The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1898-06-03

cent from the Est and the books are paid
1or out of a special fund and reimbursed
ny each school district out of the general
school fund. The districts furnish the
books to the pupils free. The cost of
frelghts and distribution is paid by the
school districts from their school apper-
tionment The system is SO complicated
| that 1t is impossible to ascertain exactly
| the total cost of the books delivered to
the pupils. Since the new textbook law
went into effect in Idaho, in 1893 the con-
sumption of books has increased nearly
| 100 per cent. There is much greater waste
| of books under a free textbook systen1
| than where the books are purchased and
! owned by the pupils, as in Oregon It is
| d case, IN Idaho. of getting something for
| nothing, and there is always extrayagance
| Where some one else, generally the tax
| payer, pays the bill.
! 1t has been stated that the contract re.
| tail prices Of school books In Oregon (that
| is. the maximum prices which can he
charged by the retail Dealers are 10 per
cent above the catalogue or list prices.
! This is true of most of the books If IN
also true that tie bid of every other pub.
Usher for standard textbooks at the adop-
ton four years ago provided for this same
profit to the retais dealer The law Of
oregon imposes conditions on the publisher
which are not required by the law Of any
osEer state It requises the contracting
or pace Of business in sh:s state. ard tn
maintain snbdeposftor:es- at such pGfnts |
throughout the state (now more than 55m |
as may he from tince to time DESIGNATED
by the state board of educatt1r We arg
therefore required to keep OFT sale and on
cHhS.Snrnent / various parts OF the state
iaf~a n"-lh"rS Of books. a11TG!nting to |
Ifo''sanFS OF '~'"~@ A hus'2bef of these
nihceS are T7fT9to from railtj?ads. the
freight in many cases costing as much as |
- pr cent The contract requires that
the looks shall b. sold at Uniform, prices
ct every pace in fie stafe and N ORDER tn |
Go this ard to rTiFctf I'll sections of the
state ard all dealers q, an foot.ro
F-a are G5iccd to my this rn-l of tr.Yrs-~I
T2""'Gtion. s,!Dnfv la~rr rfncI-~ cr hooks f0r
which there may he der1ar7 and which
are ult mately re:u"~ed IT our expense: ard
in Il DAMAGED cord ion the loss falling |.
I:-0'l us. The rato'' r~'c=S srYnciGnd IN the,
CONTRACT are tie r7aN'r'l'r"r prices allowed |
10 he charged nv the retail d7afers for the
>""'-s- in r""r- races in fire state nrd'
at Portland tt books are sod at retail! at
catalccIle prices. We also m2 r tic hao'-e
at retail, postHc.e ~rapai7. to anv pc;7t in
the state. at the catalogue Prices.
Our op"c~ents ara rival nub!i@hirr
houses, or their agvn's or their IT"~fi~ane {
Their crlv chi~c+ IS TO hr'~~ srhc~t a !
change Of text-boci;s We as in arr r":~-
ness why charee s>ould hn --~Tn a !
chanee IN publishing Fouscs w7r,7 - 10
wise Lessen taxes CT effect any soviT-~- to t
the people. becauee the n fees CT al srtrnd- c
ard textbooks are alike. II would not
benefit the schools. because CIR puh!+-a-
lions must Ee conceded TO equal in cc1",ra-
-ional merit those of any other prN';-',er
Common business prudence and eno7nr!v t
'equire uniform ser'es of boots af:c7,t cd I
or definite periods. In no other way can .
avorable prices be secured or the people
'e protected from frequent and expensive n
changes. Our Books are in use in the !
schools of the state. La-ga rr-oHer= of
hem. amounting to many thousands of :,
:o.lars. are the property of the school -
patrons. These would become valuelcss I
a change were made. It is manifest e
oily to suggest q change on the ground !.
II economy Let US consider what a
.hanse of textbooks means For ex- G
mple. go per cent OR 2O.091. pufYiTs in Ore 6
,on are in the grade that usa a "I'irst
leader If change were made, the
eopIe would necessarily have to purchase
5000 Of the new First Readcrs.'" No w
tanGard First Reader" is sold at less e
han % cents. most OF them % . ccots. .
n other words. It wor'l cost not rcss' /
han sG0A0 to buy Il supn'y oe new ".T-'~st ST
eaders" alone Our So les bcr1s fol, 1896
nd 1897 show that We have sod crrlfairy
ut G0o0 '+First F;ea'a:s'' II Or. ~o1 which
t a retail price Of o Gets wf1,.:! ~, %!:l O:
.e5. In fact. a large percen:a'a Of tAase Of
ool1s were sold at the catalogue nr'cn of -
cents. First Readers" therefore, cost lit
II.
ear while il would cost at least $500
} buy supply of new KIND An annual |
ale of G,29 as against S0G29 FIRST Read
rs' in use. means practically 4 renewal ~.
these books but once in five vnars. the
'me re aders serving five successive class
at a nominal cost to the pupil after -
rSt purchase. Again. 10 per cent of the !
ip.1s IN the pubic schools study gecgra-
by. There are two books in rise. There
ould therefore, be 10000 pupils in these
in a
le-ha1f in the advanced book. Twenty c
ousand pupils purchasing an elem orta~y
geography, if new book were introduced
the one now in use, at 60 cents
r copy. which is the price of
standard Biographies, regardless
the publisher, would cost the .
ate $4,000. Yet the annual sales Y
"Monteith's Elementary Geography" Ct
e book now usCd in our schools through 81
1t the state, is but 4i31 copies, costing 81
f5S GO. If space permitted we would go 8
rough the list cf books in use and show II
,act1y what the expense of change of | n
St-booi1s would be. The total would ~
mount to not less than S24O.000 That is
e sum the people of Oregon would have
pay out for books the first year if the
Xt-books were changed. Under the pres I
1t system the annual cost of books is
S. than SiS,G00 The sales of textbooks
this state are normal. The books have
en- in use for number of years, the =
ople are well supplied. and the sales
ch year are only to fill in and renew .
oks actually worn out in the school
ON. =
These figures prove the saving to the
ople by continuing in use the books
ey have on hand. The conditions now
e similar to those existing four years
% when the present books were re- III.
opted. The public then almost unani-
ously opposed change. They did not Pa
en- nor do they now, wish to incur the the
pense which change of textbooks p,,
,u:d involve. R. T.. EDWARDS bu
Ger e,a Agent American Book co.