Omaha daily bee., 1901-02-08
UNIFORMITY OF TEXT BOOKS
Question Of County Control Comes Up Before
the Board To-day.
SCHOOL PUBLISHERS LINE UP FOR BATTLE
In TO he submitted to the
voters at the Coming Elec-
tion and In Likely
to Garry.

County Superintendent o. J. McManus has
called a meeting OF the county Board Of
Education for this afternoon In his ofnce
I'm the court house to make provisions for
submitting to the electors OF Pottawattamie
county at the annual school election March
If the question OF county uniformity OF
school text books. The county Board OF
Education consists of the county superln-
tendent OF schools. the members OF the
Board OF Supervisors and the county
auditor.
Pottawattamie county Is one of thirty
three counties in the state which will adopt
text books and give five-year contracts for
the supplying OF the same this spring. The
present contracts expire at that time The
Iowa law prevents frequent changes Of
text books. but in many OF the districts
in this county the schools are using text
books which are now considered antiquated
and not the best adapted for the needs
of the pupils.
A large number OF counties throughout
the state adopted Ave years ago uniformity
OF text books and Superintendent McManus
Is OF the opinion that the proposition
which will be submitted at the coming
school election throughout the county will
| carry.
In the event OF the county adopting uni
formlty of text books, the contract for
supplying them will be a large one. Many
OF the school book publishing houses are
in the field and have had their representa-
tives out skirmishing for several months.
| The awarding OF the contracts is In the
hands Of the county Board of Education.
A representative Of one OF the big book
houses who is here looking the field over
said yesterday: The contracts for the
| text books for the county schools means
a merry war this year among the publish
ing houses, and the competition will be
unusually sharp because OF the fact that
so many school book houses have come
into the field the last hve years. There
Is not, as is generally supposed, a trust
or combination in the school book busl-
ness. unless the American Book company
| might be termed one. But the American
Book company is not now what Il was in
! tended to be. 1t was formed with the pur-
pose OF swallowing up the school book
business or the country and was formed
twelve years ago by the consolidation of
/ four of the largest houses In the country.
| 1t swallowed UP a number of It's smaller
competitors, but It could not gobble all
OF them During the last fve years at
least twenty different concerns have come
| into the business, and combination of
all the companies Is no longer possible.
There will be at least twenty houses look
| Ing for the contract here"
The board allowed County Superintendent
| McManus $500 in addition to his salary, the
same to be in full compensation for clerk
hire and travelling expenses. Under the
law the county superintendent OF schools is
allowed 81 for every day he is engaged. The
records show that he draws from 800 to
sos a month.
The board having learned that the road
had not been established. graded or made
ready for travel, rescinded its action of or
dering the erection OF a bridge over Honey
Creek in Rockford township.
N. J. Peters was appointed constable in
Boomer township and Henry Smith. justice
OF the peace in Grove township to fill va
carcies.
The board failed to complete its work and
will be in session again today.