The Advocate and news., 1898-05-25
State Text Book Legislation.

by every city in the State that did not
adopt at the first is the most conclusive
evidence Of an admission on their part
Of the superiority Of the books adopted
and Of their decision to participate in
the benefits of cheaper books given by
the law A years trial has convinced
them that the text book law is good
thing and now they want the benefits Of
it. Their adoption Of the State books
is not matter Of COmpulsiOn, for the
Supreme court decision has not yet been
rendered. So speedy and complete a
refutatiOn Of the attacks made on the
text books adopted and upon the law
could hardly have been hoped for The
book trust has not dared openly to at
tack either the law or the books. The
only way it or its friends can now be
attacked Is by stealth and under cover
upon some other preteXt What has
been done SO far should be considered
only the beginning. High school books,
encyclopedias, dictionaries, charts,
maps, etc, should be added to the list
The present law and present prices were
the best that could be obtained under
the circumstances But the success thus
far should warrant an attempt 1T fur
ther legislation
The State should obtain copyright Of
books, charts, etc, adopted. Dupli-
cate sets of plates should be prepared
aud furnished either free or at actual
cost of manufacture of plates to any
person in the State desiring to print the
books There are dozens Of plants in
the State fully equipped for making
books if the plates were furnished.
Given these and a certainty of market,
and books would be sold for less even
than under the present State contract,
A law should be passed by the next Leg
islatuTe providing for the beginning Of
this. Manuscript for books not now
under contract should be procured first
and the law be put in operation. BY the
time the contracts now in force expire
arrangements should be completed for a
complete series. The cost Of manufaC-
ture Of an encyclopedia which sells for
81 to 81 per volume is so cents to 81.
The cost of manufacturing a chart which
sells for from $40 to $l5 is from 81 to S.,
and in like proportion through that class
of articles. The success Of the text
book commission in selecting books for
use has proven the safety OF going still
further in this direction and trusting
to a commission the selecting Of other
school supplies. This method would not
only reduce the price One-half or more,
but it would build up manufacturing en-
terprises in our own State. Not only
would every article used in Kansas be
made in our own State, but Kansas
would soon be shipping extensively to
other States. Many Of the books adopted
for use in Kansas are now being sold and
used elsewhere. With prices such as could
and would be made, and tirst-Class ar
tiCle, Kansas school supplies would soon
find purchasers in other States. The
securing Of copy is not by any means as
difficult or as expensive as is ordinarily
There is in existence now by
Kansas authors manuscript complete for
an encyclopedia as large as JohnsOn's
and equal to any on the market. There
need be no dearth of material, With
such law every school house would be
supplied with needed material and the
total expenditure would be much less
than now.
One years notice of revision or change
of texts should be given and all texts
should be kept up to date. If, later,
when the State constitution has been
and the State owns and Ope
rates it's own printing plant, it is found
that prices could be still further reduced,
and it seemed wise, the State could
easily take entire and direct control.
A law of this kind in operation would
very soon build up an extensive bust
ness in the manufacture Of text books
and school supplies in our own State
for sale elsewhere, and would result in
a general reduction of prices in other
States as we'll as in Kansas.
WILLIAM STRYKER.