The Plymouth tribune. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1901-1911, 1909-06-17
GEOGRAPHY MAY
BE CUT OUT
GOVERNORS MOTION WHEN
OLD PRICE is REFUSED BY
PUBLISHERS.
Board Opinion Divided and Case May
Be Left to the Courts for Settle
ment.

state WIN have primary biographies
during the coming school year will
depend on the disposal to be made by
the state board of school book com
misiSioners on a motion made by Gov
ernor Marshall to the effect that nc
such text book be used during that
time The motion was made at the
morning session Monday and at once
divided the board
The morion was made after notice
lad been received from the Macmillan
company, publishers of the Tarr &
McMurray primary biographies, to
the effect that tine company refused
TO supply the books at the price OF &c
cents a voiltmne After a careful ex-
smlnation OF the law the board agreed
that, according to the bond given b.
he company at the time of the con-
tract five years ago, the state had no
ground Tor a case in court since the
bond did not provide for recovery oil
amages by the state.
Suit by a Patron.
Although it has been held by the
ttorney general that under the con.
-ract with the Macmillan company
TIE board could compel the company
continue supplying the geographic
at 30 cents each, the language of the
ond was found to be such that any
suit brought under it must neces sarily
brought by a patron OF school,
who is buyer of books, and since
the bond makes no provision for at
torneys fees the plaintiff would be
compelled to pay his own attorneys
fees. condition which, in the opinion
OF the board would put all litigation
out OF the question.
As a result of the discovery con-
corning the Macmillan company 5
bond the board reduced the bond to
be given by the Scnibner company,
supplying the Howe readers, d. C.
Heathe & Co, supplying the ari Jh-
metics, and CHM & Co., supplying
The advanced geograt hies, from $780,
900 to $4,000, and provided that in
The event the publishing house failed
to meet it's contract the sum specified
in the bond shall become the sum for
which the company shall be sued.
ne bond OF the Eaton company
supplying the copy books, remained
at $4,000, but was subjected TO the
same conditions.
Law May be Amended.
As further result of the discovery
concerning the bond Governor Mar
shall stated, after the board had adj
lourned for the morning. that he
world recommend that the next gen.
eral assembly amend the school book
law TO enable the state to purchase
text books from the publishing
horises, i'll order that the state NAV
oe made primary plaintiff in a suit
70 recover. One hundred thousand
dollars, the amount formerly required
N the bond, was considered BY the
card to be too high to be considered
court in a suit to recover for
faIlure to meet the conditions of the
contract.
According to explicit directions
given by the board at the time OF its
appointment, the revision committee.
composed of DR.. w. l.. Bryan, OF In
drama university; Professor G. w.
i@py OF Wabash college, and PROBES
'or K. l.. Kelley OF Earlham college.
reported only on the Typographical
errors and spelling in the Howe read
ers, the only new books adopted
lheir report was to the effect that all
typographical errors and errors in
spelling had been corrected according
10 standard editions. The report was
formally adopted.
May Be Question for Court.
Whether the contracts signed Iby
'he board will stand in court in the
event an interested citizeh chooses 70
contest them is question before the
board, whrch will remain unsettled
unless taken into court. When the
Wood bill OF 1909 repealed the former
school book contract act the board
evoked all action taken and started
Mfh Its slate clear. The bids sub.
nisted to the book concern. however
expressly stated that they were SUBJ
nitted according to sections in Burns
Revised Statutes of 1905. The con-
racts were drawn according to the
'ct OF 1909. Unless some citizen
WISHES to test the contracts on the
eohnicality the contracts will stand
AT the meeting of the board the
natter OF the Macmillan contract
md bond was referred to the attorney
general with power TO act in the mat
er OF deciding whether to act in the
natter OF deciding whether or not to
BRING suit and to determine the char
lcter of the suit if one is broupht
At the next meeting of the board the
lttorney general will report as to
whether readvertising for bids ON Gle
nentary biographies would affect the
lights OF the state.
This Youngster is Monster.