Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1895-03-23

n NEW YORK.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
bill read second time and passed to be en-
crossed as amended.
On motion of Mr. Walls of Knox, House
document No. 295, an act to establish a
police commission in this city or Rock
land, was taken from the table and passed
to be engrossed.
Mr.. Savage Of Androscoggin presented
bill entitled an act to provide for the
calling of the first annual town meeting
of the new town of Cape Elizabeth in the
county of Cumberland.
Mr.. Savage explained that this bill was
designed to provide for the calling OF a
new town meeting of the new town, as the
warrant calling the first town meeting OF
the new town was defective, and there
was some doubt as to who were the proper
officers to call this new meeting
On motion of the same senator the bill
was then read twice and passed to be en-
crossed under suspension of the rules.
On motion of MIR. Hill of Kennebec, the
Senate reconsidered the vote whereby
Monday next was assigned for the second
reading of bill an act to provide for the
printing and binding of department. re-
ports and other State publications, and to
regulate the numbers of the same, and the
bill was taken from the table.
Mr.. Savage of Androscoggin then
offered Senate amendment A, which he
said was to correct an error which had
been made in drafting the bill. The
amendment was adopted, and the bill was
read second time and passed to be en-
crossed under suspension of the rules.
On motion of Mr. Hill of Kennebec, all
ing on Monday next were taken from the
table and given their second reading.
They were as follows:
Passed to be Engrossed.
An act to amend the charter Of the Bar
Harbor Water Co.
An act in relation to State examination
and certification of teachers.
Resolve providing for the expenses
of the board of State assessors in perform
ance of their duties as required by law.
An act auth orizing the land agent to
sell certain interests in the reserved lots
in the plantation of Mayfield.
Resolve in favor of the director of the
Maine Agricultural Experiment Station.
An act to relieve the inhabitants of the
town of Cape Elizabeth from inequalities
of burdens imposed by chapter 216 of the
Public Laws of 1898.
On motion of Mr. Hume of Washington,
House document No. 2S9, an act to amend
4, section 81, chapter II, Re
Sfot in rafaropno 70 nhoy nj.
the time text books must be used in
schools, which came from the House in
definitely postponed.
Mr.. Hume: This bill was introduced in
the House, and was sent to the committee
on education. 1t met with the approval
Of the committee, and with my hearty APP
proval, as thought, after Is years ex-
perience in that business, that it was a
good bill. l simply wish to explain that
this bill, if passed, will be in the line of
reform. The result Of the ive-year limit
law is simply to cause a general change to
be made in the text books in use in this
State every five years, and this result fol-
lows wherever there is five-year limit
law in existence. In three of the other
New England states they have this FIVE
year law, and they find that it causes a
change Of text books every five years, just
as it does with us. The present period Of
five years will expire very shortly, and
every school committee man in the State
will think that it is his duty to change the
text books.
There is no need of general change of
text books in Maine this year, but there
will be a change, because the officers are
authorized to do it, and they think that
because they are authorized to do it they
should do It; and there will be something
like 80 or 100 very bright and intelligent
men all over the State representing their
business of selling school books, as they
are perfectly entitled to do, and the result
will be general change.
Massachusetts has never had law like
this, and the result has been that they use
their text books much longer than we do.
I had occasion some time since to know
something about Guyot's Geography, and
exchanged a large number Of these books
in that state and 1 found then that the
average time that they had been used in
the schools was II years. Massachusetts
has always changed her books whenever
she pleased, and the result has been greater
in the use of text books.
Mr.. Hume pointed out that an advan-
tage on the score Of economy would also
result to the schools If they were allowed
to change their text books when they
pleased, as they would get exchange prices
for them. and he also pointed out the
need of changing the readers more fire.
qucnily than every five years. He said
that the House had evidently decided that
this law ought not to pass, but he thought
that il this bill could be properly explained
to the House it would receive a passage
Mr.. Wiggin of Aroostook asked whether,