The Mathews journal. (Mathews C.H. [Court House]) 1903-1937, 1910-09-08
SCHOOLS MAY
HAVE NO BOOKS
Complications Result From Attorney
Generals Recent Ruling,

r nc HMOND, pecial-
Inc acton OF the Attorney General
IN ruling that the school book publish-
ing concerns, which have been award
ca contracts for furnishing the school
books Of the State, must "domesti-
cate before the contracts can be en-
tereu into, has caused the greatest
amount OF confusion on account Of
the approach OF the school year, and
the TACT that the local school snDnI1-
houses are placed in the position of
being unable to get the necessary sun
plies.
The large book concerns of Rich
mond nave not on hand enough sup
pnes TO furnish one of the public
schools in the city, and other sections
or the State are in practically the
same situation. Rural districts and
communities are even worse off than
the cities. Practically all of the
schools in the State will be omen with
IN short period of time, and up TO
the present there has been no adjust
ment OF the situation, and local book
men fear that there Will he none for
sometime.
Attorney General Williams is conf
dent that his position in the matter is
the correct one, and that the differ
ences between the State and the pub
Usher Will be adjusted in due season.
he maintains that the publishing
houses, by entering into contracts with
the State Board of Education, are do
ing business in the State and are
amenable to the State for a franchise
tax, the same as the local corpora
lions.
In a circular letter, which the At
torney General has sent out to all of
the publishing houses, he says:
This tax must be paid by al cor
poratlons doing business in this State
by the express terms of the contract
winch your company proposes to enter
into for furnishing school books in
this State, you undertake, contract
and agree to keep these books on sale
at all necessary and convenient places
in each city and county of this State
and the books are sold there for use
in our public high schools, and il can
not be successfully commended either
as matter of law, or of fact, that a
corporation carrying out this contract
is not doing business in Virginia, and
1t is equally as useless to contend that
such sales constitute or in any way
partake of the nature of interstate
commerce business, for we have moth
ing whatever to do with any contract
or arrangement you may make with
local book dealers to enable YOU tc
comply with your contract to keep
these books on sale IL each county aAu
district of this State"
The State Board of Education,
which is required to enter into these
contracts, has had no meeting on the
subject and up to the present time
has taken no action on the issue that
has been raised by the Attorney Gen
eral. 1t is expected that a meeting
of the State Board will take place
about September 18th. when the ques-
ton of the contract will be taken up
for discussion and action. In the
meantime the Attorney General con-
tinues his negotiations with the pub
fishing concerns i'm the hope of col
lecting the franchise tax before the
contracts are entered into.
School supplies are ordered for the
school season and local dealers use
great care in not OVersupplying them
selves for the season. The result is
that at the end of the school year the
dealers have very few supplies on
hand and the dealer who has entirely
sold out considers himself fortunate.
The inability Of the dealers to get
publishing houses to supply them at
this time has served to cause consid-
cradle alarm in school circles. for it
is feared that the schools will have
to open with the pupils lacking in
books and unable to procure any
save the sparse supply of old books
that can sometimes be picked up.