The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-06-13
Rules Adopted for Hear ing Agents. COMMISSION WILL SELECT
 BOOKS FOR FIVE YEARS There Are Thirty-four Bidders for
 the Contracts. Ehe Contracts wrn Run for Five Years--A small Army of Agents l. in Attendance Upon the
 Meetiass of the Com-
 mission.

The State Text Book Commission met promptly at noon yesterday In the State Senate Chamber and passed the hearing which will be given to the agents of publishing houses. There were two sessions held, the first ad- Journing at 1 o'clock and the other beginning at 3 o'clock and ending at z.s0 o'clock, The future sessions will be held daily from S.30 o'clock a. m. to 1.30 o'clock p. m.
 Those members of the Commission Conner. ex-oficio Chairman: State Su- perintendent of Education Harry C.. Gunnels. Secretary ex-ofhcio; S s.. Murphy of Mobile, John P, Selman of Troy, J. VI. Brown of Dothan. D. M. Galloway of Selma. J. P. Nef of La fayette. J. B. Hobdy of Albertville, HI. T. Lille of Falkvilie and c. B.. Glenn of Birmingham,
 The only absent member was e. w :. Brock of Livingston, who was detained on account of the illness of his wife. He Is expected to be with the Commis- sion this morning.
 One of tine important decisions of the Commission was to make no adoption of text books until all the branches of study have been considered finally. the successful bidders will come at one time and that at the conclusion of the meeting.
 The meetings yesterday were exec
 
 made public. The suspense of the book agents was relieved in part by the adoption of the rule to hear them in the Alphabetical order of tho pub will be the order of the hearing on each branch of study as 1t is taken up by the Commission and the branches of study by. special rule will be con- sidered in the order in which they are named in the law creating the Text Book Commission and defining the du- ties thereof.
 By this rule the subject of orthog- Commission when they assemble this morning for the real grind of their work. Next in order will come the fol- towing subjects: Reading. writing guage lessons. history of Alabama (containing the Constitution of the Btate). history of the United States elementary principles of agriculture.
 To this list of studies the Commits sion yesterday resolved to add the branches of clvics and drawing. The branches to be adopted, makes this provision: And such other branches of study as properly belong in a com com mon scoo course 1bsra,oTa h seEre sSysrtIss at once for bids for the supply oi !, books bearing on these topics to be submitted before the adjournment oi kne COmmlSSlOn. It lS uOI DpAAcFSu lHdl any other branches will be considered
 The Commission will. most likely con tinue to sit in the Senate Chamber The original rule of allowing representa- lives of the publishing houses as much lime as they wished in their argu- ments will be observed. The predic- lion is, however that the agents will know when their hearers have enough and close their talks at judicious Inter vaIs. Only one representative or n E bidders on any subject VIII be allowed fo appear before the Commission.
 when one remembers that there are fhfrty-four bidders in all to be con. pidered and that these are duplicated In many of the branches It can pe seen that the Commission can hardly expecl fo finish their labors7fn much short ar time than two weeks. The mem bers of the Commission are Tn posses sion of briefs submitted by the bidders and these are to be considered togesh er with the oral arguments or the agents. ...ara.,,.. meeting but they will not be made public. They will not be known uhtl the final adoption of the books <.
 The uublishing house agents fairly Ewarmed the Capitol all of yesterday ko learn the rules that are to govern in the hearing. They were present also in order to appear before the Com mission If that body had decided to pc Bids detail. They wifi be In posl. ton now, knowing the alphabetical rule, to tell when they are to be called But for this rule there might have heer an undue scramble for first place Sev. erai of the agents facetiously remarked