Omaha daily bee., 1902-02-04
BUYING OF BOOKS DEFERRED
Pupils ia omahs HitL sshsOl Needn't Par
chase New.
Free RULE IS IN FORCE tut JutY
DeIeEation from Central Labor Union
IL Heard by Board of Education
Record of Temperatures Re-
auired from Teachers.


Pupils in the Omaha High school will
not be required to buy their own textbooks
until after July 1. The Board Of Education
decided at It's meeting last night mat the
the rule recently adopted doing away with
free textbooks in the High school is not
to become operative until the close OF the
present school year.
The recommendation Of the textbook
committee that the rule should be lnopera-
tive during the present semester at the
High school was approved by eight mem
hers of the board. President Barnard ruled
that the adoption Of this recommendation
would be a suspension OF rules and must be
endorsed by q two-thirds vote. Mr.. Homan
Immediately moved that the board inter
pret the rule to mean that free textbooks
are not to be abolished during the present
school year. Protests arose from mem
bers who insisted that this was merely q
restatement Of the recommendation OF the
| committee on textbooks, but the president
held that this was merely an interprets-
ton and not a suspension OF the rules and
declared II was adopted when eight mem
bers voted for It. The men who supported
the motion we're Homan, Howard, Theodore
Johnson, W. F. johnson, Levy, ], ]. Smith,
stubbendorf, Barnard. Members ANDERSEN,
! ccrmack, Funkbouser. Mcintosh, Robert
smith and Wood voted against the motion.
MIR. Maynard was absent.
In voting against the motion Of MT.
Homan, Robert Smith, Wood. Mcintosh and
] the other men who were with them In their
opposition to The measure urged that free
Textbooks should not be abolished and
stated that they we're unwilling to support
any step which looked towar the ultimate
.katt.h~.art ~ fraa taxthooka-
Labor De,esates Are Heard.
A delegation from the Central Labor
union, composed Of W.. A. shrpm, j. j
Kerrisan and J. A.. Bradford, attended thu
meeting and addressed the board on thu
subject Of free textbooks. Mr.. Kerrigar
was the chief speaker. 'Laboring people
cannot AFFORD to buy books for their child
rem" he said, among the workinl
classes this movement to take away fret
textbooks from High school pupils Il
looked upon as an attempt to turn the Higl
school into an academy Of arlstocracy
Every labor union in the city is opposed Il
this step. II Is looked upon as the undoinl
OF work which It has required years u
accomplish"
Mr.. Mcintosh said that after making
study OF the pupils at the High schoo
and after examining the entry cards show
ing what walks OF life most Of them com
from he was convinced that the abolitiol
OF free textbooks would drive between 20
and 400 children from the High school.
w. r. Johnson said that he would favo
free textbooks In the High school " IN
finances Of the school district were in bet
ter condition. Mr.. Funkhouser and RobeI
Smith spoke against the abolition Of fire.
Textbooks and insisted that . great wron
will be done children whose parents ar
unable to purchase books. They urged tha
the issue be met squarely last night an
that no attempt be made TO delay the en-
lforcement OF the new rule.
Routine Matters.
The committee on heat and yentilhtio
was authorised 10 employ an engineer. IRE
man and ether additional help required 9
the new High school building.
Permission was granted the Nebrask
[ Photoeraphers' association to use the az
I sembly room on the NTH floor Of the city Ia
during its annual meeting TO be held
Omaha during June.
An application was received from J. |
Mitchell Of Grafton. o.. for dlsarded schoI
books 70 be used among the mountaineei
Z OF North Carolina.
, The Omaha Safe and Iron works sui
mittsd a bid for the erection Of nre escape
on FarnEm. Park and Castelar, schools
Z sass for each building.
: A resolution was adopted requiring Hil
school teachers TO keep a daily record Of u
y Temperatures in all rooms OF the new bull
i ing.
! The board decided 10 reduce the %insursni
on the cid High school building from $3.50
TO $50. 900.
49,. M = $1,000. - h.tt