Daily new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1897-1906, 1900-12-01
the free schools of the state.

/ west ifGlnia,
That, chapter four OF the acts Of eigh-
teen hundred and eighfy.flve, be and
the same is hereby amended and re-en-
acted SO as to read as follows ~
/. That the state superintendent of
/ free schools shall, on or before the first
day Of July, one thousand eight hundred
and ninety, with the assent OF the pub
/ fishers, contract with the several pub
! fishers OF the class books named in sec
ton fifty eight of the school law, for the
supply of such class books to be used in
! the free schools OF the state.
?. Sneh contracts shall be made for
period Of one Year from the first day
Of July, one thousand eight hundred and
ninety with as great reduction in price
as he may be able to secure; but no
revised editions" of such books as may
be contracted for, shall be introduced
! during the time covered by any such
contract.
! 8. Such contracts shall be made in
accordance with the provisions and con-
ditions of chapter tifty-six, OF the acts of
onethousand eight hundred and seventy
nine, entitled. An act to regulate the
/ price of class books used in the free
schools OF the state, - and all the provis-
sions OF said act shall apply TO such con-
] tracts.
4 All acts and parts OF acts coming
within the purview of this act and in
consistent Herewith, are hereby repeal
ed.
(Approved February IS, 1901
Note by the Clerk OF the house of Del
egates.)
The foregoing act to take effect at the
expiration of ninety days after its pas
sage.
| may mention another case in
which several series Of text books
were retained in the schools Of this
state, for a period OF one year, after
the contract had expired and no new
1 contracts had been made. Il was ia
this wise: The Legislature of 1895
/ rendered contracts to sundry publish.
ers of text books, but cut prices to
such an extent that 1t seemed, for a
/ time, that no contracts would be tax
en-. Finally, however, all the tender
ed contracts were taken, with sin
gle exception. One publishing house,
which bad been rendered the contract
for spoilers. and readers, and arithme-
ties, refused 10 accept because Of the
aforesaid cut in prices Notwith-
standing this. the spoilers, and read
ers, and arithemeties, published by
said house, were used in the schools
throughout the state, as though they
were contract books, until county
boards organized and made adoptions.
Now, If the Legislature. at its APP
preaching session, will enact an
/ +. Il In
unto the foregoing, authorizing the
state superintendent, with the assent
OF the publishers of the state contract
| books, to renew the contracts for said
books, for period of one year, then
these twain adoptions will become
one; the labor and expense of making
adoptioDs 10 each county will be re-
duced one half; aud good books at low
prices will remain, without change,
for another year.
There is one matter which, if not
skilfully managed, might render void
any enactment of the Legislature in
tended to relieve each of the counties
Of the state from the labor and ex-
pense of double adoptions. The mat
ter is this: the law creating a school
book board in each county OF the state
provides that at least six months be-
/ fore the expiration OF what is known
as the estate contracts with publish
ers, - it shall be the duty of the state
superintendent to notify the county
superintendent of every county the
date of thy expiration Of such con-
tracts and it shall be the duty of
sail county superintendent to call a
meeting of his board TO be held at
least three months before the expira-
tion Of said state contracts, to adopt
/ books.
/ Now, as the present state contracts
will expire on the Both day of June,
/ 1901, the notices of the state superin-
| tendent will be sent out about Deem
Der 81, 1900; and each county book
/ board should meet and adopt books
not later than March 81, 1901. As
the Legislature will adjourn late in
February. the entire month OF March
will certainly be amply sufficient time
to arrange for and to make adoptions,
| ia case the Legislature should fail TO
take action TO relieve the counties OF
the labor and expense OF double adop-
/ tions.
| 1t is evident from the provisions Of
| the law referred TO that, If county
superintendent should determine to
head off any action Of the Legislature
designed to relieve his county from
the labor and expense OF double adop-
! tions, he could do SO, by having his
county book board meet early and
adopt books before the Legislature
had taken action to afford such relief.
La that case, II the Legislature should
subsequently, pass an act intended to
afford such relief, only the county
which had made such adoptions would
| lose the benefit of that act.
] feel quite sure that no county sup
erlntendent in this state could be in
duced to make such unnecessary haste.
| IT, perchance, such superintendent
! mora fattpd thu a MT homac ri hic vao.