The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1907-01-10

Smith advanced $4,000 on an agreement
that the auditor would October 1, 1905, Is
sue his warrant to the state health Off
Ger, that officer agreeing to hand 1t inn
mediately over to the treasurer. You Will
observe that this accounts for the $4,000
for each Of three years The balance of
the total expenditure was made up by
turning over to Dr. Sanders, on the last
day of the fiscal year, 1905, what was left
of the governors contingent fund for
that year to the amount OF S22OO and by
DR.. Sanders borrowing the remainder.
&l25, on his personal note, which, how
ever, and others signed with him. You
will be asked to appropriate this money
with interest to the holders of the note.
The few dollars you will be called upon
to disburse as interest on this money, is
much cheaper than would have been a
session of the legislature to provide for
the deficiency. While $4,000 is a large
sum. It was well spent in keeping the
disease practically out of this state. As
1t was business was never very greatly
disturbed. The victory was very cheap
at the price In this connection I desire
TO say that interested myself and pro-
cured the interest of all the congressman
from Alabama in a general maritime
quarantine, which | believe is now ef-
fective ! think it will not be possible
tEdiH 20 nave lllt Sldlt dlSAul DCd ONtl
this disease.
Uniform School Books.
The uniform school book law, which
WIS passed al your last session, was
made effective in the summer of 1903. II
has been the law of the state for more
than three years. The law provided that
the governor and superintendent Of edu
cation. together with eminent teachers
appointed by the governor. should form
n state text book commission. The gov
ornor appointed under the law, DR.. # NJ.
Peterson, president of the Girls Indus
trial school; DIR. G. c. Thach, president
of the Polytechnic institute; DR.. J. w.
Abercrombie, president of the University.
These three, with the governor and SUI
perintendent of education, composed the
school book commission As provided in
the bill the governor appointed the fol-
lowing gentlemen to form sub-connis-
sion: Prof. NJ. c. Wilson, president Flor
ence Normal school; Prof. II. j. willing
nam, president of the Fifth District Agri-
cultural school, DR.. J. II. Phillips, super
intendent of the Birmingham public
schools: Prof j. II. Foster, superintend-
ent of the Tuscaloosa public schools, and
Prof. w. w. Benson, representing the
common schools. The two boards did a
given ample opportunity to study and
compare all the books in competition. At
joint sessions of the two commissions OPP
portunity was given the agents of the
publishers to appear before the body in
advocacy of their publications. This
public hearing ran through several days.
The sub-commission after some weeks,
reported its findings and the main com
mission then selected the books to be
used. ] think the members of the COM
mission agreed that one mistake at least
was made in their selections-that one
superior and more tcachable text book
might have been secured. No member Of
the commission will say that the books
selected. taken as a whole, are not of
higher value than the average books
taught in the schools of the state before
the adoption of the law. The work of the
commission was honestly and unselfishy
done. and | desire here to bear testimony
to the faithfulness with which its mem
bers served the state. The expense at
tached to the commission was within tho
$4,000 appropriated for the purpose. and
no men more nearly earned their per diem
than did those eight appointed members
OF the board.
Matter of Saving From Its Operation.
In many city stores in the state school
books were sold at retail at what was
known as 'list" price. In other city
stores and throughout the state in the
smaller communities. books were sold
at an advance OF 20 to 40 per cent on list
price The contract with the publishers
required that the books should be sold
in number of places in each county at
contract figures. which were below what
was known as list price. To those per-
sons who were fortunate enough to live
hard by a store that sold the books at
list the reduction under the new law
would represent a saving to them OF
about 30 per cent If they were situated,
as four-hfths of the patrons were, at
distance from the list price store they
had to pay 20 to 40 per cent above list"
These last find their ooks now at hardly
above one-half of the old rate. The ag
gregate sale in the state on the basis OF
the new price list average something like
100000 a year. The saving for five years
to the people of this state cannot hardly
be less than 40 per cent, or an aggregate
OF 100000. There Is added to this argu-
ment In favor of the new law the great
saving which comes from avoiding re-
peated changes and the annoyance which
parents and guardians suffer from such
changes. Moreover, the average boy and
girl now has a better book to study than
they have known before. It will be nee
essary for you to provide for a new
book commission to continue the opera
ton of This most wholesome and prohta-
BILE departure.
Schools.
That brings me to a discussion of orr
schools. The University, the Polytechnic.
and the Girls Industrial school are hav-
ing the most successful year in all their
history. The University is much in need
of funds with which to erect and equip
additional buildings. 1t has been twenty
Years or more since the school has had
any funds to put into buildings. The
growing necessity for large appropria-
lions for the common schools has caught
and held the eyes of the legislators, and
is supplying in some sort of fashion their
crying needs. the old school at Tusca-
loosa has not had the attention 1t de-
served. The needs of the Polytechnic
are not less serious so far as buildings
go than the University. Both schools
must undoubtedly receive proper consid-
Grafton at your hands. A temporary pro-
vision of the last legislature for state
work In the department of horticulture
should he made Il permanent part of the
Polytechnics endeavor 1t Is pity that
Tuscaloosa and Auburn were ever sep
arately organized. They should have
been combined. becoming in time real
great university As ii is much of the
work is duplicated at extra expense TO
tax payers. 1t is possibly not too late to
combine them.
Other Schools.
You will have call from the Normals
and the agricultural schools. They will
place their needs, which are entitled to
your consideration. before YOU. This is
also true of that great institution for
girls, recently established at Montevalo
and now doing a great work,
The common schools will. however. de-
mand your chief attention. There is great