Washing
ton have decided to go slow
in introducing the BecktOld. or the So
called Indiana educational series. When
Secretary Hawkins. of the Indiana COM
pany of iobbers. got the requisition he ex-
pressed surprise at elementary arithmetics
being left out of the list. The opinion of
the Attorney general. it is believed, means
that all the books if any, must be adopted
Hence it is thought the omission of the
arithmetics will bring the trustees of Wash
ingtOn and the contracting jObbers into
conflict. with a probability of the latter
taking steps to force their elementary book
into the Washington schools.
The omission, it is learned from n teacher
in Washington, was caused by the fact of
the trustees regarding the elementary
arithmetic heretofore used in their schools
much better and cheaper than BecKtold's.
They want us to take an inferior book at
s. cents" he said, when we have one much
superior, and for which We pay only 30
cents"