Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1891-02-01
THE SCHOOL BOOKS.
THg REPORT Of THE OHIO SCHOOL BOARD
ON TEE QUESTION.
Some Interesting Information That Will be Valua-
Die to Members Of the Lsgislaiure-Siate Publ
cation Of Text Books is Not Advocated.
Costly Experience Of California.

]
! To the General Assembly Of tho state Of ohio:
GENTLEMEN: In accordance with the
amenden section ,020 of the Revised Stat
utes, the State Commissioner of Common
Schools sends out, May l, 1890, request to
school book publishers for copies OF all the
books published by them used in the pub
/ lie schools of the State, and that these cop
| les be accompanied by statement Of the
| lowest wholesale price OF the same.
| Thirty-seven publishing firms complied
with this request. All these firms eX-
pressed willingness 10 Did under the pro
/ visions of the law, on the condition that
the maximum limitation Of price fixed by
/ the law. was 10 be understood as meaning
eighty per cent. Of the lowest wholesale
/ list price.
At the first meeting of the School Book
Board, held in the Governors Office June
!. at which all the members were present,
/ il was resolved that the following clause
| of the law should be submitted TO the At
/ torney-General for his opinion as TO its
meaning: But the price so fixed on any
book shall not exceed eighty per cent. Of
| the present lowest price thereof, at which
such book is now sold by the publisher
thereof TO dealers
At the same meeting a motion was
passed, directing the Secretary 10 address
a communication TO each member of the
I two committees on common schools and TO
the members of the conference committee
/ inQuiring of them as 10 their understand
| ing of the meaning of the same clause, and
replies were received from most of the
members addressed.
The AttOruey-G General in written reply
gave il as his opinion 1.-THE Board is author
| lied by the act to contract for school books
at eighty per cent. at the lowest price at
which the book is sold TO dealers by the
publishers, and not eighty per cent of the
| lowest price at which the book is listed to
the dealers by the publishers.
The answers of the members of the legis-
/ lative committees TO the communication
addressed to them exhibited a marked dif
/ ference among themselves in their inter-
probation of the law.
At the meeting of the Board held June
/ %, 1890, the opinion OF the Attorney
/ General was adopted as the opinion Of the
Board.
As it was not possible to ascertain the
| lowest price for which book may some
/ times be sold 10 a particular dealer in the
State, the Board agreed that a deduction
Of l6ss per cent. from the publishers whole
sale list prices would fairly represent the
net prices 10 dealers thus requiring an ag-
gregate reduction of 33% per cent from
publishers wholesale prices This of
| course fixed the maximum limitation at
which the Board could receive bids at 669s
per cent. of the publishers list prices.
| The publishers who had submitted books
were Immediately notified of this action,
and, with a single exception, they respect
| fully declined 10 bid, on the ground, as
stated by themselves, that with such a re-
ductiOn in price they could not maintain
/ the quality and excellence Of their several
publications and afford themselves rea-
/ sonable profit in their business.
August ,, 1890, the Board met to consider
/ the bids for furnishing text books. Where
upon ii was resolved by a unanimous vote,
tha; the Board is of the opinion that
under the proposals received the pu0-
/ lie schools Of the State cannot be sup
piled with school books equal to the
necessities and best interests thereof.
At the same meeting it was further
resolved TO refer the words in division
First. Section 4O2Oc, in the manner pro
vided in this act,n and the proviso in di-
vision Third under the same section, 10 the
Attoruev- General for his opinion as to
their meaning and especially as to
whether, in his judgment, the Board is
authorized 10 contract with publishers to
furnish the text books for the schools OF
the State, under the provisions of this sec
ton. In accordance with this resolution
the Secretary of the Board propounded TO
the Acknowledgement the two following
uuestions: (D Under Section 4020c, First,
do the words "in the manner provided in
this act' restrict publishers who may bid
10 furnish the schools with text books to
the same limitations as to prices as is done
! in Section 1920 of the same act, to-wit, to a
maximum of eighty per cent. of the lowest
price at which any book bid on by such
publishers has been sold to any dealers.
/ 12) Under the proviso of division Third of
I the same section 1920 would the School Book
! Board, should il receive acceptable bids
from publishers, be legally empowered TO
contract with said publishers. If so, for
what length of time.
Tothe first of these questions the Attor-
nerv-G General replied that the Board
would not be justified in giving over eighty
per cent. of the lowest price at which the
/ books are sold to Dealers To the second
question his reply was, that 1.-The provisions
of the act do not authorize the Board TO
contract with bidders, and that the Board
is limited in its power to making the re
port provided for in said act
As this decision of the Attorney-General
on the limitation of price left the matter
in that respect in precisely the same condi-
tion il was in when bids were called for
the first time, and as publishers would be
required, in addition to their bidding under
the old price limitation, 70 give bonds 10
accompany their bids under most uncertain
conditions. it was concluded by the Board
! that il would be useless, and an unncces-
sarv expense, TO advertise, asking Olds
from them a second time. And in view OF
the fact that report was to be made TO the
/ General Assembly, the Board did not con-
slider il advisable TO invite proposals from
a,tsA 70
rights. for the reason that such propositions
could only be tentative, and could not be
fore the meeting of the Legislature, secure
any practical results.
STATE PUBLICATION.
California is the only State that has tried
the plan of State publication OF school
books in its pure and simple form In that
State the authorship of the books, as well
as their mechanical execution, is done un-
der State authority. The compiling OF the
books is either by the members of the State
Beard of Education or by persons selected
Inv them. The law has been in operation
over four wears, and yet complete series
of books for the common schools mas not yet
been made-three books still being lacking.
From the beginning serious doubts were
entertained by a large class OF Calllornla
educators as to the wisdom OF the new ue-
parture. Hon John SWEET, eN-State Su-
perintendent of Schools and among the
very foremost educators of the State, says,
in a report made to the National Education
Association at its meeting in San Fran
cisco. in lSSS, and after the law had partial
lv gone into effect: California IS the only
State that has entered into the onsl-
ness of publishing school books. rms
action has not heretofore been con
sidered as the proper scope of State law. II
* TOO soon to Judge of the success or failure
OF the experiment. II will be wise for rother
States To await the result before initiating
the example We who are living, here fond
liz hope. for the sake of our schools, thaI
the experiment may prove successful ou'
some of us have grave doubts about IT,
"As to State uniformity in general, after
Having watched its gradual development ID
- -, l rn.-arl m rs q HARMONIOUS as