Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1897-01-14

formity with the provisions of this act.
The act further provided that such
School Book Board should not contract
for any text books at a price exceeding
the prices named in the act for books
on the same subject; but may, in their
| discretion, require publishers TO eA-
change books so contracted for c.
even exchange for those now in us
The law further provided that at 1.
first meeting after the Goth day
| June. 1896. the board of education
every district in this State should ap-
point one or more depositaries, whlcn
depositaries shall give bond and snail
make out list of the books sufficient
to supply the school of its neighbor-
hood for period of six months, and the
publisher shall promptly forward the
text books therein named to each de-
| positary. The depositary shall pay TO
| the sheriff of the county at the end or
each SKY days, or oftener if required,
! the amount of money received by same
from the sale of such books since his
last previous remittance. less his COM
mission, not exceeding y per cent. on
the amount OF such sales. The board
of education in each district shall.
within sixty days from the date OF any
| invoice or bill of text books supplied
by the publishers thereof TO any de-
positary in the district, cause an order
to be issued in favor of such publisher,
payable out of the building fund OF the
district, and cause such order TO be Ior-
warded by mail to the publishers. Inc
board of education shall pay the cost
of such text books out of the building
fund of the district and shall lay an
annual levy for the same on the tax
able property of the district in the
manner and at the time that other
levies are laid for State funds.
In compliance with the provision Of the
act. contracts were made at the prices set
out in section of the act with few of
the publishers whose books were approved
by the Legislature. / received a commu-
nication from the Superintendent OF
Schools Of the State. setting out the books
which had been contracted for by him IN
der the act OF the J. gislature; copy oil
that communication is made part OF TINS
message. (See Appendix d. No contracts
| having been made for by far the most I'M
portant Of the works used in the Schools
to-wit McGuney's Readers, Spoilers
! Rays Arithmetic Harvey's Grammar
| Webster's Dictionaries. Knote's. Maury
and Buffers Biographies. under the act
appointed on September 3, 1895. the School
| Book Board composed of Hon. y. Is.
Fleming. OF Marion county; Prof. +.
! H. Crago. Of Ohio county. and Prof. Thos.
e. Hodges. of Cabell county. The gentle
men were all Of the highest character, ana
Prof Crago and Prof. Hodges are each
eminent in their profession. and no one OF
the Board had any connection in any wise
with any publishing house. The Board
/ organized al Charleston and advertised for
proposals for the furnishing of the books
as provided by law. on the 9th day OF
March 1896. they held their second meeting
! at Charleston and opened the proposals
that had been submitted in accordance
with their circular The proposal OF Rand,
McNally & Company for map. Peter Still
man and w J. c. Dulany TO furnish
American music and the proposal Of the
! Werner Company to supply the West Nir-
ginia spelling book and the proposal Of
A. Z. Kenney to supply kenney's Geog-
raphy for West Virginia az the prices
named in the law with proviso for free
exchange for Knote's Geography Of West
Virginia. were accepted. The Board re-
ceived no proposals TO supply spoilers,
readers. arithmetics, algebras. geOmctries,
grammars and dictionaries not contracted
for. for the reason that the publishers We're
unwilling TO offer TO contract with even
exchange Of the new for the corrcsp onding
old book in use. The Board decided that
it would not be wise for it to recede from
! it's demand for even exchange I'm case Of
! the adoption Of the new books on these
subjects In their report they say that
/ they considered it would be great injustice
! 10 the patrons of the schools in tins State
to force them to purchase new text books
on thes, subjects with practically total
! loss of the books now i'm the hands of the
| people. the value of which, at a low esti-
mate. would reach $3.50 OO0 The Board be-
ing unwilling to inflict upon the people this
! burden and not being able to secure pro-
posals for the supply of the text books
with free exchange. decided that as the
present contracts did not expire until July
/ 1st 1896, and but six months would elapse
/ from that time until the assembling of the
/
! ton Meanwhile the Inconvenience to the
schools would be much less than that
which would result from a change of text
books which are now in their hands and
would be far preferable to losing the very
large amount invested in these books.
agreed with the Board i'm the conclusions
which il reached. and thought the conclu-
! sion as above stated was by far the best
| for the State. The action of the school
! book act has been very unsatisfactory
! Only a comparatively few Of the depos-
| itaries have been created. The publishers
Of the books already contracted for com
plain that only a few books are being sold
and the system is not ut all satisfactory
and they are willing so | am informed to
| have the law modified and their contracts
changed with such modification OF the
! law. This Is also my conclusion after very
| careful investigation. ] believe that the
| depositary system will work vast harm to
| the State. and am more and more satisfied
| that IT will be the cause Of great loss TO
! the school patrons and the tax payers Of
| the entire State. There is no call for tho
/ depositary system. Experience OF other
| States has been in that line. 1 am further
| convinced that the sySem OF contracting
| by the Legislature Is not a good one. 1t
leads to charges Of corruption. believe
that the system OF contracting by the Leg
| islature should be done away with and
! that this work should be delegated to the
counties, where the people could have alb
soiute control of this work This will alb
| solutely put the question Of school books
out of the Legislature. and out Of the
hands OF the delegates and in the hands
Of the people, where 1t can be mare care