Omaha daily bee., 1910-03-23
Nebraska
MEN TO PAY EXPENSES
State Reading Circle Makes Contract
With this Purpose.
LEGAL QUESTION OVER CONTRACT
Has Board Of Trustees One in It's Pos
session with Iron WOrksf-Road
Acts on Alfalfa
Rate.
. QUESTION OVER CONTRACT
prom a staff correspondentl

From a Staff Correspondent
LINCOLN, March 22.-Cspecial)-The
reading circle Of the state Teachers associ-
alton, which recommends books to the
various school districts of the state and
selects books, teachers must read or be
unable to secure a renewal OF their certi-
ficates, has entered into a contract with
book concerns from which purchases are
made TO pay the expenses Of the members
Of the circle when meeting, as we'll as the
advertising OF the books selected.
The companies with which this contract
has been made are Heath & Co., Rand
McNally and the CHM company. Each
company contracted to pay its share Of the
cost Of the expenses Of the members OF the
reading circle to the meetings. Every book
company whose publications are chosen by
the reading circle has to chip in so much
to the members Of the circle, the parties
who select the books.
The reading circle is composed of state
Superintendent Bishop, ex-officio member;
Superintendent McMichael of Holdrege,
Superintendent Fred Hunter Of Norfolk,
president Of the Principals and Superin-
tendents association; County Superintendent
Miller Of Cedar county and Edith Lathrop,
county superintendent of Clay county.
This board met last night In the office
Of the state superintendent and adopted
twenty. five books for public school
libraries, and plans for the pupils reading
circle. Teachers books were also adopted
and aNcontract entered into with the pub
fishers to furnish these at so much per
book. From twenty-one publishers books
were selected for the use Of the schools,
but the reading circle has authority only
to recommend these books and cannot
force the school districts to buy them.
Included In the contract regarding the
price to be paid for books by the teachers
Is a clause which provides that the pub
fishing houses shall each pay its share
Of the expenses of the members Of the
reading circle and also pay for advertising
the books. That is one of the conditions
upon which the purchases are made.
Did Board Have Contract
Did the board of trustees of the state
public school permit the expenditure of
some $3.50 without having a contract with
the company which did the work?
Tn question has arisen by the action of
the Phoenix Iron Works company Of Penn
s~ylvania soliciting the aid Of the state
board of public lands and buildings in the
collection OF 1906 It claims is due for
a heating plant installed in the state
public school. The company says it has
a contract signed by the secretary Of the
board of trustees, the Rev. weatherly.
Mr.. Weatherly and DR.. P. L. Hall, chair
mar OF the board of trustees, said they
had a contract with George v. Ballard
paid him the money for installing the
plant and had no agreement whatever with
the Phoenix Iron Works.
c. S. Allen, attorney for the board, said
this morning the board had no formal con-
tract with George V. Ballard nor the COM
pany. He produced a bid for the work
signed by Ballard who agreed to furnish
boilers manufactured by the iron works.
The board, he said. by resolution accepted
the bid OF Ballard and this made the
contract.
Red Cloud Wins Partial Victory.
The Burlington railroad has filed with
the state railway commission its train
schedule for the new train to run from
OXFORD to Hastings and return each day,
The train will start at oxford at $50 a. m.
and reach Hastings In time to connect with
No. 2 for the east. 1t will leave Hastings
at 4 p m. and reach Red Cloud at 6 and
Oxford at 8. The schedule it to be out in
operation April l.
The Red Cloud people made the most
vigorous complaint against train service
In that section of the state and they de-
manded a train which would run from
Hastings and thus give people an oppor-
tunity to spend several hours each day in
Red Cloud. They got Just the opposIte
from what they demanded. The commits
sion will receive any objection to the new
train and reserve it's official permission for
II to be put on until a majority of the
patrons are satisfied.
Doctors object to Increase.
The Hastings independent Telephone com
pany has filed a petition with the StatN
hallway commission asking permission IN
Increase Its rates as follows: Individual
business telephones, from S2.25 to q a
month; residence telephones, from Sl5O IA
N7b; farmers telephones, from 81. Is to 81. "a.
Practically every doctor in Hastings has
filed a remOnstrance against the increase
and they say il permission is granted to IN
crease the rates they win take out the In
dependent telephones. The commission will
hear the case March 30.
Chosen by Phi Beta Knppa,
Out OF a total of thirty-one seniors at the
University Of Nebraska who were toda v
elected to membership In Phi Beta Kappa.
the honorary fraternity whose members are
chosen from the senior class each spring
entirely on the basis of their scholastic
achievements, only three were young men.
and OF this trio two were Omaha boys
Herbert w Potter and Walter p. LOOMS.
The other boy was John 7. Tate Of Valen-
tine.
The selection Of thirty-one members to-
day is the largest number that has ever
been chosen for membership in the Ne
braska chapter Of the fraternity. The cleo
ton was made in accordance with the con-
stitution Of the society, which provides