The age-herald., 1901-01-27

Nf 26-(SpeeiaL) )"We had fight
 INI to get the school book law pass
 S1 ed in Tennessee" said Governor McMillin in answer to statement from an Age-Herald correspondent that Alabama contemplated passing such a law. It passed the Senate without a vote to spare. The House was largely with us, and now that the law has been in operation about a year and half I think everybody is pleased, and the people in the state are saved annually from $15O000 to $250,OOO On school books"
 T supposed the act was opposed by some of the publishers, Governor, and that they put up a pretty good fght?"
 ''Yes," said the Governor, We not only had to fight many of the publishers, but quite a number of teachers and others In the state were opposed to the law. One of their principal arguments against it was the supposed expense in changing the sys- tenn, that is, the expense to the people in exchanging school books, for the new law devolved very little expense on the state, the members of the school book commission serving without any compensation. l don | think the expense of the adoption to the public was as great as was predicted by interested parties, as the old school books were taken in exchange for the new ones at certain valuation, usually 50 per cent of the cost of the new book. At any rate, the first expense of the change has been more than repaid by the money saved to the people in the state by the reduced cost of the books''
 The Governor, then, in answer to re- quest to describe the operation and enect of the law in Tennessee, continued; Broadly speaking l should say that schooi l~.A1 A1,A To Xu about one-third cheaper than they were pe- fore, which is a saving of one-half or their present cost. They are cheaper, but not as you would imagine cheap books in appear ance and style. On the contrary they are better in every way than they were Delore the passage of the law. The explanation or this is simple. The publishers instead ot selling small quantities here and there are now selling by wholesale and with an as sured and regular business for five years to come, the contract between the state ana publishers being for five years. Ihls ar engagement is not only beneficial to the pup fishers, but to the people.
 Better Books Than Before.
 To begin with they have better books than before, not only as to durability, put merit, for under the present system the school books are carefully selected py sub-commission of five leading educators each one of whom has examined each DOCK submitted by the bidders and made an ln- dividual report as to It's merit, etc. The sub-commission then, as whole compared these individual reports and made report as a body to the commission recommending certain books, which, after due examina- tion and comparison, they decided were the best Another advantage of the system IS uniformity. The school books are the same in every county in the state and Will De for five years. Thus poor children can buy them second-handed, or even get them TOT nothing many children being willing 10 give them away when they have finished them, the books having originally cost put little Another advantage under the Ien- nessee law is that home book manufactur- CTS have obtained some of the contracts. The History of Tennessee used In our schools is published here in Nashville, one of the arithmetics is published In the state and the Chattanooga Times was aWarueo the contract for all the copy books used fin the schools. The standard price for copy books in states where there IS no scnooi book law is ten cents. Under our law they are sold for three cents AS copy DOCK IS soon used up you will see what saving there is to the children in the state in this one item alone.
 .The Tennessee Jaw required three gen. eral Repositories for school books, but the manufacturers have established five. In addition to these there are from two to five local Repositories or agencies in eacn county for the convenience of the parents who have children at school. The books be sold by every DleTcHdHl III lLC otolS who desires to do so and the State super intendent informs me that no merchant mas ever complained to him about books, and no teacher has ever asked to nave them put on sale in any locality that the same was not promptly done by the publsher. The only trouble along this line has been that occasionally merchant who has here- tofore handled books did not now desire to sell them because, under the state adop- tion, he could receive but small percent
 .nIA Nhn ln O. yides that the books shall not be sold at a price exceeding that fixed by the commits sion and a merchant who is selling books can now as heretofore, sell them on tune, exchange them for barter, or sell for cash' at will.
 'Of the five members of the commission provided for by the Tennessee act, had to appoint three. The Superintendent of Pub lie Instruction and myself were ex-officio members. The three members that l ap- pointed and the five members of the sub commission which the commission appoint ed were all men of ability and experience as practical educators-men who not only knew the merits of books from a literary standpoint, but some of whom were good Judges of their mechanical make up.
 Reduced Prices for Books.
 -s'When the commission advertised for bids all books in common use in the state were offered by publishers at reductions in prices of from 15 per cent to 5O per cent, which shows without doubt that the people heretofore have been charged enormous, extortionate, and In every case unreason- . able prices. The commission adopted books equal in every respect to those in former use. Of course, the books selected were not just the particular book by some favorite author that an occasional teacher would prefer, but in no case and upon no sub feet did the commission select book that was not equal in merit and subject matter to the book or books formerly in common use in the state upon such subject.
 "As I have said the law has given great satisfaction and the legislature now in ses- sion which is the first one since the pass age of the act two years ago, will not make any changes In the law which are detri- mental to 1t, and don't believe that there is any power that could now repeal it, so satisfied are the people with it