The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1891-03-17
TFLEEcINe THE STATE WITH BOOKS
Surprising Results Of an ExaminatIon by
tho snperdnfandent OF Education.

Surprising Results Of an ExaminatIon by
tho super5ntendent OF Education.
CoLUMBiA, s. O., March lt.4-For
some days State Superintendent OF Ed.
ucation Mayfield has been making pri-
yate examinations into the mode of
charges for school books in vogue in
South Carolina, and has made the sur
prising discovery detailed below.
superintendent Mayheld gave the
following to the press last night, show
ing that the state schools have been
annually f1eeced of nearly 100000.
i received the other day COPY of
| the Arkansas Daily Gazette, published
at Little Rock, in which the prices of
some school books are given as offered
the State OF Arkansas. To quote the
exact words, uplrintendent Shinn,
state superintendent of public instruc-
tion, has shown MS Tthe school book
committee of the Arkansas legislaturel
a proposition from G. s., Burgs, manag.
ling director of the American Book
company, Of Cincinnati, Offering to
| furnish the schools of the State of Ar
kansas books at the following prices:
McGufTey's readers from Ia cen Is to SO
cents each, Rays new arithmetic Gin
tellectuaD, 20 cents; (PracticaD, 40
cents; Haryey's grammar, elementary,
mentary geography, IA cents: Red
paths history, 64 cents;
AS these prices are 80 much lower
than zoe 7aot0 pay, was led to make
some calculations as to how much
more we were paying than we ought to
pay. The result of the investigation
was so startling that could hardly be-.
lieye had not made a mistake In my
calculations.
To begin with, take readers. Apple
tons readers are used almost exclusive
cost 1926. A set of five books of Nc
GuHey's is offered the state of Arkan-
sas for S1.7O. The difference is SO cents
Divide this difference by the number
OF books In the series (5) and we have
Jan average difference of eleven cents.
( According to the last report of the
superintendent of education, the num-
ber OF children studying reading is
lac, ,199, and assuming that only one
book l"s, each has been bought since our
last adoption September, 1885, we find
that we have paid over and above the
price Of books offered another state
SIG, ,081.89 Q1 x 146, ,199).
| Barns United States history Is as
generally used throughout the state.
From published price list as per con-
tract made with the state board,
Barnes history is sold for SLIT. BY
referring to prices given. Arkansas you
will see that Redpath's is placed at Ga
The report says that we have 3,507
pupils studying history. BY multiply-
ing this number by the difference in
price we have SIS, ,28S.71, which we pay
over and above what we ought to pay.
Take arithmetic, according to report
we have in
Mental arithmetic. 1882
Written arithmetic. .8O,464
The two books (Sanford;s) and nd the ,e
cheapest cost South Carolina 81. A
reference to the prices offered Arkan-
sas will show Rays (two, ,books) offered
for 60 cents, a ditferencsy,f II. 10 GEMS on
the two books. Then suppose that each
child has bought one book. In that
case they will have paid an average
oyercharge of 20 cents each.
2Ox164,3 ,376 gives. $50 875.2 go
He takes biographies in the same
manner, and shows that the state pays
10 cents per book more, or $11 ,2S9.99
more than elsewhere. For grammars,
!s o7sR'74y. sR7ay' 50 ''4'7'07 more Spelling s4'-
He concludes thus: Now, if you will
add up these totals you will be as
startled as ] was. Now, remember
that these figures don't represent the
cost of text books. They simply indi-
cate the extortion practiced upon us.
Look at the area of charges:
Cn ieauerS ........ Sl6O0l .o9
On arithmetics. s............. 30875 20
On grammars. ............ 549757
| On histories. 49,. 18288.71
On Biographies ies.............. 11,289.o .o9
On spoilers. 497874
| loSoi. 90 l,UlZUS
| What am / going to do about it
Sec. 800 sub-dlv. 5, says: That the state
board of examiners shall not have pow
er, without permission of the general
assembly of the state, to change text
book within (5( five years from date of
its adoption. When was the adopti on
madep September, 1885. SO we yet
have two more years under our adop-
tiOn, and If, after demand has been
made to reduce prices, the book people
say they cannot reduce the prices of
books we are now using, shall report
the matter to the legislature and ask
them to relieve the people of this un-
just tariff.-The State.
wild War Rumor.
| CHICAGO, ILL.,, March 10.-A Montreal
special quotes an officer of the British
navy as saying there is more signifi-
cance to be attached to the approach
ing visit of Lord Wolseley to Canada
than is generally believed. Wo]seley
will at once proceed to the Pacific
Coast with General Herbert and in
| spect the deienses of British Columbia
and the naval yard at Esquimault. He
| will remain at Victoria until tba